Bupe ***People prescribed buprenorphine, please help us out!***

[mike_indy_317]

I live in Indiana and I have insurance but my first visit it cost a lot of money there was a 900 dollar drug test and then 500 dollars for other stuff then the next two visits it cost 150. I go to the closest pharmacy to the clinic and the script costs 30 dollars for 60 8mg. My last visist costs 150 even though i paid 50 dollars the last two times before.

 

[Flexistentialist]

In Australia, the doctor's visits are free and the medication is free, the only expense is the dispensing fee paid for the pharmacist to provide the medication. That varies from around $4 - $8 per dose.

 

[jazzyhope]

Nashville, Tn area.... price of scripts of less than 20 pills = 8mg subs $8.00
2 mg subs $7.00 each (crazy huh)
Cant remember exactly the cost when I was getting 60- 8mg pills a month, but they were a little cheaper... not much!!

 

[Jabberwocky]

Queensland, Australia. $3/dose at whatever mg through the pharmacy dispensary i quoted today.

 

[celebratefor20]

I live in Hendersonville, North Carolina (30 miles south of asheville.) My doctor is an hour south in Greenville SC. (Used to see a DR here in town for $25 when I had insurance, once every 3 months.)
Dr. Fee - $225/Month (10% cash discount included.)
-No "intske/urinalysis fee...$225/month, once a month, period.) This guy speaks very little english & writes me 120 8mg. (4/day)
Per tab (Wal-Mart in my town in NC): $7.27.
(Small discount as quantity increases; $28.72 for 4)
***i use my county's uninsured discount program available to any resident w/o anything besides proof of county residence, no paperwork and available immediatly. Knocks 1.98 off every pill, so $7.27 is after discount. They're $10.99 each at CVS w/o discount.)

Sucks ass and I'm working on getting off it period. Just lost my insurance and for the past 3 years I've been getting my Dr visit for $25/visit and 120 Suboxone 8's for $44. :-/

 

[Beerman]

In Spain, with prescription, a box with 7 pills of 2mg is 2.60€

 

[downtownhumanoid]

Cincinnati, OHIO

i switched to SUBZ after 5 years on Methadone.

No insurance. I take my script to a local hospital and they charge $10 "processing" per script per month, and then roughly $5.50 per 8mg pill. They keep track at the Apothecary of how many I get each time i go, so i dont have to buy them all at once. Still alot cheaper then Methadone WITHOUT the hassles that most clinics have (urine tests, counselors, time frames, etc.)

 

[Beerman]

I've been reading your posts... and DAMN! bupe is so fucking expensive in the USA... here, a 2mg pill costs about 0.5$ (0.39€). I don't know how much costs a blister with 7 8mg pills, but I supose it'll be around 8-9€ (10-11$) so, 1€/pill. It's the "luck" of havin' a "free" medical asistment (sp?) in Spain.

 

[stuckinaloop]

$30 a visit with insurance no induction fee
#42 generic subutex 8mg $15 with insurance

I was on subutex a while..got on meth, gettin back on subutex.

I go to a walk in clinic like one youd go for a common cold. It's awesome the guy prescribes bupe and he had no prob doing generic subutex.

I pay a good deal for private health insurance though (which is shitty). And my doc makes me come every 2 weeks instead of once a month, so he probably ends up getting atleast $60 a visit ($30 from me and atleast $30 from the insurance company).

 

[Pegasus]

^Do you know how much you would pay without insurance? Maybe it shows on your receipt?

 

[Faded .45]

doctor visits in Rhode Island cost about $150 per visit(once a month)
visits in upstate New York cost about $100 per visit

pills cost about $7 per 8mg pill with no insurance

this is all just my experiences, they could vary by doctor, but I dont think by much

 

[stuckinaloop]

^Do you know how much you would pay without insurance? Maybe it shows on your receipt?

I think it would be around $60 a visit, becuase my receipt shows the insurance company pays $30 (or $45 at most) and I pay a $30 copay

As far as the pills, ive seen them as cheap as the lose $2 and as expensive as the mid or high $4..honestly, pharmacies vary so much it;s REALLY worth it to call around.

Have the NDC# ready and itll be easier for the pharm to tell the price

I am guessing for #42 8mg sub if I paid cash it'd probably be around 120-140..just a guess.

 

[homeydontplaythat]

is everyone aware of the patient assistance program for suboxone. if not, SERIOUSLY check it out. free suboxone if you are poor and dont have insurance. im on it.

