No job, disabled, & NO RX!!

You can have your doctor contact the drug manufacturer's or you can go there yourself and either call the companies that manufacture your meds and find out what you need to qualify for your meds for free or at a huge discount. There is a thread on this forum some time ago regarding resources for patients in need that lists some of the websites and their contact information. You can search for it....

The good news is that you have made it thus far without the meds, and while I understand that withdrawal is uncomfortable, 5 days into it, you are or will be through the worst of it now....and you should physically start feeling better. I know that doesn't help with the pain levels, but it will help with the added symptoms of withdrawal and that in turn may help your body to ease some of the increase in pain, while your body begins to remanufacture your own endorphins to help deal with the pain.

Have you discussed with your doctor and pharmacist your problems with the cost of medications? They can offer generics for most medications and it may be possible for your PM doctor to change you over to another medication like methadone that is ridiculously cheap but works well for both mechanical and neuropathic pain.

As far as the seizure meds go, the drug manufacturer's have arrangements with doctors offices where they can send your meds to the doctor's office and you just pick them up there on the dates you need them. The doctor fills out what meds you need, and what amounts and the companies send them to the office.
Check those with your doctors and hopefully you will be able to find some of the resources or one of the mods can direct you to the thread that I was referring to....

 

Sorry to hear of your situation...

I've been without health care for almost 6 years now so I had to work with my Dr. and move around all my meds to generic ones and ones that are the least expensive.

Oxycodones at the 30mg are fairly expensive and are harder to find unfortunately...so you may need to tell your Dr. if you can't get any assistance with this med to change over to a different one.

If you have been on a short acting medication like this in a high dosage for more than a few months...it may also be best to move to a long acting medication so that you only have to take one or two a day as it's unusual to be on short acting Oxys at 120mg a day.

I moved to MSContin as my long acting medication and then have OxyIR for breakthrough as needed.

I have to pay cash for all 5 of my prescriptions (also a muscle relaxer and a sleep med) and my total for all 5 are $170 at Sam's Club...

You do NOT have to be a member to use their pharmacy...Many times they are even cheaper than Walmart. It's best to call around and price different meds and see if your Pharmacy will match the price...

Hopefully your Dr. can continue to give you samples of the nerve pain medication until you figure things out...Or as mentioned...that is a medication you need to go to an Urgent Care to have them given to you as they shouldn't be stopped abruptly..

So..I totally empathize what it's like to be without insurance so I hope that you can try the things that have been suggested or switch medications to get the same coverage pain wise but a lot less expensive..

Good luck..

Thanks everyone. This helps. I have applied for the "patient assistance program" for my seizure meds, but haven't been approved yet. Due to my pain level I have had about 3-6 grand mal seizures in the last 2 days. I normally have petit mal and they're several dys apart. I'll try to contact my dr to switch the rx to something affordable. I'm just in so much pain I want to cry in a ball. Your responses are encouraging. BTW, how long do withdrawal symptoms usually last??
Thanks again!

Something else I just thought of, depending on your city, where I live we have what is called the county hospital, everyone goes there that does not have insurance and they get see without a bunch of grief. This hospital also has a big trauma center and all of the newer equipment, so check out your city to see if something like this is available.

Take care.

BTW: Morphine Sulfate and Hydromorphone (generic Dilaudid) are fairly cheap pain meds. I just filled a 120 pill count of the hydromorphone 4mg for a little under $20.

Oh and believe me I know all to well how sometimes even $20 is a stretch. Just thought I would toss that out there though as something to talk to your doctor about. BTW: This was at a CVS in Illinois.

Hey, I am so incredibly sorry that you are suffering. I will pray for you, dear friend.

In the meantime, I help people in our rural area that are suffering due to mass factory closes to get the resources they need. Check to see if there is a pharmacy in your area that is independently owned. When I lost my insurance, without knowing, I went to Kroger to have my usual prescriptions filled and they tallied to over $900.00. I was devastated.

It was actually my psychiatrist that told me about a near independently owned pharmacy that would be cheaper. I went, nervous as a hamster in a cage and waited on them to fill them. When my name was called, the pharmacist said "That will be $125.00." I nearly cried. I couldn't believe that $900 at Kroger equaled $125 here. I have been sending anyone who has a need to this pharmacy. If you aren't aware of any, they usually have a family name or the name of the town in them. I would be glad to research and help you find one in your area. They generally will not talk to you about specific medications until you have gone to their facility and created an account. However, they will tell you over the phone if their prices are controlled internally by their knowledge of what they pay for each drug or if it is controlled by a larger corporation.

I am 41 and was on disability, until my doctor changed my status from disable to retired. I received my social security from the beginning so that doesn't change them, but it makes me feel better that he isn't going to try to send me back to work. I qualified for medicare in October after being on social security for two years, but did not opt for part D, because it would cost me more than what I am paying at my pharmacy for med's now. Why pay $100-$300 for prescription insurance and pay copays when I already get them for just over $100.

I hope you can find this in your area and am willing to help if needed. This is definitely long term help. The previous advice regarding consulting with your doctor for cheaper alternatives is a great one, too. Did you know that even Effexor XR 225 mg tablets is much much more expensive than the same dose in 3 - 75 mg tablets? This is what having a good relationship with your pharmacist can do for you. It was either $175 for the 225mg or $28 for 3-75mg. With this knowledge, you can talk to your doctor about how he writes the script.

Much luck and let me know if I can help.
His Stripes

I think most of us were saying that the ER should be used if your Dr. can't give you samples of your seizure medication as that is a med that should not be stopped abruptly. So please use that option in the future if you need it.

I have never heard of the 600 pills a month but I do know that most Pharmacies only get shipments once a week and only carry a certain amount on hand of many of the controlled substances.

And as some of us mentioned...Oxycodone in short acting forms like the higher dosages of 30mg are just harder to find...and if you have a relationship with your Pharmacist, then you can either figure out a way to make sure you can get your prescription each month..Or find another Pharmacy that carries them.

I have been to the same Pharmacy for 11 years and my Pharmacist knows exactly how many pills I need each month and works with me to make sure I get them filled.

Or as I wrote...just speak with your Dr. about switching to another medication....

It's very likely that they are not going to keep you on a short acting medication much longer as that is not the standard treatment for chronic pain. A short acting medication only lasts for a few hours and then you have to continue taking pills all day long to keep the levels in your blood stream..

That is why most of us are on a long acting medication and then have a short acting one to use only when needed for breakthrough pain.

This way you won't have to spend as much money as well as you can have better pain control.

Good luck..

Thanks guys. My dr won't see me to switch meds unless I pay him another $80. I called several pharmacies and checked with welfare to see if they could approve my Medicaid. Nothing. I did get samples for my seizure pills but the oxy is killing me. Everyone is treating me like a junkie on the hunt. Very disheartening. I hope I can find help before thanksgiving. I may bite the bullet and go to the er. If only I had insurance or Medicaid I would be ok. Thanks for your support guys. It does help.

I agree with SB about having a good relationship with the same pharmacy/pharmacist. I have been using the same ones for over 12 years. I am known by sight and by voice on the phone. They know what I am using, and are always well stocked with my pain meds. She told me that my monthly Loratab allotment is the largest one they fill at 180 pills. I recently moved all my wife's existing meds and her new meds from Wal-mart to my CVS. Couldn't stand the long lines and waits at Wal-mart, plus the idiots that serve as helpers in the pharmacy department there.

david