So, you only take aspirin?

[imoldernu]

Pinworm is a parasitic infection, while ringworm is a fungal infection. Totally different, but either can be cured with inexpensive OTC meds. That was a very alarmist and misleading article.

Agreed that there are less expensive drugs, but the concern is the total freedom of drug companies to charge any amount... no restrictions.

Searching for "skyrocketing drug costs" almost daily opens a news article such as this one that appeared yesterday.

Skyrocketing drug costs hit home with $89,000 price tag

$89,000 is an extremely high cost for helping persons with muscular dystrophy, when most would not be able to afford th1s expense in an ongoing basis.

I don't believe that this enters a matter of politics or restrictions of freedom, though others may disagree. The wiki article on price controls is heavy with criticism of price controls, with little support support for controls of any kind.

Most who visit ER, may not remember or even be aware of Price Controls that were established during WWII, to keep the cost of living reasonable.

Certainly there are ways of going around the US laws regarding importing less expensive drugs from other countries. While it is easy to do this, it would have been considered "black market" during the period of price controls.

Rationing and price controls were the law of the land in the 1940's.

Some pundits suggest that the exceedingly high prices are an attempt to get ahead of government controls. YMMV.


Just my opinion.

FYI... one month drug prices as of April 2016:

 

[Nemo2]

The only medication, (other than Tylenol for arthritis and god knows elsewhat pains), I take is a mild diuretic for BP ( 1/4 tablet daily).

 

[Winemaker]

Dear late MIL took a blood thinner, niacin and a baby aspirin for many years. At 89, her cardiologist suggested she drop the baby aspirin, as it may worsen her acid reflux and cause some stomach bleeding. She was already on a blood thinner. Two months later, she had a "cerebral event" and passed 3 weeks later as she couldn't swallow, and therefore, couldn't eat. Who knows what caused what?

 

[Ian S]

My mother was first put on Xarelto for A-Fib but it upset her stomach. Her doctor switched her to Eliquis and she's been fine on that ever since. Costs her about $3 per month in Ontario, Canada.

 

[Amethyst]

Being 89, perhaps.

Who knows what caused what?

 

[aja8888]

73 and daily take one baby aspirin and a 20 mg beta blocker for BP control.

 

[harley]

Agreed that there are less expensive drugs, but the concern is the total freedom of drug companies to charge any amount... no restrictions.

Searching for "skyrocketing drug costs" almost daily opens a news article such as this one that appeared yesterday.

Skyrocketing drug costs hit home with $89,000 price tag

$89,000 is an extremely high cost for helping persons with muscular dystrophy, when most would not be able to afford th1s expense in an ongoing basis.

I don't believe that this enters a matter of politics or restrictions of freedom, though others may disagree. The wiki article on price controls is heavy with criticism of price controls, with little support support for controls of any kind.

Most who visit ER, may not remember or even be aware of Price Controls that were established during WWII, to keep the cost of living reasonable.

Certainly there are ways of going around the US laws regarding importing less expensive drugs from other countries. While it is easy to do this, it would have been considered "black market" during the period of price controls.

Rationing and price controls were the law of the land in the 1940's.

Some pundits suggest that the exceedingly high prices are an attempt to get ahead of government controls. YMMV.


Just my opinion.

FYI... one month drug prices as of April 2016:

I suspect black markets will also arise to combat the ridiculous and manipulated prices that are currently being charged. Either that or nobody except the rich and well insured will be taking the meds. Poor people might die, or find other treatments. It's definitely a problem. It's one thing if the ingredients for a drug are immensely expensive. But as the Epi-Pen scandal demonstrated, most of this is just greed. There are other epinephrine delivery systems that work, but the time and cost to do the FDA approval is so extreme it's not worth it for what was a cheap treatment.

And I'm sure it's a total coincidence that just as the gov't and medical authorities are pushing Hep C testing on the baby boomers that half of the most expensive drugs just happen to treat Hep C.

