1900% Drug Price Increase

[jesse_the_k]

I’ve been hypothyroid for a long time, and happily, simple hypothyroidism is treatable. I’ve been taking thyroid meds–levothyroxine (T4) and lyothyronine (T3) .

Up until yesterday, hypothyroidism has been inexpensive to treat. Lyothyronine was synthesized in the 1950s, and was first approved by the US Food & Drug Administration in 1954.

Thursday I saw my endocrinologist and she suggested changing my T3 dosage. But my pharmacy had bad news: they didn’t have access to any generic lyothyronine. My insurance won’t pay for a proprietary (brand-name) drug unless the physician explicitly requests that in the prescription. So, I ask the endo to write another script. Then MyGuy went to pick it up and

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STICKER SHOCK

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Generic lyothyronine: $34.24
Cytomel (lyothyronine from Pfizer): $654.40.

Yes, that’s a twenty-fold increase. I haven’t been able to find out why: it could be because the drug was manufactured in Puerto Rico; it could be because [horrible news thing I don’t know details of] changed the tax incentives for generic drug producers; it could be the phase of the moon.

Two pieces of good news: I can afford to pay for it, and I can finally spell lyothyronine.

Comments

[killing_rose]

in further horrifying news, it's not just the US. The NHS spent a decent amount of the past year declaring they'd no longer cover the drug at all. (This was rescinded.) Because the price had gone up.

I use a small local pharmacy (because they do things like deliver my drugs, and will actually deliver my pain medication, and have been known to drop off my meds after hours if i was a total dingbat and ran out of meds before i called them. They'll also give me enough to tide me over while arguing with insurance or docs for the refill. This last round, my Symbicort, which I forgot to cancel the refill [i hoard meds after i hit my out of pocket max for the year, and even if i took it as prescribed we easily have half a year's supply; we also have 10 boxes of Voltaren and four open tubes], clocked in at 200, but they found a coupon to get it to zero.), but i've had to go to chain pharmacies for a couple of meds.

(Actually, as a question, have you tried voltaren? I can't remember how much chronic pain you have in your muscles/skeleton, and lords know i may very well have asked this before.)

[jesse_the_k]

Yeah, I saw that the NHS declared it was ineffective. Well, for a special few (raises hand!) it's not only effective but mandatory. I'm glad they've reinstated it.

Yepper to Voltaren! Fortunately there's a local compounding pharmacy, because the commercial creams are stinky as hell. So I use a 4% Lidocaine/5% diclofenac cream that's unscented and even makes my hands soft. Also Lidocaine patches when my neck is screaming.

synecdochic evangelizes for topicals -- they're really wonderful.

[killing_rose]

I really need to remember to badger Doc for patches this year. (Since at this point, it looks like we're going to have to just say fuck it and see him still.)

Yup! Pretty sure that's where Yena and I originally saw it mentioned.

[jesse_the_k]

What I wanna know is why are the patches more effective than the cream? Does the active ingredient evaporate? Or am I just more likely to be moving my hands around than my neck?

....and I think I will move this convo to fucking_meds where more of us pill-fiends can benefit.

[vass]

(here from fucking_meds and boggling in horror at your price hike)

Voltaren gel is great, and I kind of like the smell. That said, if there are cats in your life and you don't already know this, don't let the cats lick your skin where you've applied it, or rub up against it (they'll lick it off their own fur.) It's dangerous for them even in very small doses. I don't know if the same's true for dogs. It might be, but cats have weird metabolisms even compared to other animals their size, so who knows.