Mail order pharmacies

[Jake]

Most medications need to be stored at an average temperatures of 77°F / 25°C

Good point I hadn't thought of that. It gets really hot here too but not for such extended times like where you are. Good argument in case insurance tries to push the issue.
Hope you, hubbie kids & grand kids are doing well!!!

 

[paradise survivor]

Aloha all! I just started with mail order for 4 of my 6 rx's. Two I still get @ the pharmacy because medco doesn't honor manufacturer's coupon and $30 per is still money in my pocket not their's. CAUTION: I have run into a deadly phrase "generic alternative" BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT ONE in the pharmacy world a rose by any other name is not necessarily a rose...it may not even be a flower at all. I do my homework ( and my hubby checks my work just in case):e:

 

[lonnie]

I just read all the posts and with some making sense to the negative aspects is scary.

Right now we have fairly good insurance but it charges me $75. for my Vimpat and lots of other monthly medication needs for Lamictal and others I pay about $200. a month (maybe soon to be more for migraine med)

What is scary that my husband is starting to talk about retirement. I talked to our pharmacist. He told me that without our insurance my Vimpat alone would (will cost) $900 and some dollars a month.

A woman that went to a Bible Study of mine told me her mother has her Dr. prescription faxed to the licensed Canadian Company who then fills it and mails it to her. She gave me the phone # of this pharmacy and I called and talked to them.

I tried to get the cost compared and got confused as usual. I have not had to panic and make a decision this moment since I now have heard from my teacher husband he is going to teach this year. When I finally asked him when he did plan to he told me he doesn't have a final decision made right now. Now I heard him answer a poll he was doing on the phone and heard him tell them maybe around 3 yrs. Yee!

This company would require you to buy in 90 day increments. I can't imagine what hole in the pocket that would be. It could end up being a savings long term but if financially feasible on our monthly income I'm not sure we could do it.

Now that I read several negative responses I am getting really scared.

One thing I keep trying to remind myself that is when the patents run out on some of the meds the price can come way down. I was talking to my neurologist this year and according to him my Lamical was costing me $300-$400 a month. When I talked to the pharmacist he told me with no insurance it would only cost $37.00. I told him what my neuro said and he laughed and said that changed about 3-4 years a go. Unfortunately the patent on Vimpat goes into 2014 but at least now I hear my husband answer to poll taker he might be teaching around another 3yrs.

I need to take a deep breath and take it one step at a time but I have a hard time doing that. lonnie

 

[epileric]

Those of you in the US using Canadian online pharmacies might be interested in this:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Google Inc. has agreed to pay $500 million to settle a U.S. government investigation into the Internet search leader's distribution of online ads from Canadian pharmacies illegally selling prescription drugs to American consumers, a U.S. attorney said Wednesday.

Read it on Global News: Global News | Google settles probe into ads from illegal pharmacies for $500 million
The settlement means the Internet search leader will not face criminal prosecution for accusations that it improperly profited from ads promoting Canadian pharmacies that illegally imported drugs into the United States, U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha said.

http://www.globalnews.ca/world/google+settles+probe+into+ads+from+illegal+pharmacies+for+500+million/6442469271/story.html

 

[lonnie]

Is it illegal?

I sent a response to one thread talking about how to get meds at a lower cost. So to repeat myself. I have a friend who told me her mother gets her meds at a lower cost from Canada and gave me the phone number. I called and talked to them. As I was hearing their process it is supposed to be from a licensed pharmacy where your prescription script from your dr. is faxed to them, they fill it and deliver it to your door. My husband hasn't retired yet so I haven't done it. Now for the question. Is it illegal to get your medications from Canada?

 

[epileric]

according to the story.....

Federal officials also say Google knew as early as 2003 that its ad system was allowing Canadian pharmacies to make illegal sales. These transactions included the sale of prescription drugs without prescriptions from a licensed medical practitioner, federal prosecutors said.

Shipping prescription drugs into the U.S. from abroad violates drug and other laws, investigators said. Prescription drugs shipped into the U.S. from Canada are not subject to oversight by Canadian regulatory authorities and many sell drugs from countries with inadequate pharmacy regulations, prosecutors said.

 

[Bernard]

Some mail order pharmacies are legit and some are shams. There are rules (this isn't 'Nam!).

 

[WhyMe]

Online Meds

I use to use online ordering for our medications, until this year. Our insurance no longer covers our medications until our Deductable met.

