Cannot afford RX, even with insurance

[Sassysi]

Hello,
I am new here. Was diagnosed with IC about 6 months or so ago, I also have endometriosis (which is just had surgery for again last week) and I simply cannot afford my Elmiron prescription, even with insurance. So I dont qualify for assistance or discount programs. But its gettting worse and hurts and is annoying, so what do I do? UGH! :hmm:

~Si

[lexur]

:welcome: i'm pretty new here too, but we have exactly the same issues...are you low-income? I am so I'm on Medicaid and they won't pay for elmiron but they will pay for the interstim that I'm suposed to get Nov. 15th...if I can't figure out a way to pay to even just try the elmiron...You need to check out this website...
http://www.ic-network.com/drugassistance/

don't thank me too much I took it off of someone elses post but they've sent me an application that I am going to fill out and by god send in and just pray that some how I won't have to go through another surgery for IC or Endo...

But I know exactly how you feel, I was there about a year ago when they figured out that I had both diseases, but were only treating one...

There are a lot of different treatments for IC, elmiron is just the most popular (my opinion), so don't give up hope...definetly try the other options...I have, unfortunately they haven't worked but I'm still kicking.... :woohoo:

[mayray518]

I hear ya ladies, when I got social security they put on medicare (made too much money for medicaid) which is a joke in Washington, D.C. area but I had to shell out $100 a month for elmiron. It turned out it didnt work for me but cheap elavil did so I guess I lucked out. Anyway company that makes elmiron will give you a break?

[Sassysi]

The company for Elmiron offers assistance but you can't have insurance, so otherwise no. It's only $35 a month or so, with insurance, but when I am behind on bills and don't make it paycheck to paycheck anyhow...well, its a lot of money then. UGH! I just cant win :headbang:

[Libby13]

Elmiron did not give me immediate or even delayed relief. I have been on it since June & Dr. says give it another 6 months. With Insurance it is $40.00/month for me. I expressed to family & friends that the $$ can be tough for me (in my sign. you will see a few scripts that are $40/$20/ or if I am lucky $10). So we decided we would all put together for monthly yard sales. We rotate houses, each donate stuff, and split the procedes. I buy pop & water & bake choc chip cookies for the yard sale too. I sell the drinks for 50 cents each and 25 cents for the cookies. We usually make $100.00. Get rid of our junk, clean & organize our lives, & each of us gets extra cash for whatever we need. Neighbors & friends know I do this every month, so they sometimes donate extra stuff. I have a great job, but 4 small kids, so every little bit helps.
Luck.

[Dixiefireball]

i hear a lot of you woman even with medicaid are having trouble getting the elimron. This is some things you can do to get it first off have your uro to write on the RX medical ness. the uro's office will have to fill out some papers and makes some calls but they can get it for you.
You can also have your doctor to fill out a low income paper to fill and get it from the drug reps for you.
are you can go look on the low income boards and call those new toll free numbers i've posted and see if they will help with the elimron. those numbers i posted go by how much you make so you may get it free or you may have to pay a small % I've never useds these numbers but my aunt does. No she don't have IC but she use a lot of the medicine we use. however one of them are not elimron but i still bet one of them will help you.
So even with medicaid other inc. programs or no inc. at all you can get elimron just keep trying and don't give up.
I know for a fact the doctor office can get it from the company for you all it takes is some paper work and some red tape.
please don't jump into the interstim.
also heparin and elimron work a lot a like so until you can get the elimron you could try the installments of heparin in the mean time until the elimron comes in.
just a few ideas i hope it helps
Rhonda

[dansfever]

Rhonda
How about dicounts or something like that for MCare is there anything for that. I need something for here in Michigan and I didn't find anything that you put on the low income board. Thanks
Veronica

[sanctuary]

I have succesfully used the Duragesic brand patches for over 2+ yrs. and then my life was so good, I almost thought I could have a life again. I was so happy that I remarried and my husband put me on his insurance and I dropped mine. Bad move. Anthem FORCED me to use the generic patch and it over dosed me, and made me sick as a dog! Same dose etc. It made me so sick I pulled it off. They want me to pay almost 300.00 out of pocket myself, WITH Insurance if I want the kind that works, the brand name. I feel the delivery on the generic is over dosing me and so does my MD.. This is wrecking my (new) marriage and suddenly I am not myself anymore. This has been going on for about a week. My uro. is nervous and tried to appeal their (cheap) decision at Anthem BCBS, but so far I am suffering badly with this and can't afford the brand name., I called Janseen and they were no help, "we are not poor enough"...but who can afford to shell out $300. per RX? I can't believe how many people I have heard over dosed on the generic for Fentanyl! It's wrong thye can introduce a generic and make people so sick. It is ruining my life. After 2 years of absolutely no side effect, and I mean none, zinch on the brand name fentanyl...Now to be plunged back into this painful, sicky hell,,,,I just don't know what to do, while I wait. My uro said to up the Hydrocodiene but even I know over 4grams will kill my liver. Any thoughts out there? I have called Consumer places etc, and no one can help. I am not poor enough to get help, and since I have his Ins. I seem to be out of luck. Any help would be really appreciated. sanctuary

[mallenajolie]

You may want to try oxycontin or MS Contin. Oxycontin has oxycodone, but no tylenol. MS contin is morphine sulfate continous release. Both of these are available in generic. I take to oxycontin generic. I noticed a slight difference in it being a little weaker, some others have as well, but not stronger like you are experiencing. I take 40 mg twice a day and I am able to function (work/ drive/ play with calico cats). Neither of these drugs will affect your liver like hydrocodone. My uro would rather me stay on this than go back to hyrocodone. I am hoping to get my dose down this year with his help.

