After picking up Mom's Singulair, and Spiriva and paying $263 Saturday, I decided to try to see if I could get her on any of the programs offered.

Come to find out, one website wanted $150 processing fee. Another wanted $25 processing fee.

After much googling, and calling there were 3 that said she didn't qualify, cause she had medicare. She's in the Medicare donut hole right now, which means she pays full price for ALL her (15 of them) medications! That is $715.05 a month! Most of her social security check!

The only one I found that had a program for Medicare part D program, was Astra Zeneca. She did qualify for that one. That leaves 14 meds to buy each month till she gets out of the donut hole.

3 Cheers for Astra Zeneca! The H*ll with the rest of the pharmacutical companies!

Needless to say after all this jumping hoops to get only 1 med, I'm highly aggitated.

Its a shame the elders that need the meds the most, don't qualify because they have medicare.

So Joe Blow, that never worked a day in his life and is on welfare qualifies! This country can sure be backwards!

I suppose its kinda obvious, I'm quite pissed about this.

It took 6 days for Mom's doc to make up his mind whether or not he'd "approve" of Mom getting some name brand meds from Canada.

I finally got an email they received his fax!

GAWD....why does everything have to be so hard, and take so damn long?

A few Saturdays ago, I picked up Spiriva from Walgreens. It was $160. The name brand, with same maker as our USA Spiriva, was $78 for the same stuff I piad $160 at the pharmacy.

Some of their medications, were cheaper all year around (using genierics) than what Mom (and I) pay for them before we hit Medicare part D, donut trench.

A few of them arent' cheaper, till after Mom hits the donut hole again next year.

Still waiting to see if her doc approved meds coming from Canada. Since Doctors here, get a heck of a kickback from pharmacutical companies each year, still worried. Our nurse asked a BUNCH of questions about where the phone # and fax # went to yesterday.

I ain't going to be happy if he doesn't approve, and won't call (or fax) them in.

The VA gets their meds from Canada.Also, on all their contracts they take bidsto get the best prices and no less quality.This is what they should do with medicare and the drug program.The meds have a 3000% MARK UP.They druggest make just as much off generics.They develope meds for a cure and make them so expensive that those who are at the bottom of the pay scale are unable to purchase them
Many people who have had transplants cannot afford the meds needs to take to prevent rejection.So the transplant is payed for but the meds are not.You will never see change until our politicians are not in bed with the drug companies.

quote:

Originally posted by Bunnys_grl:
Howdy ettarp Iv seen you a few times logged in an everytime I see you up there I think of Wyatt Earp So for me at least Howdy Wyatt
Seriously though have you had any problems with the ordering or receiving of product and if so what was it?

Hi Bunnys grl, No problem. I get them at Canada Medicine Shop. The prescription is for 3 months. I call them for refills and give a CC #
Their tel # is 1-800 501-4214. I think it did take around 2-3 weeks to get here. willy
(ettarp)

Howdy ettarp Iv seen you a few times logged in an everytime I see you up there I think of Wyatt Earp So for me at least Howdy Wyatt
Seriously though have you had any problems with the ordering or receiving of product and if so what was it?

I guess its been longer 05

Hi everyone, Have been reading this board for about 1yr. I get my combivent from canada since last yr. Its 98 for one at my riteaid. I get 4 for 97.00 and its the brand name.
ettarp

quote:

The public argument that the US puts out regarding drugs from Canada is that 'we' don't know how safe they are. Huh? I think both countries have the same drug companies supplying them, and I for one haven't ever seen a headline that said "Thousands of Canadians Dead from (let's pick one) Lasix Poisoning"
How lame is that excuse, anyway?

Pffft ya got that one right MW Welcome to Greedhead USA their cryin foul cause they been out maneuvered yet again....I seem to recall a while back they tried stopping prescriptions from being exported from Canada at the borders I wonder whatever happened to that?
Hey Gypsy you know anything about that it happened several years ago.

I'll try to explain some things about our health care system. Each province is slightly different. Here we pay for health insurance-most provinces don't(it is based on income. I also as part of my pension benefits have an additional insurance. The big advantage I think is that we have no charge for dr. and ER visits or hospital stays.
Once you are classified as long term care you get 30 days then charged according to income.
Pharmacare here has a deductible based on income. Our Blue Cross(my retirement plan) covers 80% and up to when they have paid out $1000 then they cut in with 100%.
Mike's Spiriva was costing us 64.82(full cost would be 216 for 3 months. When I filled it last week it cost 0. The govt. plan won't cover it at all for Mike-he can't take their lung function test-Dr. tried several times to explain but no go. Another expensive one is Plavix-256 for 3 months-he paid 76 now 0. Most of this is from our private, not govt. plan. Also govt. plan doesn't cover wheelchairs or other equipment. Blue Cross does-Thank goodness. Don't know if this helps clear our health care or is more confusing.

