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Posted 5/15/2009 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Hi All,

I'm new to the list. I joined because I need information on what to do about my pain meds.

I am on medicare and my oxycontin will no longer be covered!! It will cost me $359.00 a month

to buy out of my pocket. I'm on ssdi and obviously I don't have that kind of money! My doctor

tried me on morphine but it didn't work. I couldn't sleep on it and it made me itch really bad.

I didn't like it at all. I don't know what to do for my long acting? I've thought of trying to purchase

just the evening dose so I can at least sleep! I don't know what I'll do for the daytime except use

my norco. What are others doing about this problem? I even wondered if we can buy oxycontin in

Canada? Is that illegal? Any help or suggestions would be terrific!!!!

Thank You so much!

Lisa

Posted 5/15/2009 3:31 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Lisa,

I am from Canada, the province of québec more precisely. What do you suffer from exacly? You don't mention it in your post, not that it really matters.

I know that if you are a Canadian citizen, your meds are covered by our universal healthcare system. For which, everyone of us has a card (la carte soleil in french). In order to see a doctor here and get a prescription of the latter, you would need to produce that very card. Even at the drugstore, in the event that you would bring your own prescription, they still ask you for the card. Or maybe not! Have to go myself to the drugstore on Saturday. Will ask if they take prescription from the States and get back to you on that.

As I am writting to you Iam trying to find a solution to your problem but not doing a hell of a job.

359$ is a lot of oxys here. Mind you, I heard drugs were much cheaper on this side of the border,  which I never understood why.

Bear up Lisa!

Dany

Posted 5/15/2009 10:32 AM (GMT 0)

Lisa Pharma-purdue has a partner program for those who cannot afford their meds specifically oxy. Do a google search for the site and somewhere on there will be a link to the assistance program. Now this takes some work from you as well as your prescribing Doc but it usually isnt a long or tiring process.

The only problem may be in the fact that you have medicare. Do you have part D that covers your scripts and that particular program wont cover oxy brand? If this is the case do a search on the medicare site to see if there is a different part D that will cover for you and some of the ones that have a premium and most of these are no more then around $40 a month,may be your best bet as they tend to cover more then those that have no premium. $40 a month in the longrun if it is going to cover your meds at those costs is still going to save you tons of money.

The times that we can switch are usually around the 1st of the year but I had a carrier that all of the sudden covered none of my meds that were on the high side after 6 months of covering them when I 1st signed up with them,looked like it was just a way to get me to pick them over some of the other options and then phased out the meds I needed and Medicare did allow me to change from that carrire to another that covered them outside of the open enrollement deadlines.

You might also have to change meds altogether and although this isnt a fair option it is something that many of us have had to do. Many many of those on methadone got here via our regular meds not getting paid for and methadone is cheap cheap cheap.

Good luck to you and I hope you can get some help from some source.

