Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with prescriptions

Where are the absolute cheapest places to get prescription drugs?

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:20:05 -0800

I'm thinking about switching my health insurance to a high-deductible health plan, but I need to get a handle on what all my allergy prescriptions will cost me. I think that I will be able to build up some stockpiles during this year, but I want to know how much I will actually be out of pocket when it comes time to pay for them. What is the absolute cheapest way to get the following prescriptions?

(I'm in Chicago, but assume that I am fine with mail order, will jump through a lot of hoops, and am interested in both US-based and possibly Canadian-based pharmacies, but I want them to be legal, legitimate pharmacies if they are abroad, and I want to understand how much of a risk I am taking with customs.)

Advair diskus 100/50
Singulair 10MG
Astelin 137 MCG
Veramyst 27.5 MCG
Ventolin HFA

(Anonymous just because I don't like the idea of the details of my health care being out in the wild.)

Help me get my Prozac without breaking the bank!

larkspur — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:47:29 -0800

I don't currently have health insurance. I need back on the antidepressant I was on in college. What are my best options? Generic Prozac is $4/mo or $10/3mo at Walmart. But what's the cheapest way for me to get the prescription? I live in a small town in NE Ohio, if it's relevant.

I know places I could get it online for like $30/mo, but do I have some hope of being able to find someone who, for like $100-$200, could give me a prescription with say a year's worth of refills? Is that a reasonable thing? I have no idea how this works out in the real world now, the health center in college wanted me to come back in every three months but there was also no charge to see the nurse practitioner so that posed no problem. Now, I don't know how much seeing a regular doctor costs, or how long they'll be willing to prescribe me for each visit.

So I don't walk into this with unreasonable expectations, what should I be doing to make this as painless as possible, and how much can I reasonably expect this to cost me?

How can I circumvent a crazy doctor?

RajahKing — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:15:50 -0800

Can I go around my crazy eye doctor and get the glasses and contacts I need? I have a horrible eye doctor who is doing everything possible to not give me my eye presciption. Total bullies, brazenly overpriced, and it was reconfirmed for me today in my most recent visit. Unfortunately, as I have terrible eyesight combined with an empty wallet, I am in a tough position. I need some hive mind advice, if you can follow this.

After some cajoling, yelling, whining (all on their part) I was able to pull from their cold fingers my a) current eyeglasses prescription and b) my last year's contact prescription.

So I am very nearsighted in both eyes, plus I have severe astigmatism. What I use to function is
a) a standard set of strong eyeglasses, then
b) soft contact lenses
c) with eyeglasses over them to correct the astigmatism.

Here is my question: using my current eyeglass prescription, along with the base curve from last year's contact prescription, can I order new contacts by combining the new prescription with last year's base curve? Or does a base curve change much?

*PS I know the alternative is to go back and get my damn prescription, and I will do so if necessary. I really just want to know if I can do the above and have the satisfaction of never dealing with these creeps again.

Bringing legally prescribed controlled substances through customs in Asia?

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:01:33 -0800

Advice on bringing a small quantity of legally prescribed Ritalin (methylphenidate) and other prescriptions for personal use into Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and the Philippines? I'm traveling to a number of Asian countries in the next three weeks, and I would like to bring my prescriptions with me. The drugs are 30x20mg Ritalin (methylphenidate), 6x200mg Provigil (modafinil), and 30x10mg Ambien (zolpidem). These are legally prescribed by a U.S. doctor, and I will carry the pills in the original, labeled bottle and will have an official-looking letter from the doctor.

But Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, according to their customs Web sites, either ban these drugs outright or require preapproval through a bureaucratic process. I wasn't able to find info on the other countries, but it's those three places that I'm most concerned about anyway (Japan and Singapore especially).

In those countries, since they require preapproval, if I indicate on my customs forms that I have controlled substances, then I'll almost certainly have them confiscated and could face other penalties (right?). If I play stupid and just state I have no items to declare, I'd most likely get through OK. But if they pull me aside and search my bags, then I'd be in big trouble, right? I will have entered and exited different countries ~13 times by the end of this trip, so at least on that I'd look suspicious.