Bobcat......The name brand Spiriva in Canada is $78 a month, here Mom is paying $160.14 a month for it. We're talking about the exact same medication, MADE by the same manufacturer (Pfizer) as the Spriva we get at Walgreens up the road.

I say 1/2 price is 1/2 price. Now if it was manufactured in China, I wouldn't touch it...

I trust the Canadian drugs. I have friends in Canada from another forum. If its good enough for them, its good enough for me.

And I can't believe my name brand Nasacort (Sanofi Aventis), is $71 for a 3 MONTH SUPPLY.

I can't afford to keep paying what Mom and I both pay for stuff like that here, that I can get for 1/2 to 2/3 less in Canada.

I'd just like to know how our pharmacutical companies can afford to sell to them for such a low price, they can sell back to us, we get them cheaper, and they still making a profit in Canada, or they wouldn't be so many online Canadian pharmacies. Imagine how much our pharmacutical companies are making off us here...

Oh, (((((((Bunny's girl))))))).....THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Dang, My Nasacort there is $71 for a 3 MONTH supply. On medicare part D, before I hit donut hole, its $60 a MONTH...after donut hole, $135 a MONTH....And no prescription is required for that one med.

Mom can get a 3 month supply of 2 medications for $98 bucks (using their generics). Same meds here is $801 for a 3 month supply!

Yea, working on this now, and hopefullly her doc will be sending them scrips later today.

And I ordered my Nasacort today!

Im gonna agree BC simply because they do have a national healthcare system in place it lowers costs if they have the generics available sooner rather than later...I think I said that right? Well you knowaddimean

I am going to throw this out here for feed back. OK, Canada has a national health care program, right? Do they require Drug companies doing business in Canada to make the generics available faster? And then the Drug companies Bolster the profit margin here off the private sector by putting off the release of generics until the patent (and all its renewals) runs out.

If there wasn't still a profit margin off the generics, why would they even market in Canada? Do the Canadian TV stations run all these blasted ads that try to sell us the newest and latest drugs, convincing us we have a problem can now be "cured" and make our lives perfect if we only survive the "side effects".

Sorry, I have rambled off. I see many problems with the nationalized health care systems and not suggesting that, Just wondering about the meds, and if that is why the diff in the avaialable generics.

Yea, thats wild they can get generics long before ours are out.

I saw generics on several meds Mom takes as well as one I take that aren't available in the USA.

I seen their generics are cheaper too, but they didn't have the same stregnth as the ones Mom takes.

I say, if I can get it cheaper, I'll dang sure do it, unless its in China! I did the same thing with my dogs Heart Guard. I get the same stuff from England, for a fraction of what you pay here, and they don't require a prescription for it. Pisses my vet off to hell and back!

Dunno how her doc will feel about this. He'll probably flip. I see you have to fax it in.

I haven't discussed this with Mom yet either, going to a generic that can only be bought in Canada.

The public argument that the US puts out regarding drugs from Canada is that 'we' don't know how safe they are. Huh? I think both countries have the same drug companies supplying them, and I for one haven't ever seen a headline that said "Thousands of Canadians Dead from (let's pick one) Lasix Poisoning"
How lame is that excuse, anyway?

Yeah because they dont have the same laws regarding drugs as we do I dont know exactly how it works but I just read that somewhere they get generics before we do.
My aunt swears by it they have been doing it for years and shes never had a problem yet.

That's wild. They have generics for stuff that doesn't have generics out in the USA yet!

So how long has your aunt been getting scrips from here? Quite interesting!

bnot Im not a fan of goin outta the country but Canada I dont mind my Aunt actually gets her scripts this way so the first thing Im going to tell you is to get moms doc to change the scripts over to the generic form for now *we only have 2 months for the donut hole period remember that* for now it will just have to do I can not see you breaking the bank right now in this economy so lets at least try this route ok
Heres a website theres a toll free number also hopefully they will be able to help out, the generic Spiriva is $49 compared to the name brand at $234 check it out along with all other meds on the list sweetie
http://www.planetdrugsdirect.com/Drugs/Spiriva-Handihaler/100954/