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Affordable triptans?

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dcook60
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Post  hpilgrim Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:19 pm

Hi all-
I am getting really concerned about my situation - I was getting enough relief from a combo of Neurontin and amitriptyline that I was able to get by on the small amount of Maxalt that Medicaid allows me.

But when the combo quit, about three weeks ago, the M's have become constant, intractable, and I have been taking at least one, sometimes two Maxalts daily...

I have things I have to take care of, like all of us, and am at the point where I am not getting much "functional" time. And I am just about out of Maxalt.

So, I am wondering if ANYONE has found a more affordable source for any kind of triptan, maybe online or something, since there should be some generics out there now...

Love to all,
THANKS
Holly
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Post  dcook60 Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:30 pm

holly, the only generic triptan is sumatriptan (imitrex). the others should be almost at the end of their 17-year patent life, one would hope.

i survived on samples from two doctors for years. (neither doc knew i was getting from the other, but hey, i couldn't afford $30 per pill. this was before i was medicare-eligible, and had a part D plan)

the doctors aren't getting as many samples these days, for some reason. but don't forget to ask, wherever you go! ob/gyns might even have migraine drug samples. i hope someone else has better info for you. dianne
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Post  LG Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:46 pm

ob/gyns definitely have lots of samples. ask! also, I forget the link but I posted bridges for access
which is a website to the makers of imitrex and they will help you get free or discounted pills.

Contact the makers of maxalt and they might be able to help you as well. I think a lot
of drug companies are now coming out with programs to help people afford their
astronomical prices since a lot of people are loosing insurance coverage and getting laid off.

Also, be careful taking that many triptans a day. You might want to talk to your doctor about
getting narcotics or some other option that better suits you. I know that many
neuros tell their patients to not take more than 4 triptan pills a week. I believe it is a stroke
risk.

Narcotics will be much cheaper as well. They are not as effective from what I understand,
but they are a whole lot easier to afford. I believe a bottle of 30 hydrocodone pills are
only close to $20-30, and that would last you at least half a month. I am currently
taking fioricet and they are less than $40 without insurance for 60 pills. I take a maxium
of 4 daily and 1 usually works for a whole 5 hours for me. Be careful though, as any narcotic
is addictive and has its drawbacks.
LG
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Post  rileyoday Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:11 pm

I ordered triptans from canada pharmacy for almost 2 years, about 10 $ ea pill. you fax or mail script. follow directions pretty easy.

I order them from overseas now for about 5-6 $ each. no script needed. last time they came from india. I know alot of people would be nervous of this , but last choice for me. And more people in india with M cause they got billion people !!

takes about 3 weeks comes air mail . I have done 4 times 36 each time . no problem. use a visa or m/c for protection.

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Post  hpilgrim Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:53 pm

Thanks all,
I have been doing a little checking... some places don't seem to require a script ... should I avoid this, or is it a good thing??

Question

Holly
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Post  Casey Mon Jan 11, 2010 2:54 pm

I get my triptans from Mexico (I can drive there), I barter the Imitrex 100 mg for about $3 a pill. I've seen people at this pharmacy who have flown from out of state to get a year's supply of drugs. Can you say "real health care reform?"

Next time I go - in ~ 2 weeks - I can ask if they ship drugs or no, but coming form Mexico may be more problematic, I just don't know.

Good luck and many hugs, Holly, I know how hard your situation is, really I do. I sent you an email.

Renee
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Post  rileyoday Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:55 am

wish i could go to mexico 3 dollars.... my last internet order came from india about 5-6 dollars but i had one ship from england

and they sell that low price and still make money. the one from england was same mfg i buy from rite aid 15.00 each cash price.

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Post  hpilgrim Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:17 pm

What do you think of this site?

http://www.4rx.com/online-pharmacy/categories/pain-relief/generic-imitrex.html?kbid=4548&sub=imitrex

Thanks to all,
Holly
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Post  hpilgrim Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:35 pm

did anybody look at the site? Please?
Holly
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Post  LG Thu Jan 14, 2010 8:23 am

Hi Holly,

I did look at the site. I'd say this one is a good looking one. It seems like you pay with a credit card
which is a plus. They also don't sell opiates or scheduled drugs on that site which is another
really good sign. If the price is the lowest you can find I would take a chance. The reason I say
take a chance is because I don't see them asking for prescriptions. It is illegal in US to buy from
sites like this w/o prescription, but I would do it myself if triptans worked for me b/c of cost.

The worst that would happen is customs would grab your package and send you a letter.
Yep. A letter. The letter would tell you they confiscated your package because it contained
pills that were illegal since you had no prescription. No further action would be taken, and the
letter would state that. However, you do it a second time and they would probably have a problem
with that.

My suggestion to you is to get a prepaid visa card of the sorts. Pay for it in cash, not credit card.
Do not register your name to the card when you activate it. When you pay for the pills online,
screw your name up a little bit. Mix up a V with a U or I with a Y ect. This way if you do want to
order a second time around you can.

Good luck! It's not as bad as you think, and thank those major pharmacutical companies once
again for making you do stuff like this.
LG
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Post  hpilgrim Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:12 am

Thank you so much for the information...
$3.50 per 50 mg. is the cheapest I have been able to find... even then it's $35 plus I don't know yet how much shipping- lot of money for me. But I may have to do it.

Thanks Lovegia for all the specific info.. good ideas, all.
I wouldn't have thought of all that.

You are so right about the crap we have to live with - I am really sick of being made to BEG for samples, I HATE that.

I can't think of another disorder that would cause a person to have to beg for their meds....
It's insane....