We started going to Costco for our medications as it the cheapest for the meds we are on. They also give a discount card because we don't have medication coverage through insurace, this saves us a few more dollars. I still have the prescription filled for 3 months at a time, even though we go to Costco everyweek. It is cheaper to get a larger dose every 3 months, than by getting a smaller does every month.

 

[nicholas:)]

Meds from online

Is it against the law to purchase meds online?

Could you be sure of what you are getting?

 

[WhyMe]

Ours was actually online through the place our insurance went through.

 

[nicholas:)]

I see

 

[Endless]

Nicholas,

It's generally not against the law to buy your meds online.

The sites that advertise "no prescription necessary" are often a fake doctor writing a prescription after a brief email or call, and that would be illegal.

The legal sites have varying degrees of dependability. Some can be relied upon 100%. Some not at all - you don't know what the heck you are getting. So be very careful.

Something that is an issue at an in-person pharmacy or a mail-order pharmacy is how often they change their generic sourcing. I don't know about you, but it wrecks havoc on me for a few days when my generic seizure drug changes. The pharmacy I use has had a lot of generic changes lately.

I think this online pharmacy is very reputable and reliable. Cheap prices, too. I bought a few weeks of my critical meds for my emergency kit at this site: www.healthwarehouse.com

 

[Blythe]

I use Medco

When I began my med for Breast Cancer, my portion was 125 bucks, it would have been 540 without insurance. I am a widow and it was open season for Federal employee benefits. I stayed on my current insurance. I could have switched with no problems, Because I found Medco, I saved the pocket book for a few monhs before the med went generic this summer. I got the cost down to 70 dollars for 3 month perscription.
They are good with refills just like Walgreens!
NO HESITATIONS AT ALL.

 

[tinathesingergirl]

RX by mail

I don't know about getting my drugs by mail-

I know I have that option it's probobly cheaper but honestly i'm scared to get my seizure drugs this way.... especially since i am taking generic.. and i know that my generic topamax and i have been on two different brands and they effect me very differently.... one makes me very cranky and the other does not! So I avoid one brand like the plaugae and I know which one it is! The other one is fine. THe Keppra is fine. Also the birth control I take is not available as a generic and I don't think they will take a manufactuer's coupons as Rae stated earlier. (I am restistriced to the Walgreen's mailorder pharmacy with my insurance plan and generic drugs only when available.) Why would I do this when I have a PPO plan that does not limit me to any storefront pharmacy or hospital pharmacy in or out of network and the local CVS is only 3 blocks from my home walking distance? Crazy right? So I say no to mail order!

Tina

 

[nana1]

I will be voting no> i would not be sure if they sending me the brand meds ( which i can take, my body seems only to take). How do i know it full strength. How do i know it will arive on time, as we all need our meds at the same time each month. At this time my insurance would not let me do it.

 

[IMgood1]

The problems I had with mail order is that I had to come up the 3 months of co-pays, and if there was weather that slowed the mail down, I didn't get my meds on time I had to go to the local pharmacy and buy enough meds to get me through until my meds arrived. It got very expensive. Currently, however, It is cheaper to get my meds where I do, than through the mail order.

 

[paradise survivor]

Mail order pharmacies are great if you are doing well on a particular drug, however I don't seem to last for very long before I start to have side effects or I begin to have an up tic in seizures so we go round the mulberry bush again. I am on Vimpat currently and my mail order pharmacy does not honor the manufacturer's coupon/discount so I use my local pharmacy. They handle all the paper work and I pay $30 co-pay instead of the $75 co-pay and that is with excellent insurance (thank God my husband can work and has a good job or I would be in deep :egg

 

[knothing]

My wife's company forced us to use mail order from a huge company. They have a horrible understanding of why the medication must be taken on time everyday. 60% of the reps we talk to lie about everything and it is a constant fight. They almost don't care about seizures and downplay it all the way.Keppra is now fixed but my Vimpat still has them confused. The concept of mail order is great when it works and if they care.

 

[Krista2882]

It took me over 10 years to do this. I didn't want to. I feel like too much could happen if I'm not in control of going to pick it up myself locally. But I kept getting letters from my insurance company about doing it that way, and how it's a lot cheaper, so I finally agreed to do it. I've had 2 refills so far, and it's working out fine.

 

[libbyl]

meds

today I picked up my meds at the pharmacy I always use,they wrote the wrong prescription instuctions.I called the doctor's office to confirm that I was correct,and the pharmacy asked that I return the meds,with the receipt.what are your thoughts?Has anyone had a bad experiece with a pharmacy or mail-order drug company?