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Eyes
Jul 14, 2022 5:15:08 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Jul 14, 2022 5:15:08 GMT -5
Dr. Church mentioned that he ordered a restasis prescription as I was leaving last week. He said it requires pre-authorization so it won’t be ready as quickly as the glaucoma drops. I had already decided against refilling my restasis prescription a long time ago because even with insurance, it’s over $300/month. I use each vial several times (you’re only supposed to use it for one dose), but it’s still cost prohibitive.
So, I get up this afternoon to a text telling me my prescription was ready for shipment. What? I log on to the site and it’s for cyclosporine, the generic version of Restasis! And it’s $30! Holy moly! Goodbye dry spots on my corneas! I’m back on the drug! I checked and the generic was approved in February. My other doc never mentioned it and I complained constantly about the cost and said that was why I was quitting it.
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Eyes
Jul 14, 2022 9:59:54 GMT -5
Post by minx on Jul 14, 2022 9:59:54 GMT -5
Woo-hoo for generics!
I was on Abilify for years. $275/mo co-pay. Did get one of those discount cards, but it only lasted a few months.
And it's beyond sad that doctors don't ask before prescribing to see what their patients can afford. I worked for a primary care back in the day. We had a very sweet older lady who had rampant HBP. Every 3-4 months she faithfully came in, and every time he prescribed different (and more expensive) medications. Poor woman finally had a massive stroke. Why? Oh well, that nice young doctor was prescribing her stuff she couldn't afford, so she was taking the pills every other day, or every three days to make them last.
In the entire time he saw her, he never asked once if she was taking her meds as directed, never discussed the price of the meds or if she had insurance coverage for them. And he was stunned beyond belief to find out that she wasn't taking them (and why).
Maybe that's the training we need to instill in medical school - "Let's talk about insurance right now - does your insurance cover prescriptions? And what type of co-pay do you have?" Then write the prescription! I've only had one doctor do that in my entire life - my first psychiatrist. She was the only one who seems to care that you could actually pay for the prescription.
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Eyes
Jul 14, 2022 20:24:32 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Jul 14, 2022 20:24:32 GMT -5
I had told him (and everyone I spoke to about my eye care) that I was weaning myself off. I had a week’s worth of vials left at the time f my visit.
Funny thing is, at ACCESS EYE, the tech that checked my vision and pressures told me that if I wasn’t using Restasis as prescribed it wasn’t doing any good and I should just quit. (She’s also the one that told me that there’s no reason to worry until my pressures reached 22!). When I asked the doctor about it, he said it wasn’t true and to continue using it if I wanted. I’m so glad I’ve washed my hands of that place.
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Post by k9krap on Jul 14, 2022 22:18:03 GMT -5
Oh, and I just received the shipment notification and receipt and my total cost is $15!!! 15 vs 300.
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Eyes
Jul 17, 2022 3:46:48 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Jul 17, 2022 3:46:48 GMT -5
I received the cyclosporine Friday but didn’t open the box until I got upstairs on Saturday morning. I was shocked to find 3 months worth of vials! I’ve bought 3 months worth of Restasis a few times when I had the cash (or the funds available on a credit card). It was a little cheaper to buy bulk, but it was still nearly $800. I am still in shock that I paid $15 for it.
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Eyes
Jul 17, 2022 18:19:58 GMT -5
k9krap likes this
Post by minx on Jul 17, 2022 18:19:58 GMT -5
I take Oracea - basically a very low dose of doxycycline (I think) because I have Rosacea. Shit stopped flareups completely, but was effing expensive. ($250 for a month's supply)
But it was worth the money to not have red itchy skin that broke out every other minute, especially since it always affected my ears.
Stuff went generic, and like you I ordered one month and got three instead. For $0 copay!!
I get that it costs money to develop a drug and take it through all the trials needed to get approval. But my insurance pays 80% of the average wholesale price. So that's around $1200/month retail. And yes, they sell it at a discount and have all sorts of discount programs. Why not get rid of those and sell it for a fair price instead??
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Eyes
Jul 29, 2022 2:34:06 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Jul 29, 2022 2:34:06 GMT -5
I saw Dr. Church again yesterday. This was a follow-up appointment to check my tolerance for the new (to me) drops. I’ve already reached my pressure goals, so we are keeping things as is. Hopefully we caught things soon enough so no major damage has occurred. Since I have 3 diseases that can blind me (plus cataracts), I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. But, since I’ve started back on the restasis 2x/day and began using hot compresses at bed time, my eyes are feeling much better. I’m down to once or twice a day of moisturizing drops, which is half of what I was using before. Cornea Care compresses are very relaxing for the eyes, too, and lead you into an lovely sleep.
So, in 6 months I’ll have another visual field test, which isn’t so bad if they use the virtual goggles rather than that awful machine.
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Eyes
Jul 29, 2022 9:54:12 GMT -5
Post by minx on Jul 29, 2022 9:54:12 GMT -5
Virtual goggles? Are they new? They've never offered me goggles - I have to look into the damn machine, and they always, always, always have to do my right eye at least twice because I have intermittent strabismus, and that eye starts to shift around if it gets strained. I have visual field testing with a passion!
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Eyes
Jul 29, 2022 18:28:22 GMT -5
Post by k9krap on Jul 29, 2022 18:28:22 GMT -5
Yep, earlier this month they used the goggles on me. It was fun, actually! Except the tech couldn’t get the vision correction loaded so I couldn’t read any of the print or see the display clearly. Poor thing tried everything to get my prescription to load - even rebooted - but no dice. So, I was stressed that I would fail (as usual!). I, too, hate that machine with a passion. For some reason, I’m always stooped over and in an uncomfortable position to boot. With the goggles, it’s okay to shift your position.
They also used the goggles to test my night vision on my first visit.
Thank you, minx, for recommending Dr. Church.
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Eyes
Jul 31, 2022 12:51:23 GMT -5
Post by minx on Jul 31, 2022 12:51:23 GMT -5
I really like him, and I'm glad you had a good experience too!
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