Renee, sweetie, if you could ask them if they ship, it would be great... I would much rather have 100's...

LOVE you all,
Holly

ps. the Neurontin/amitriptyline combo is apparently out of my system entirely now, because two days ago it felt like my brain had just kicked back on.... I could think again, find the words I wanted, speak a coherent sentence. Those anti-seizure drugs really do impair us....
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Post  Casey Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:51 pm

I will certainly ask, Holly. I'll also see if they know anything about the likelihood of getting anything through customs, coming from Mexico.

It's just so incredibly wrong that people in such tremendous pain are treated like lowlife addicts and can't get what they need to function, yet men now have their choice of low cost long lasting erection pills in every color of the rainbow, it seems.
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Post  hpilgrim Sun Jan 17, 2010 10:14 pm

I found out that the shipping cost for the $35 (10 sumatriptan) is $16.50. They come from India...

So it's a little more than I hoped for...

Thanks so much, Renee, for the inquiries---
Holly

(What you said about the erections made me think - isn't migraine primarily a disorder suffered by women? Maybe that is why so little attention is paid---)
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Post  LG Sun Jan 17, 2010 10:35 pm

Hey guys, thats not fair what your saying about erectile dysfunction. Thats a disease just as much as migraines are, too. I don't think we should be charged astronomical prices for meds, but hey..you don't like it when people downplay your migraines so don't downplay men who seriously have problems getting it up. Still though, its more a discussion and rant for the pharmacutical companies than it is for the person suffering.

I couldn't imagine what depression a man feels when he can no longer please the woman he fell in love with. It must be one of the worst feelings in the world for both the woman and man. Sad


Last edited by lovegia on Sun Jan 17, 2010 10:36 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : typo)
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Post  hpilgrim Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:18 pm

Didn't mean to downplay the feelings of the men at all - I am sure it is horrible for them. I am also pretty sure that if migraines were as widespread among men, we'd see the funding and the pace of the research increase -

That's why I've tried to find a doctor who actually suffers migraine. I find it hard to convey the horror of the beast to a doctor who has never suffered one. (My last neuro comes to mind - I felt that he couldn't be bothered to make the effort to try to understand what it was like for me - I would have liked to have given him a five-minute migraine, just to improve his understanding)...

Also, I have trouble picturing a man tolerating being made to beg for his meds like we do.

My friends here at Ronda's who are men know what I mean - they have their own issues, as in "men are supposed to be tough, just a headache, etc." My son has hemiplegic migraine (infrequent so far, thank GOD!) and he knows how it is...

I pray for the day to come when we are all treated like people with serious neurological disorders, and given the research, and access to treatment we deserve...
love you all,
Holly
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Post  LG Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:02 am

Holly,

If you ever feel like stopping in by me, my male neuro suffers migraines. Although, can't guarantee good results as I feel he just kind of pushes meds.

He doesn't shy from giving me painkillers though. First visit was 60 vicodin 5/500, then 30 embeda (a long acting morphine pill), then 60 nucynta which is a schedule 2 narcotic, now i've got 60 fioricet with codeine. All those scripts are supposted to last me just one month, however, I usually don't go through them.

I don't like that he gave me embeda which is brand new and I couldn't even fill it since it was just approved and out of 15 pharmacies not one could order it for me. Then we went onto nucynta which is also very new.

There are plenty of drugs out there so why give me new expensive things when I have already told you cost is a concern of mine. Only thing I can think of is because he is getting some perks for prescribing them.

At least the pain would be managed if you already found something that works, but I sit there and scratch my head when I go home wondering if it is the right steps for me. I have no idea what works still.

The fioricet works for the low grade migraines I get very frequently but does absolutely nothing for the excruciating migraines I have about 3-4x a month, sometimes more. The problem with those bad boys is they have been sticking around for a couple of days lately.

Thinking of asking for stadol and fioricet but I'm a bit scared, I hate being high. Vicodin 10/325's do the trick for the bad ones too but I take a lot of them over the course of those days and they also get me high Embarassed I want something that will abort the m.

Good luck on your search and I'll be happy to share my drug pushing neuro! LOL
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Post  Stillhurtin Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:33 am

Interesting...My male neuro also gets Migraines and is also great about refilling pain meds anytiime I call. My scripts are for 30 with one refill...I just use as needed and he never ever questions timing on my refills. I too always assumed it was b/c he understands the pain.

As far as the good feeling that can come along with the narcotics, I don't mind it. I figure all the meds alter us a tad...most in unfavorable ways. And the Migraines reallly alter us negatively. I think it's a nice change of pace to bee mellowed out and feel extra comfortable. It's a trade of for all those times we are excrutiatingly uncomfortable.
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Post  LG Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:14 am

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the feeling at all but I'm paranoid which is a buzzkill. My Gia pushed hard against me while I was holding her and I was on vicodin, she was squirming to get down. I dropped her. Sad She was okay, she didn't even cry but I felt so guilty.

Another night I took vicodin for a migraine. This was a while ago, when she was beginning to get sick. I had no idea she was as sick as she was. I had pills left over from the dentist and I took one ES. I got a bad feeling, went to check on her and her fever was over 104!!!! I had to rush her to the hospital that night.

In between waking her and the hospital, I went into shock and threw up. I was shaking, pacing, and had no idea what to do. I was so scared, and it was the worst feeling of my life. It took me 15 minutes to find tylenol. I have no idea if I would have reacted the same way without the vicodin but I also felt guilty for taking it and impairing myself when she needed me so desperately.

That is why I don't like being high. Wish I could just "let go" sometimes...
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