Posted 5/15/2009 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
MamaLee,
Your PM may have to switch you over to another long acting pain med. There are several options out there for you to try other than morphine. It may be the additive in it that made you itch or a temporary reaction that may go away over time. Or check your provider of your prescriptions and see if you can switch to another Part D provider.
As far as getting your meds through Canada, it is illegal to get meds from the internet or through the mail from another country as far as I know. You may want to check the internet and see if you can find any information regarding that for your state and federal guidelines.
Also , look into the partnership programs as Angel suggested for assistance with paying a lesser cost for meds. Most of the pharmaceutical companies have a program like that to help get meds for those who can't afford it.
Sandi
Posted 5/16/2009 12:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi All,
I'm sorry I didn't indicate what my physical problems are! I have Fibromyalgia, 8 bulging discs, broken T4 disc, bone spurs, arthritis, neuropathic pain and stenosis in my lower lumbar region!
I have a medicare part D supplemental plan that I pay $38.00 a month for in addition to the $100.00 monthly medicare cost. All of them are no longer covering oxycontin! Apparently the maker of oxy is suing because mfg's made the generics while the patent was still active! My plan is no longer covering oxy and suggesting morphine. My dr is very upset about this too and is fighting it for another patient. That patient had to be hospitalized due to the effects he had with morphine. I didn't like it and I did not get much relief from it either. I suppose we could try a higher dose but my dr doesn't think I'll like it and I've already had problems with the 30mg dose. I guess I will try to get in touch with Purdue and see if they can help me. I asked about Canada because I've heard their medicine price is much cheaper. I do think it is now illegal to order from the states. This situation is not right! If one of my other meds is brand name only then I pay $40 to $60 for that script. Why is oxycontin any different? It all about the money!
Thanks for all your replies!
Lisa
Posted 5/16/2009 5:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, Lisa,
I wanted to give you a belayed welcome to the Chronic Pain forum of Healing Well. This is an issue that was discussed on threads awhile back, so you may want to search Heaing Well for old threads on this, but from what I read it was a patent issue, at least here in the U.S. Generic oxycontin hasn't been made for awhile (to the best of my knowledge) so if you've been getting some it's probably because it was in the stock of your pharmacy. So the fight would have to be for your doctor to have the brand name covered. There are lots of things in the fine print of insurances, including Medicare, but mostly only the attorneys seem to know what they are. And most doctors aren't willing to put the energy into fighting, so good for your doctor for doing all he can.

I just read on Medscape that there's been even more stringent rules passed against buying medications over the internet. Do you live near Canada? If you went across the border in person with a prescription, you may find a legitimate pharmacy to fill it. I know people who live around me who used to do that, but things are tightening up what with passports being required and everything. I'm not sure about new Homeland Security rules about crossing the border back into the U.S. Unless you're living close to Canada, I don't think that's even an option to consider.

Try what others have suggested. Hopefully one of those options will work for you, but many of us are in similar boats. You may end up having to take a shorter acting form of the drug like percocet, or find another longer acting one. There may be other options to help you sleep. Ask your doctor about that.

Again, welcome.

PaLady
Posted 5/18/2009 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
MAMALEE'S-

can you please respond to me via my email address at [email protected] because i do not check here often, but i saw your post about all medicare part D not covering oxy anymore. I'm currently on OXYCODONE the generic version of oxycontin. does this mean oxycodone is not covered as well? I'm with RX America. Please let me know since you seem to have a lot of info on it!
Posted 5/19/2009 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
jennca23..................Oxycodone is not a generic version of Oxycontin........Oxycontin is simply the long lasting (12hr.) formula of the narcotic Oxycodone..................Hope this helps ..................Rod
Posted 5/19/2009 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
sorry, i know that. its just instant release. i have the oxycodone and was worried that was going to be not covered any longer.
Posted 6/4/2009 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
I am on TennCare,aka bluecare and they would pay for the Morphine and it made me itch like crazy too, and didn't help much.
when I switched to OxyContin I just had to have a PA(prior authorization) where the doc calls tenn care.
guess its not that easy for you.
I will tell you, and don't get offended, but once I got off Oxy I actually felt better....but I dont have the problems you have.
I wish you the best.
Ang
Posted 6/12/2009 10:14 AM (GMT 0)

Frenchdude said...

Hi Lisa,

I am from Canada, the province of québec more precisely. What do you suffer from exacly? You don't mention it in your post, not that it really matters.

I know that if you are a Canadian citizen, your meds are covered by our universal healthcare system. For which, everyone of us has a card (la carte soleil in french). In order to see a doctor here and get a prescription of the latter, you would need to produce that very card. Even at the drugstore, in the event that you would bring your own prescription, they still ask you for the card. Or maybe not! Have to go myself to the drugstore on Saturday. Will ask if they take prescription from the States and get back to you on that.

As I am writting to you Iam trying to find a solution to your problem but not doing a hell of a job.

359$ is a lot of oxys here. Mind you, I heard drugs were much cheaper on this side of the border,  which I never understood why.

Bear up Lisa!