So: what actually happens if Japan/Singapore/Hong Kong customs finds undeclared, un-preapproved but legally prescribed controlled substances in your bags? Is it something I can plead ignorance on and just get a warning, or are there serious consequences? I'm not sure if these laws are actually enforced in the case of small quantities and legal personal use. Should I just not bring the drugs?

"One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small..."

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:56:46 -0800

I'm beginning to feel like I am taking too many pills. Should I be?....I know YANMD/YANAD. I've been on Vyvanse for about a year, birth control (quasense) and have just started on Zoloft. I also use a prescription shampoo and a prescription scalp solution for skin issues. My GP also believes I have Gilbert's syndrome.

I've seen conflicting articles on if it is okay to take Vyvanse and Zoloft together and feel like now there is just too many chemicals in the mix.

Also, the zoloft is making me clench my jaw (happened when I started the vyvanse too). I am fairly certain it will resolve itself as my body gets used to the new medicine, but in the meantime, my jaw is so sore and I have a massive headache from clenching my jaw. I would love to take a tylenol or something as I have spent the last 24 hours in tremendous pain (I can still function, but it is like trying to work/drive/cook while someone is driving thumbtacks into the back of your head), but I have also seen scary articles on taking vyvanse/aspirin & zoloft/aspirin & having GS/aspirin.

I'm going to call the doctor in the morning re the teeth clenching/headaches.

But I am hoping maybe someone else here has gone through a similar experience and could share their peals of wisdom:

Am I being paranoid about too many drugs in my body?

drug-seeking behavior

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:58:50 -0800

Can I ask my doctor to increase my dosage of a prescribed antibiotic based on studies I've read? Yesterday my doctor recommended Rifaximin for SIBO. As far as I can tell, the FDA approved Rifaximin for travelers' diarrhea, and my doctor prescribed it at that dose (600mg/day for 3 days). According to two studies I've found, higher doses--like 1200-1600mg/day for 7 days--are significantly more effective.

It's not a systemic antibiotic, and the studies indicated side effects did not increase significantly at higher doses, so I want to go for it.

This doctor managed to misdiagnose me a year ago in an effort to get me into his IBS study, so I'd really like to be fully armed with facts before I talk to him about this. Is it okay for me to ask him to increase the dosage? Is he actually able to prescribe it at doses that high?

(He gave me the 3-day course entirely in samples, which strikes me as shady, but means he wouldn't need to prescribe quite as much.)

How do I talk to my doctor about meds for a plane trip?

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:14:27 -0800

I'm flying in a few weeks. I'm scared to death, and I want to try some of those anti-anxiety meds that people say you can get from your doctor. But how do I talk to my doctor about it? I can't imagine walking in, sitting down, and asking for that kind of prescription. I'm terrified of being called a drug-seeker.

Do doctors really get these kind of requests all the time? And what do I say to the receptionist when she asks why I'm coming in?

(Please don't tell me that I don't really want drugs, that I really want therapy, or deep breathing, or your favorite fear of flying book. Been there, done that. Sometimes I'm nervous about trips, sometimes I'm not ... and this time, I'm starting to freak out weeks in advance, so I think this is going to be a bad one and I want to try something different. Can I blame that recent front-page post about the Mt Erebus crash?)

drug prices in NZ

moonlet — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:12:49 -0800

What will prescription medications cost an uninsured US resident who is buying them in New Zealand? First of all, I won't be actually uninsured. I'm quitting my job and heading to New Zealand for four months to backpack and pick apples. I'd prefer not to keep my present insurance through Cal-COBRA, because it's really expensive, so I'm applying for high-deductible insurance that includes overseas coverage. It won't cover my meds, because they're for a pre-existing condition.

I take 100mg Wellbutrin (bupropion) SR, and 50mg Luvox (fluvoxamine), daily. Even buying generic, without insurance they'd cost me something like $300/mo here.

My present insurance will let me buy only 60 days' worth of each medication at a time, and my psychiatrist will not prescribe me twice what I actually take. He will, however, write me scrips to take with. So, I need to either do something dodgy involving Canada, or actually purchase the meds in NZ.