 

[grasshopper]

I take 81 mg aspirin for my prostate.

 

[Fedup]

I take an occasional vitamin D and sometime a fish pill. Not regular enough but I keep forgetting to take it.

 

[AllDone]

I use a hormone patch for menopause symptoms. The covered brand was $135 per month, but the copay was $70 per month. A few months ago they had some sort of manufacturing problem and I switched over to the uncovered brand for $195 per month which is why I now buy it from Canada for $200 for a six month supply. The Canadian drug and the American version come from the same American manufacturing plant. That's $200 per month for estrogen and progesterone that have been synthesized for decades. Ridiculous.

 

[H2ODude]

-1 on taking your doc's advice. Maybe a second opinion? Or at least another discussion with your doc. After you spend some time researching it on your own so you'll be knowledgeable when you discuss it. A lot of doctors aren't very liable to change when new information comes along. But with the power and side effects of a lot of these drugs, avoiding them whenever feasible is not a bad idea.

Original PCP made the call, he retired about a month after, and second doc did mention the above new guidelines but still thought meds not a bad idea. It's pretty encouraging that as I'm losing pounds the pressure is trending down; I'd highly prefer to get below those old numbers through weight. Plus, I feel better and my pants are sliding down. Didn't need the calories or that 12 pack of beer a week, but I do sort of miss that. Always knew it was not a healthy habit. We'll see where this goes after a couple of months.

 

[Dreamer]

I am currently on Xarelto and Metropolol for Atrial Flutter. I also take a Vitamin D3. When I went on Xarelto in 2014, it cost $79.xx for a month supply at Sam's Club. I found out I could receive a 90 day supply by mail, for $80.00 through CVS Caremark. I did this for approximately 1 year. My friend told me that I could get it for free by using the Xarelto Savings Card. I told her that we were not low income and that I had health insurance. She told me that they were not either, but her spouse gets it for free. I almost did not call. I was told that if you had insurance through any government program, you were not eligible. I told her that I had BC/BS under the Federal Employee Program. She said that did not count. She told me that as long as I did not have Medicare or Medicaid or government program, that I was okay. I told her at least 3 different times that my health insurance was due to the fact that I was a retired federal government employee. She told me each time, that that did not count. I think she was getting perturbed with me. Anyway, I have been going to Sam's Club and getting it for free. My friend told me that as soon as her spouse went on Medicare, he was no longer eligible and it cost them right around $200.00 for a 90 day supply.

 

[Winemaker]

Being 89, perhaps.

Exactly.

 

[Walt34]

My mother was first put on Xarelto for A-Fib but it upset her stomach. Her doctor switched her to Eliquis and she's been fine on that ever since. Costs her about $3 per month in Ontario, Canada.

Wow, be glad you live in Canada. I was on Eliquis for a couple of years for a-fib and I think it was about $400/month in the U.S. I am fortunate to have good insurance coverage so it wasn't near that much for me.

The thing that is so infuriating is that even at $3/month I'm sure they're not losing money on it.

 

[6miths]

Still relatively young so just the occasional ibubrofen/anaprox/ASA. Medicine averse so hopefully will avoid the need for anything significant.

 

[Koolau]

Doc wanted me to take Xarelto and another drug to control Afib and bp. Cost would have been about $19/day total with my insurance. I told him "NO!" So he put me on a beta blocker and ASA. That costs maybe $.25/day. So far so good after a year. BP and Afib seem to be under control.

I'm not an apologist for the greedy, evil drug companies, but I often wonder how many folks who complain about them (and their apparent ability to raise prices at will) still don't own their stock. Back when oil prices shot to $150/bbl and "gouging" was the word of the day, I always asked the loudest complainers if they owned oil stocks. Typically ended the conversation rather quickly. My take on it is: If you find a company (or companies) with the ability to set the prices they want, buy their stock. Get in on any legal "license to steal." Of course, YMMV.