Dany

Frenchdude,

Just to clarify  ( and before our American friends get too envious ) - all provinces in Canada have different health plans. I am in Ontario and prescription medications are NOT covered. I have to pay for all of my medications out of pocket including my Oxycontin, Prozac, Celebrex - just to name a few. It costs me well over $1000.00 per month for my medications. Most other provinces also do not cover medications, so consider yourself very very lucky!

Lisa,

I have heard of Americans buying their medications in Canada, as some meds - not all -  are cheaper because our government gives huge subsidies to the pharmaceutical industries.  (Of course, this is one of the reasons our taxes are much higher in Canada than the USA.)

I do not know the intricacies of cross-border transactions, so unless or until someone can offer you more info, you could Google Canadian pharmacies. Make sure you get a reputable one, as there are many phony online ones that will sell you fake, or even worse, dangerous junk.

I have seen American Tv programs like Dateline or 20/20 that did a story on Americans doing bus trips to Canada once or twice a year to buy cheaper meds than they can get a home. If you live near the border, then this would be worth looking into. Good luck.

Neon Cactus


 

Posted 6/14/2009 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
10ecman man here and if you live near the border you can get a passport card which allows for travel via surface routes (i.e. car or ship) the cost for a card is 20.00+ the processing fee of 25.00 and you will have to get 2 indentical pictures either from a passport photo center or my post office does the pics for 15.00 and since I am processing the pics and the passport app I know they(the pics and the app)are handled correctly.So the card is a cheaper more viable option for travel across borders either mexico or canada.The card as well as the book last for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16.
Posted 6/14/2009 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
10ecman,
I wondered how those alternate I.D.'s were going to work (alternate to a passport). It still isn't cheap! Guess I won't be going to Niagara Falls anytime soon.

It's such a shame to those of us who have always lived near the Canadian border. Always traveled back and forth with ease, at most a driver's license needed as an adult. Kind of sad now all that's lost.

PaLady
Sorry, this was a bit off topic!
Posted 6/14/2009 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
but if you renew your card within 15 years from issuance it is for the time being only 25.00 for 10 years of back and forth travel with no need for a birth certificate and your drivers license.
Posted 6/16/2009 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
I don't have any idea about what the laws are NOW. But even as recent as 3 years ago I know that you used to be able to cross the border and have your scripts filled (I'm about 6 hours down from BC) and you could legally bring back up to a 90 day supply. This may have all changed, but that was the last that I knew. When I had no insurance it was worth the cost of the gas and the time.
Posted 6/16/2009 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
Piercing,
The law just went into effect that you need a passport or special I.D. like 10ecman described. I heard they were giving people warnings until the end of the year who didn't have either of these, but that they'd pull your car over and likely do a search.

I don't know whether what you can bring has changed. I know a group of older people (and I'm going to be one of them real soon!) used to take a bus up to Ontario (Niagara Falls) to get medications filled legally. It's a lot better when you can do it in person, and get to know the reputation of the pharmacy, rather than just online, which I think is illegal.

PaLady
Posted 6/17/2009 4:32 PM (GMT 0)
*Bump*

*huggs*
dani
Posted 6/25/2009 6:00 PM (GMT 0)

I know many people that have the same problem...they cannot afford the Oxycontin.  Sometimes if your Dr. provides a Prior Authorization to the Pharmacy they will be covered.  Ask your Dr. if that will work.  Iknow that I can do that with my Meds...but you have to be prepared to wait a day or two to be able to get them.  I hope you can find a way to get your meds. 

Right now I take Methadone...I am seriously thinking about changing to Oxycontin... I tried it once with Morphine...What a disaster that was. 

I hope you can find a solution..

Me.

Posted 6/25/2009 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
I know this is a bit late but if you are able to change your part D plans I recommend the AARP plan by US Healthcare.

I am on this plan and they cover all medications as allowed by federal law. This includes brand name Oxycontin.

I take 40mg & 20mg Twice a day and it is covered.

It might be a good idea to see if you can sign up for this plan
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