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FMS Community Newsletter #85 |
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| FMS Community Newsletter #85 |
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Editors Corner.
This issue will address the issue of needed medication vs. our wallets.
Many who live with FM, CMP, CFIDS and overlapping conditions have jobs with no prescription coverage, some are retired and
on a fixed income and some are unable to work at all. This makes obtaining needed medications difficult if not impossible
We will attempt to offer some viable options and help for how to get the medication you need without selling your house or
your first born child.
We will offer tips on how to talk to your doctor, ask for help as well as various programs you can turn to for assistance.
As always, this newsletter is by people with FM and overlapping conditions and it is for people with FM and overlapping
conditions. If you have any handy tips or know of a trusted source not listed here please feel free to send it to us. We
will get it on the website and include it in a future newsletter.
Jane Kohler
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Contents
How do I talk to my doctor?
Shop Around
Buying Online
$4.00 Generics
Canadian Drugs
Sign up for free or low cost medicine.
Rx Assist
Needy Meds
RxHope
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How do I talk to my doctor?
Your doctor works for you! You do not answer to your doctor. If you paid a lawn service to come cut your grass, and they
made one pass through the yard and then packed up and left, would you pay them? No, you would call them on it. You would
question them and ask them to do better. You need to remember that you are the one who is sick and you are paying someone
to make you better. Talk to them, question them, make suggestions. This does not mean you have to be confrontational, just
speak up for yourself.
If your doctor prescribes a new medication that is costly, and you can not afford it, tell them! Ask them if their is a
generic medication you can take. Ask them if their is an alternative medication that may work the same. Be honest so they
do not send you out of the office thinking you will be taking this medication, when in all honesty you will never fill the
prescription because you can not afford it.
Ask the doctor or office staff if the company that manufactures the medication has a low cost or free program than you can
apply to, so you can take this medication.
Do not take free samples from the doctor for this medication unless you are willing to do the paperwork for free or low
cost meds. It can cause more problems if you begin taking a medication and then you have to stop taking it suddenly.
Be honest with your doctor and his office staff. Many times they can help you find and fill out needed forms to get the
medication for free or at a low cost from the manufacturer.
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Shop Around
While it is convenient to get all needed items at one store, it may not be cost effective. Yes, we have pain and limited
energy, so shopping and driving can be a drain. But, there are surprising differences in medication prices between stores.
I myself found that one medication I am taking sold for 24.50 at a national chain and I found out via the internet that I
could get the same medication at another store not 1/2 mile from my house for 4.15. I have to make two store stops each
month, but that 20.00 bucks is better in my bank than in the other drug store.
Go online and do a search for pharmacist in your zip code and then call and ask for specific pricing for your medications.
You may be surprised.
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Buying Online
You can safely buy your medications online if you make sure you deal with verified sites. They can save you a lot of money
each month, just be careful.
Always check the website for important seals of approval a seal of approval such as the Verified Internet Pharmacy
Practice Sites. You can also check with the National Association Boards of Pharmacy to see if the web pharmacy is licensed
and good standing.
Do not buy from sites that will sell prescription medicines without prescriptions.
Do not do business with site asking you to send cash.
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$4.00 Generics
Many big name chains are offering $4.00 prescriptions for common medications. Pay attention! Often times they offer old
generics that are no longer prescribed by doctors. Once you get there, they offer you another drug that is newer and
better but it will cost you much more. Stores such as Walgreens, Wal-mart and Target are using these tactics.
You go in thinking you will get your pills for $4.00 and end up paying $20.00 instead.
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Canadian Drugs
U.S. citizens are once again able to bring prescription drugs across the border thanks to a rider tacked onto the new
Homeland Security Bill. They are focusing on illegal drugs instead. If you are near the border and want to drive over and
have your scripts filled in Canada to save money, go ahead.
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Sign up for free or low cost medicine.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health
care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription
coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them. Many will get them
free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who
are eligible. Through this site, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers a single point of access to more than
475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.
To access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669).
In order to find out what patient assistance programs you may qualify for, all you have to do is answer a few short
eligibility questions. This site will help supply you with the information you need to get involved in a program and even
allow you to download applications online. You can then follow the instructions on the application to apply.
https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php
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Rx Assist
RxAssist offers a comprehensive database of these patient assistance programs, as well as practical tools, news, and
articles so that health care professionals and patients can find the information they need.
http://www.rxassist.org/
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Needy Meds
This is an informative organization that can be of great help in finding low cost or free medication. They break the site
down by medication, or area. Just use the menu in the left side column to access numerous amounts of contact information
to find help in your area.
Go to: http://www.needymeds.com/
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RxHope
This is a site that does provide help. They are not as easy to access as others. There is more paperwork involved and a
small fee. But they do get results and you will get cheap, or free meds if you qualify.
RxHope makes patient assistance easier for those who need it Throughout the USA, millions of patients and their healthcare
providers depend on patient assistance to help them obtain needed medications. RxHope makes this assistance more
accessible via exclusive Web-based application technologies and a professionally-staffed call center.
Go to: http://www.rxhope.com/
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