I'm guessing they're not as expensive there as they are in the US, even for an un-government-subsidized foreigner. If they are, though, I may as well keep my COBRA insurance.

So. Any ideas how much it'll run me, or where I can go to find out?

Can I fill my prescription under the radar?

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:25:04 -0800

How can I be sure that the prescription I'm about to fill won't appear in a for-profit prescription database? I have a prescription that I need to fill but I'm sort of weird about privacy and I'd rather not have it appear in the mega-database of prescribed medications.

According to the above article, people who pay cash (and apparently they mean full price, not the $4 discounted Target/Wal-Mart prices) are "generally" excluded from this database. I'd like to be a little more confident about my exclusion from this database, so I've got questions:

Is paying cash/full price a reliable way to keep my prescription info private? Would I be better off buying from a Canadian or other non-US pharmacy since I'm already paying full price? I'm buying generic, so cost isn't really an issue. Mostly I'd prefer not to wait the three weeks it'll take to get them from Canada.

(Anonymous because I really am that much of a privacy weirdo) Questions, anonymous replies, etc: prescriptionparanoid@gmail.com

Another Canadian pharmacy question.

misanthropicsarah — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:46:33 -0800

Anyone have any experience with NorthWestPharmacy.com? Anyone have any experience with NorthWestPharmacy.com? They have some freaking GREAT prices on several of the scripts I take, but I don't want to get scammed or get placebos or something. All I can seem to find online is a bunch of spammy advertising stuff.

I have ordered from Canadian pharmacies before, but NWP has their prices beat by a mile...

Good or bad stories welcome.

Safe pharmacies?

anybirds — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:14:28 -0800

What are some safe online pharmacies to buy cheap generic drugs from? Just the links please (I dont need any lectures). I am looking for pharmacies that are considered safe and trustworthy, where people have actually gotten what they ordered. Google isnt great for this as theres too much spam. Im looking to save money buying generic Zoloft online. Any success stories?

Filling prescriptions when visiting Canada and the UK

soulbarn — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:44:09 -0800

In order to save money on my prescription meds, I've been mail-ordering from Canada and the UK. However, I know that the online pharmacies that handle the process add a significant markup over the in-country prices available through the respective national health care systems. Over the next four weeks, I will be in both Canada and the UK. Can I fill my prescriptions directly, with a US doctor's written prescription? If not, is there some way to obtain a local physician's prescription? (The meds are psych meds, if that makes a difference.)

Are generic and brand name drugs exactly the same?

samh23 — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:05:17 -0800

Is it possible for me to experience different side effects on a generic drug vs. its brand name equivalent? The drug in question is neurological. I take Tegretol for epilepisy (siezure control), 200mg twice a day. Yesterday my doctor gave me a new writ, and I took it to a new pharmacy. I didn't realize they gave me the genetic Carbamazepine until I got home. Figuring it was exactly the same, I didn't worry about it.

Now I feel tired, somewhat out of it, and most humorously, I am slightly slurring my words. It's like I'm on a bit of cold medication. None of these side effects are uncommon for the drug. But I've been taking Tegretol for 20 years -- I'm very familiar with it. I didn't experience these effects (or experience them to this degree) on the brand name. That said, I could just be tired, sick, stressed, etc.

Is it possible that Carbamazepine is the culprit? Shouldn't the two drugs be exactly the same? I mean, a chemical is a chemical...right?

Drugs anyone?

DJWeezy — Wed, 23 May 2007 08:41:38 -0800

Do physical therpists prescribe drugs? I have been trying to google this for the last 20 minutes. My freind is going in to physical therapy in college and I am sure my grandpa's physical theraist prescibed him things but she claims she wont be able to. can someone please settle this.

Why are so many anti-psychotic drugs prescribed?

soulbarn — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 19:21:12 -0800

I just read in the NYT that Zyprexa (an atypical anti-psychotic, used to treat schizophrenia and mania) is the fourth-most prescribed drug in the world. Other lists I've seen put similar drugs in the top-ten sellers. How can this be? Are there that many people suffering from these disorders compared to being medicated for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or any of a dozen other maladies I can think of that appear, on general observation, to be far more common? (And I don't believe, neccessarily, that this is simply doctors overprescribing - because, at least to me, that premise would mean overprescribing all drugs, not just the ones in question, right?)

