Need alternative to Oxycontin please

[Julia100]

Hello,

I've been on Oxycontin 40mg/day for several years, I also take 4-10mgs of either vic or perc. I was kicked off of my insurance because of ObamaCare. I've been through 3 months of hell trying to get coverage, insurance companies are not paying for Oxycontin. Not a lot of people know this yet, but it will become news at some point. They appear to cover it and it will even be in black and white, but in the end, they do not cover it. Anyway, I can't afford the monthly cost which is expensive, I have the $90/2 weeks discount from Purdue, but it's still too costly. I need to find another extended release drug I can take, and afford. Any ideas??

Thanks much

 

[T. Calderone]

Hi Julia, I know the oxycontin and opana can be really expensive. I had to edit out the prices you listed. I'm not sure if morphine would be a reasonable alternative either or instant release oxycodone. The cheapest longer acting pain relief drug I can think of is methadone. Have you discussed your dilemma with your doctor?

I feel your pain though (no pun intended) because I can't afford the Obamacare quote they gave me, just ridiculous. Hopefully someone here has some better ideas. This is a hard one when medication becomes unaffordable and I hope you can find a comparable replacement. Hang in there!

 

[_DankOpiAmp_]

Methadone if you want to keep it legal. It lasts all day so it is like a time release. ( I see that has already been said) I think you know the other alternative.

Obamacare is a sadistic joke. You pay the most in the world for healthcare and are something like 37th in terms of quality of care. Now everyone is coerced into getting insurance for shit care they may not need. Lol, as if every other western country doesn't do healthcare better AND cheaper. Insurance mega-firms anal-dominate your society.

 

[Julia100]

Thanks to everybody.

 

[Fredthegreat]

It's costing me a lot for a 30 day supply of OxyContin 20mg twice a day (cancer patient). I have great insurance too. I need to figure out an alternative as well.

 

[T. Calderone]

Hi Fred, sorry to hear you have cancer. I know oxymorphone (opana) is probably expensive as well. Perhaps MScontin? Or like I mentioned earlier, methadone. Have you spoken to you doctor about trying something else?

 

[###]

Could substitution therapy be an option for you? I have no idea how it works in USA. Do one has to cover full costs of the therapy? Where I am from the city pays for approx. 95% of costs I think, even for people with jobs. Regarding your question about extended release drugs, well unfortunately they anyway produce almost everything as slow/prolonged release, from Morphine to Buprenorphine. Bup is one of the strongest analgesic and I would recommend it any time over that shit Methadon. It probably wouldn't affect your immune system and testosterone levels as Methadon probably would. It is also derived from Thebaine same as Oxy so switching from Oxy to it could be a less of a problem for you?
Morphine SR could also work. I see it definitely as a better alternative to Methadon.

 

[Kittycat5]

Methadone does not normally have an analgesic duration that is as long as its half-life and needs to be dosed several times a day. It is dirt cheap though.

Morphine ER is probably the cheapest, but the higher doses can start to get pricey. Oxycontin also has a "generic" now. I used quotes because in reality, it is just Oxycontin, still made by Perdue, but distributed by the generic companies. It still costs quite a bit, but perhaps your insurance would go for it.

 

[MrRoot]

We have both old OC formula and generics available here in Finland and Ratiopharm's generic isn't definately made by Purdue.

It is oval pill that contains small pearl like capsules in binders inside it if it is crushed. Pretty much shitty stuff to use recreationally as you have to crush those small pearls instead of just crushing the pill like old OC formula.

However I just don't understand how the hell drugs can be so costly in USA. I pay about 15$ per week for both my OxyContin and OxyNorm pills until I hit a total of 720€ cap and every RX drug is free

 

[Kittycat5]

We can probably fill up 10 threads on why drug prices are so high here in the US. Mainly because we lack total socialized medicine so the government cannot fully negotiate for better deals. Plus we believe in "free market capitalism" even when said market is not inherently free, as in healthcare. And the insurance and drug companies have deep pockets to persuade our politicians to keep the status quo.

 

[namnoc16]

I pay for my oxycodone IR generic out of pocket and they are very cheap. I did have to shop around because some pharmacys charge twice as much . I have to buy out of pocket because I hit my insurance cap(amount of oxys that are covered for the year have limits unless you have cancer at least my insurance) in July and the rest of the year I pay out of pocket. I get 120 10mgs a month.

 

[Speed King]

As T. Calderone said, morphine. It is cheap and generic. Every insurance should cover it. The thing to get straight is the equivalent dosage. Aside from that, it's an excellent choice.

 

[pally pete]

We can probably fill up 10 threads on why drug prices are so high here in the US. Mainly because we lack total socialized medicine so the government cannot fully negotiate for better deals. Plus we believe in "free market capitalism" even when said market is not inherently free, as in healthcare. And the insurance and drug companies have deep pockets to persuade our politicians to keep the status quo.

That is huge part of your problem.

 

[BeachBum4u]

I'm afraid you're really "up a creek" here. Almost all of the good PK's are pretty expensive, if not downright outrageous! MS-Contin, from my experience, is probably your best bet. I thought ObamaPrayer (cause that's all you have to get most of your shit covered!) had to basically cover those meds. I mean, you might have to try something else first (and prove it's ineffective), called Step-Therapy I believe. Also, don't they have to offer generics. They may not cover the brand name but would cover the generic. Basically, I thought one way or another, most drugs are covered. Of course, I may very well be wrong but I would pound on their customer service people real hard.

I know one thing, Obama insurance is often very expensive and is tough for some families to afford. The irony is that it's basically illegal to "not" have medical coverage (if my memory is correct and I'm sure there are exceptions), so if you can't get Blue Cross or Aetna because they're just too expensive. You may very well find the Obama option nearly as expensive AND like I said, you have to have insurance. What's wrong with this picture?