 

[Howard B Huge]

Location: San Fran Bay Area
Initial Dr. Appt: $300
Follow up Dr. appts: once every 8 weeks at a cost of $150 (includes Urine Analysis)

I had to call a lot of Dr.'s to find one that writes generics and didn't charge a fortune for the initial visit and didn't require frequent appts., mandatory attendance of AA/NA meetings, etc...

I just go once every 8 weeks, drop a UA and talk with the Dr. for 30 minutes, and as long as things are going well, he won't require AA/NA meetings or more frequent appts.

Generic Roxane Subs: #45 x 8 mgs. are $147.16 using various online discount cards I've downloaded.

I take 12 mgs. per day so #45 x 8 mgs. lasts me a month and the pharmacy I use is Walgreens.

Here is a list of the free discount cards I used and where to get them:

1) PS Card (Prescriptions Savings Card.)
This is a hard plastic card I sent away for and received in the mail.
www.pscard.com

2) Freedrugcard.us
Go to their web site for this one and print it out.
www.freedrugcard.us

3) Patient Assistance Discount Coupon Card.
Another one I printed out:
http://www.patientassistance.com/getcard.html

I'm also not sure which of the three discount cards gives me the lowest price - I just gave all three cards to the Pharmacy Tech and $147.16 is the lowest price I got, but I'll ask them next time which card or what combination of the three cards is giving me the current price of $147.16 for #45 x 8 mg. Roxane generic Subutex.

Walgreens also offers a Prescription Discount Card that costs $20.00 per year and may add further discounts in addition to the free discount cards listed above, but that's something I'll have to verify and I will call them and ask them later this weekend.

Edit 1: Walgreens offers a $30.00 discount on #45 x 8mg., but the Walgreens discount card can't be used with other drug discount cards.
Your best deal at Walgreens is using the cards I listed above, but I'm not sure which one or combination of cards gives the best price.

Teva is also coming out with a generic, but I haven't heard of a price yet.
Also rumors of "Barr" coming out with a generic as well, so with more competition, the price may come down.

Edit 2: Barr and Teva are the same company, thus the rumors of Barr coming out with a generic.
They already have, under the "Teva" name.

 

[bev49]

I live in one of the outer boroughs of NYC. There are almost no doctors who take insurance for sub. They, and the pharm companies, are just greedy. My doc charged $250 for "induction", hahaha, giving the first script... Now it's $100 per month for a 3 minute appt. I am lucky to have insurance so the scrip is $40 copay a month. I was on methadone prior which was $20 per week, recently went up to $25. so in my experience it's a close call. Off the topic of price, sub is just as addictive as methadone. I got on believing it was my wonder drug after over 30 years taking methadone. It's the same thing, just gotten from a doc instead of a clinic and worse in a way because NOTHING for pain will get past it, it binds to the receptors that tightly.

 

[Pythagoras]

UK

PRIVATE
First session = approx $300
8mg Subutex tablet = approx03-7.50 Euros (depending on the pharmacy, usually the posher, the more expensive, but Boots is approx 5 Euros

New Generics can be had as checp as 1.5 Euros

On the NHS
Regular visits to consult + 0 Euros + reimbursement on your bus fare
Medication = 0 Euros for most who need (those in work, able to pay its 20 Euros regardless of the number dispensed, ie 20 tabs or 200 tabs = same price)

Downside of NHS, weekly urine checks, supervised concumption for 4 weeks, then 3x week normal prescription dispensing etc etc)

May add France later if I can remember the numbers correcctly.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

I know for me anyway, that I use 2, maybe 3 pills a week, which is only around 24$. That amount in my DOC wouldn't even keep me from being sick.

It seems like a large amount to pay at once, but I don't ever pick up my whole script at once, just once a week. And I get scripted 60 pills a month, but only use maybe 10 of those, so I can go for months on one single script.

Yes, I admit to a slight exaggeration there - obviously it costs more to maintain a healthy habit of street drugs than prescription methadone or subutex. However, it's a fact of life that unless you happen to be extremely wealthy, an illicit addiction is at some point going to be funded by illegal activity - be it shoplifting, dealing, mugging or armed robbery. Now I very much doubt that anybody resorts to these activities to fund their treatment, so it stands to reason that the only people that are likely to seek treatment are those that can afford it. Now I don't really understand how the American healthcare system works, but it seems logical to assume that those people that would most benefit from obtaining treatment are the ones that would find it prohibitively expensive and will therefore carry on doing what they do to maintain their habit. In the UK however, because treatment is either free (if not in employment) or extremely cheap (if in employment) then those that most need the help can get it - even if it means long term methadone maintenance just to 'top up' your heroin use and ultimately keep you away from crime without necessarily getting you free from drugs. I guess this is why the number of addicts in treatment is so high over here - it doesn't matter how wealthy you are or even if you intend to stay clean - as long as you are stabilised and not committing crime then you will get your dose. It just seems to me that the American system is aimed at middle class white kids that can afford it rather than helping the people that need it the most. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but there is no way I would have got onto methadone treatment If I had to pay the prices you do - and god knows where I would be now if that was the case.................