Recent experience with prescriptions from Canada?

shifafa — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:42:25 -0800

Is it no longer safe to order prescriptions from Canada? I know there was a US Customs crackdown recently, but was that temporary? Any first-hand experience appreciated. I don't really know how many of these shipments are being seized, so I don't know if it's worth the risk. I heard a rumor that the crackdown coincided with the new Medicare plan on purpose, and I'm hoping things have cooled off. I spend over $600/month on meds right now - Canada's looking good. I'm nowhere near the border, so going to Canada myself would entail serious travel.

Is a 27-year old too to receive the world's first cancer vaccine?

nakedcodemonkey — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 17:29:05 -0800

Is a 27-year old too to receive the world's first cancer vaccine? The FDA has just approved the first cancer vaccine, Gardasil, to prevent cervical cancer, HPV, and genital warts in women who aren't already infected. The approval is for women 9-26. Why wasn't it approved for women older than that? Is there evidence it's unsafe for us, or ineffective? How restrictive is such an approval? i.e. Can the vaccine be prescribed to someone older than the approved range?

Migraines: triggers and prescribed treatments?

kimota — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 14:45:04 -0800

Migraine sufferers, what are your triggers, how quickly/consistently do they bring on your migraines, and what prescription meds work best for you? I can't tell which one or several of the following are triggers for me: activity after sedentariness, caffeine, sunlight, artificial coloring, sinus problems, aspartame, possibly bad posture while sitting, etc. Some combination of the first five tends to be involved for me, most of the time, but not always. I've had a couple of instances where I'd get a migraine shortly after walking from work to various fast food places and getting a soda with lunch. I've had more instances where I'd get a migraine after leaving a 75 or 90 minute class (where, typically but not always, I'd had a soda and sat in flourescent lighting then left for the sunny outdoors).

I never have migraines at home, on the weekends (except for one time when I was at work), and I've only had one after the hours of noon-6 PM (it was still twilight when it happened), and I think I've only had one on a rainy day.

I can't tell if my triggers are nearly immediate, or if they're longer term but I'm considering the wrong things to be triggers (post hoc ergo propter hoc). I've tried different prescription medicines, and while the first time I took Imitrex, it blew out the migraine in a matter of minutes, I haven't had quite so much success any other time with it, Maxalt, or Zomig, even when I pop the pill as soon as I see the aura, which is always in my right eye (and the pain that follows about 45 minutes later is always on the left side of my head). I'd love to hear from those of you who've isolated your triggers and/or have found successful experiences with prescribed solutions. [Sorry for going on so long.]

Effexor Alternatives

arse_hat — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 22:27:20 -0800

Does anyone know of an alternative to Effexor (Venlafaxine)? It is not a tricyclic, MAO or a SSRI. (MI) Effexor has just moved to a time-release formulation, which for physiological reasons my girlfriend can’t use. Has anyone found a useful replacement for Effexor (also non time-release) or know of a generic form (even foreign)? (I have tried to search Google for info but with drugs it is next to impossible to get past drug company hype and spam-web-pharmacies for any info)

Online pharmaceuticals: Experiences

stupidsexyFlanders — Tue, 13 Jul 2004 11:30:01 -0800

Online pharmaceuticals: Experiences? Anybody buy drugs online? Like, stuff that you'd need a prescription for (Xanax, Tylenol w/codeine, Paxil, etc.)? Is it U.S.-legal to get a prescription online, or do you have to deal with a non-U.S. place? Are any safe/reputable?

When my insurance (COBRA) ends in March, what can I do?

konolia — Sat, 13 Dec 2003 10:45:31 -0800

When my insurance (COBRA) ends in March, what can I do? Private insurance is prohibitively expensive, and chances are with my preexisting health problems I may not be able to get insurance at all. Worst part is my monthly prescriptions are extremely expensive-we are talking the price of a car payment here, if not more.
Any suggestions, besides moving to Canada?