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medication for the uninsured?

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 4/13/2012 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone have suggestions for fibromyalia medications for those who lack health insurance?

My income+assets leave me in the gap between the financial assistance programs of the pharmaceutical companies, government assistance for health insurance and health care, and being able to afford insurance and proper medications. I'm in pain, am suffering, find it difficult to work, and am frustrated.

After looking closely at prices, I've found my costs would still be unaffordably high:

Cymbalta: $178 per month
Lyrica: $90 per month

I bought Cymbalta a few times from a "Canadian" online pharmacy [AmericaPharmacy.com] at $45/month, but the latest shipment is, I'm convinced, a counterfeit drug -- it looks different, and does not work. I have really been racked by pain lately, and need to do something.

Thanks.
Posted 4/13/2012 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Carpo, and welcome!  I'm so glad you found us and joined in.  I don't take either of those drugs.  I have used ibuprofen with food and extra strength Tylenol to help with the pain.  I also take vitamin D3 and malic acid/magnesium supplements to help with pain and fatigue.  Walking helps me with the pain as well as pacing myself.  It's definitely a balancing act for people with fibro.

 

Here are links to lower cost prescription medications, too.  This might help you some.

 

http://www.needymeds.org/

 

http://www.pparx.org/

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the second thread on the forum.  There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there.  Good starting links are called Symptoms and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia.  There are also links about the malic acid/magnesium supplements and the vitamin D3 that I mentioned above.

 

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.  Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you.  Hope to hear more from you soon.

 

Sherrine

Posted 4/13/2012 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. I take Ibuprofen, but it only helps a little. Acetaminophen has never done anything for me, though I've been trying it again lately out of desperation. I do take a Vitamin D supplement, and will try malic acid/magnesium. And I've been walking regularly, but it does not seem to be helping except for the hour or so afterward, due to endorphins, I suppose.

I have looked closely into my state's discount program for prescription drugs, but even there the costs are still high: $150/month for Cymbalta 60 mg/day, for example. I'm already spending about $325/month on doctor's visits, elementary tests, and medications, and I am at my limit.

Thanks.
Posted 4/13/2012 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
When I take ibuprofen, I take three at a time.  Two does nothing for me but three really helps.  I always take it with food too to help protect my stomach.  This with the combination of two extra strength Tylenol helps me control the pain.  I'm not pain-free.

 

Never take more than 2,400 mg of ibuprofen and 4,000 mg of Tylenol in a 24 hour period.  I always try to use less.

 

Sherrine

Posted 4/13/2012 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
Enlist your doctor to help you. They have much more sway with their reps that you will as a nameless person on a website.

Many times the rep has the authority to offer the doctor "cards" for the meds for patients that the doctor deems needy.
Posted 4/13/2012 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
I have had my doctor give me drug cards when he started me on tramadol and another I forget the name, Cymbalta and Lyrica are expensive meds I know I live in Canada and I could no longer afford financially or physically to be on them. It took about a month but I weaned myself off them. Be careful you said your shipment looks wrong and is not working can you take it to a lab to find out if it correct? You should never cold turkey stop these medications so if you are not getting your dosage you should make a doctor appointment to discuss how you can not afford these meds and what you can use that is within your budget. Also how to safely stop using them if that is your choice.

I do take pain medications, but watching my diet and not over doing things is the best advise I can give.
Posted 4/14/2012 2:50 AM (GMT 0)
Carlo, I was without medical insurance for a year. You just have to talk with your Dr. And let them know and your alternatives. I wouldn't let them prescribed anything that wasn't generic or couldn't afford. I wasn't about to mis my mortgage payment and get so called relief from the meds. I was in your same boat and I was just in that bracket to get no help. It's sounds dumb, but in Alaska the poorer you are the better medical care you get. Middle class gets no relief. I am so sorry you are having to go through this.
Posted 4/15/2012 9:13 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the replies. My doctor is aware of my financial difficulties, and works with me, but the problem is Cymbalta works well for me.

Some doctors I've been to in the past had copious drug samples to offer, but this clinic doesn't seem to have that.

ak angel, like you in Alaska, I fall right between the cracks of medical support. In fact, I had my state's insurance program for about 8 months in 2010-11, and during that time my health significantly improved due to regular doctor visits and the ability to get the prescriptions I needed. Then I inherited a little bit of money -- not much, not even enough to buy half a tiny house in very bad shape -- and even though my income was below the program's limit, my liquid assets were not, so I lost the coverage. (In my state you can own up to $500,000 in a house and still qualify, but you do not quality if you have more than $2,000 in liquid assets. I'm self-employed and my income fluctuates, so there's no way I cannot have some money in the bank.

I almost wish I had not inherited this money -- my health would be better off. Plus now I have the anxiety of the medical problem that will inevitably come up and take away my entire savings, which is all I have for retirement and emergencies. I was counting on the ACA in 2014, but now

You got way off topic and what you said could be offensive to others so I deleted it.  I'm sorry you are going through this.  Try the links I suggested or other suggestions people have given you.

 

Sherrine

Post Edited By Moderator (Sherrine) : 4/15/2012 4:54:24 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/15/2012 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
Im not familiar with cymbalta but is there a higher dosage your doctor could prescribe with the instructions take half. I am in the same situation as you and my doctor had no problem doing that for me (im on savella) The cost is literally half of what I would pay if I had to get the smaller dosage.
Posted 4/15/2012 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
Soem pharmacies have this scholarship like program. Safeway has one. If I remember I think Walmart does too. Also, talk to your doctor, they get tons of samples. I been supplied on samples for 4 years with my asthma meds, because my insurance will not pay for my preventive daily medication.
Posted 4/16/2012 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
I didn't know this forum practiced censorship. I'm not interested in being part of a community where only certain ideas are acceptable, especially when those ideas pertain to the political situation that is responsible for inflicting a great deal of pain and suffering on certain unfavored subgroups of the population.

Please delete my account.
Posted 4/16/2012 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
It's not censorship.  It's called following the forum rules that YOU agreed to follow when you became a member.  They were right there for you to read.

 

Rule #6 : No posts of copyrighted material, lengthy articles, or posts of an overtly political or religious nature.

 

Having rules keeps the forums running smoothly and most people like the way this forum runs.  I'm sorry you don't agree. 

 

We have taken the time to try to help you and have given you some very good suggestions.  I hope you get the help you need. 

 

Sherrine

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