 

[Dr_F]

Expensive & limit # people in patient assist.- do I have to steal to afford? WTF!?

I live in the SE US- actually, it wouldn’t be a long drive for me to visit celebratefor20, so I’ll quote his prices below mine.

I first got on Suboxone in January ’09 quite cold turkey in June (ended up in the psych ward) and after a nasty binge got back on it November ’09 have been on it since. I’ve been with the same Sub doc the whole time; however, two different facilities, she left the first facility in June (which is why I left, that and the cost) because they truly only cared about money, I followed her to the second facility were they do things as if they actually care about you not only getting off full agonists and on Sub, but after a year getting off Sub… never once heard anything about an “end game” slash taper plan at the first facility

I haven’t had insurance of any sort since I’ve been on Sub- it’s easy to get my other meds through patient assistance programs, however there are limits to the number of patients per doc for Sub- total bullshit IMO

The first facility charged $600 your first month: that was an “induction fee” that even people with insurance had to pay out of pocket- greedy bastard running the place (not my actual doc) only really cared about getting that $600 up front, fuck it if you leave after that, hell more profitable if you do then come back and pay the $600 again
After the first month, it was a flat $350 a month, no cash discount. Furthermore, even if I had insurance, I still would have had to pay cash and then file the claims myself to seek reimbursement from insurance 8)

The 2nd facility and one that I’m currently at, unlike the first one, is not just Sub patients it has “counseling center” in the name, the downstairs are all therapists and upstairs are the docs. I see my Sub doc once a month, that’s $150 for 15 minutes; however, although sometimes it’s more or less in and out, at least once every 3 months (or more it seems) I have something important to address, e.g. a medication change, major stressor, etc.
Those times she spends 45 minutes to an hour with me, I don’t feel the least rushed, and she still charges me for 15 minutes- that’s how docs should be IMO

In addition, I see a therapist twice a month, cash is $110 however I pay $45 a visit, which is the lowest fee on his sliding scale. At the first facility, I had weekly 15 minute visits with some jackass former steroid dude who was still big as hell- all I did for 6 months, 4 times a month was come in, take a piss test, and have him tell me, “We still need to work on your schedule.” Well duh fuckface, I had the schedule of a vampire but he wasn’t helping 8)
In contrast, the guy I see now is not one of their normal therapists, he’s an addiction specialist- I should know, that was my area of expertise/practice for years- I have high standards for psychologists having been in the game, this guy is the real deal

[I asked for my script to be bumped from 16mg/day to 24mg/day so that I have a shit load saved… while I was off Sub, this after quitting cold turkey June last year then going to the psych ward, plus the pressures of a loved one being very sick-
Despite all these pressures plus being a doctoral student, I was able to avoid full mu agonists, which would have brought everything crashing down, by snorting 2mg Sub when I had cravings, honestly I did it 5 days a week 2 off to keep tolerance at bay, because it made me function better and the antidepressant effect was much needed
I was once clean for 5 years, but after relapsing, even though I’ve been on Sub this time 8 months, I have serious doubts if I can ever again be completely opioid-free, or even if I want to- still have lots of ambivalence and I’m no longer a 12-stepper, would rather walk a middle ground between addiction and complete abstinence- can’t afford to do 16mg/day forever or frankly even now, but stash enough to last me a long time if keep Sub dose low, which IME is easy so long as you’re not on maintenance taking 12mg or more- less if different ROA than sublingual.]

I went with Costco, they’re by far the cheapest and if you’re a member without insurance you get an additional 10 to 30% off- I moved this April and the Costco is 2.5 hours away (but so is my Sub doc), regardless I called both RiteAid and CVS for a price quote on my (generic!) clonazepam qty. 90, it was literally 10 times or more what I pay at Costco!

Suboxone 8mg
Qty 60 = $385 = $6.42 a pill
Qty 90 = $577 = $6.41 a pill

(although if I include the price of mandatory doc and therapist appts, it was $10.30 a pill at the first place $9.08 each at current)

Didn’t bother price shopping the 2nd time, but first time on Sub scripted 60 I called every chain pharmacy from Wal-Mart to Target to Rite-Aid to CVS. Guy I quoted below isn't too far away- we don’t have the discount he has for $7.27 a pill, but he said without discount $10.99 at CVS which sounds right to me, I remember qty. 60 was about $650 at all the other joints, one place I think was $750 for 60, I just remember that with the exception of Costco the best price without insurance was about $11 per pill or a little less.