[mallenajolie]

If you can tolerate this, my cost is $15.00 for 120/pills a month. Before on the brand name oxycontin I was paying close to $100.00 with insurance.

[Judith56]

Many doctors get free samples from the drug companies. I am on a lot of meds and one of my meds my docotr gives me for free every month from his samples- it is for Prevacid (stomach med). You may want to ask your doctor if he/she gets and gives out free samples. Judith

[mallenajolie]

I dont think docs can give free samples of these. These are heavily controlled.

[sanctuary]

I have previously tried Oxycontin and the stuff caused such urinary retention that it "distended" by bladder and caused ripping.The "brilliant PM at the time just kept upping my dosage to finally 50mg a day three times a day and wnted to up it again..I fired him..Obviously he wasn't listening to the retention factor I spoke about on every visit to him..PLus he seemed more interested in my personal life then my pain managemnet. MY own therapist was called by this guy and she said, "all he kept asking her weas How can we get her to come back to me"'..the guy was sick!
Morphine caused migraines from hell in me and I've tried that too in the past The Duragesic brand is the ONLY med that had not one side effect, from constipation, retention to all the rest pain meds cause, but this one.."a miracle'... I'm still sick as a dog w/these generics. I'm "too poor" to buy the patches outright and not poor enough to get help, after all I have Insurance they say....I am trying to find another Uro, but the appointment isn't until Jan 9th. Last night I had chest pains , worried husband....I am nausious daily and the symptoms don't go away even after 2 boxes of these
poisonous patches"....I'm about at the end of my rope here. I don't know how people do it. Right now the only way to empty the bladder is to stop the patch, wait 8-12 hours and them I can "go"....hardly a way to live huh :-(
I could really use some support. I was so OK before that I didn't have to come inhere for a while, like almost two years...Now I am in hellagain and not used to it..No one should suffer over insurance companys "bottom line"..at my expense..Goodness knows the premiums are paid enough and well. any thoughts? sanctuary

[icsonja]

OK this is really upsetting for me after reading about how much pain you are in sanctuary, I was one who overdosed on the generic fentanyl (see my post under alert about fentanyl patches). But after that they were replaced with the brand you like due to what happened to me, well I am allergic to them, so I have dozens of patches and I will have to just toss them out. It is awful, and I feel so bad, I am crying.
I wish I could help, but it is illegal to do anything at all with them. I am so sorry, I really feel so terrible about you hurting, please forgive my inability to help, but I am afraid we would both be in jail if I did!!
I will ask my DR if he knows of ANY legal way to help you.
Sonja

[Judith56]

I was referring to samples of Elmiron which what the topic started out about, the person was saying that she can't afford her Elmiron even with insurance. You are right they can not give out samples of pain meds that are controlled, and in fact doctors do not even get samples of pain meds if they are narcotic. I have been given samples of Ultram since it not narcotic. Judith

[Char*Ann]

I have Medicaid and they paid for my Elmiron for over a yr.,then they changed my plan,and I went to get it filled,and the would not pay for it.All I had to do was have my urologist contact Medicaid and get a pre-authorization.I am assuming you told your Dr and he/she taked to Medicaid about it? If not, you need to.If they still won't pay for it, you might try having your Dr write Medicaid a letter of medical neccesity.They were also refusing paying for my pain medication.I was on Suboxone.They said I had to take something else for chronic pain,like Methadone,I am allergic to Moprhine,and I cannot not take any form of oxycodone anymore due to being physically dependant on it from being on it to long (about a yr) for my pain.Plus short acting meds are not a good thing to take everyday round the clock,they are not meant to be used for chronic pain.(I was on percocet) So that ruled out Oxycontin.Well I tried the Methadone and it made me have urine retention,and I was groggy all the time, so my Dr went back to them and said ok, she tried it, she can't take it, and basically that they had no other choice for me,and they gave in and pay for it now.Can you find out why Medicaid refused to pay for the Elmiron? Cause there is not a substitution that I am aware of to be able to take.So they can't be refusing because there is something else you can take, right?!?!

Sorry I know nothing about the patches medicine wise...but I thought that they had strict guidelines for generic medication for reasons like this.You may look into maybe getting help from another source? My friend was on them and they would not pay for them,and she went to our Trustee Office and they paid for them for her.Don't know if you have anything like that where you are.Or maybe a church or some thing like that could help you get them?


Good luck to you both!!! :grouphug:

[SusieQ045]

i think it might depend on what state you are in in regards to medicaid paying for elmiron, because i live in Ohio and medicaid pay mine without any problem