Faust

I live in Hendersonville, North Carolina...
Dr. Fee - $225/Month (10% cash discount included.)
-No "intske/urinalysis fee...$225/month, once a month, period.) This guy speaks very little english & writes me 120 8mg. (4/day)
Per tab (Wal-Mart in my town in NC): $7.27.
(Small discount as quantity increases; $28.72 for 4)
***i use my county's uninsured discount program available to any resident w/o anything besides proof of county residence, no paperwork and available immediatly. Knocks 1.98 off every pill, so $7.27 is after discount. They're $10.99 each at CVS w/o discount.)

 

[Dr_F]

Free Meds

is everyone aware of the patient assistance program for suboxone. if not, SERIOUSLY check it out. free suboxone if you are poor and dont have insurance. im on it.

Easiest way to find ANY Rx drug for free is to simply visit http://www.needymeds.org/ it will take you directly to where you need to go to download the app.

Currently I'm on patient assist. programs for all my drugs except clonazepam and Suboxone... I printed out the app for Sub and read the requirements (no insurance, below poverty level- some patient assist. are 200 to 300% of poverty level, either way I- sadly- more than qualify)...

So I walk in with my app, however just as each doc is limited to the # of patients he or she can see, the greedy bastards at Reckitt Benckiser limit the # of people that can be enrolled in their patient assist. program (I know it was 2 patients can enroll for every 60 the doc sees, I think it may have increased to 3 but that's still only 5% and I'm sure more Sub patients than that meet the reqs.) To my knowledge, whereas the number of patients a doc can see is a government regulation in the US, the # of patients meeting the reqs. that can be in the Sub patient assist. program is not... I've always assumed just pure greed, although don't know that as a fact.

It's not the fact that Sub is Schedule III, as Vyvanse is Schedule II and anyone meeting the reqs can fill out on app and get it for free- difference is, whereas most of my non-scheduled meds are shipped to my doc's office and I pick up a 4 month supply (except Wellbutrin, they rock as option to ship it to my house, my doc checked the box ), with Vyvanse since CII you get a special Rx card, simply take it to the pharmacy and pick up a one month supply... last time I visited my Sub doc I pitched the idea of Vyvanse to her, she said that since I'm on Sub that's actually the only stimulant they'd consider putting me on... then told me to fill out the patient assist. app

[She's a smart one though, I pitched it as non-abusable, she says, "actually there's debate about that." Course I went home and checked BL first then Google But I don't want it for that, I have legit AD/HD (have since prior to age 7, plus I should know as had position at one of the top specialty AD/HD Clinics in the US for 2 years )- anyway I stopped Adderall when I went to rehab 8 years ago, spent a rather miserable 9 months on nothing, then got on the non-stimulant Strattera (atomoxetine)- it mitigated symptoms perhaps 30% for some time, however even though doc upped the dosage beyond the max it literally does nothing now So really hoping Vyvanse will work.]

Anyway, I AM next in line for the patient assist. program, simply waiting on someone to graduate, so I encourage people to not only ask their doc about getting in the patient assist. program, but to continue to ask...
This just occured to me- just as people may check with different docs to find the best price, perhaps one could shop around to see what doc has a spot availble in the patient assist. program- IDK if they'll tell you (if they say HIPAA bars them from so doing, that's BS to the best of my knowledge)- but it's worth a shot

[The only reason I didn't shop based on price, even though it's killing me, is that I attended a presentation on Suboxone several years ago with my wife, who was a counsellor at a methadone clinic at the time... I was highly sceptical of the drug as I had the attitude that it was simply yet another "panacea," an expensive alternative for people "too good" for the clinic. However, I'm not too good for great, free food paid for by the rep
I left, to my surprise, sold on Sub, primarily b/c the Sub doc was and is one of the two greatest psychiatrists I've ever met (and later worked with- awkward at first when entered treatment ). I was sold b/c she was sincere and truly believed in the product, I found out a couple years later she's in recovery- I always suspected it, knowledge is great, knowledge plus experience is spectacular and it shows.]

 

[Howard B Huge]

Does Costco have Subutex?

I don't see it on their web site, but heard of people getting their Subs at Costco.

Maybe they meant their Suboxone.

If anyone is getting their Subutex thru Costco, out of pocket, please list prices.

Thanks.