Generic Drug Prices Skyrocket

They got us just where they want us, dependent on pills. When we are dependent, they can charge what ever they want.

Expect it to get worse in the future. Everyone should start researching what is causing their need for these pills and correct the problem. Our Western diet is causing a lot of problems. Approved Food preservation chemistry tend to prioritize chemistry that calms us and disrupts our endocrine system.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

If the TPP passes it will get even worse.

a reply to: rickymouse

I already do what I can to keep myself healthy....but things like glaucoma need chemicals to treat them.
Certain ailments/conditions just do not respond well to alternative treatments, IMHO.

They more or less have us over a barrel in some cases.

a reply to: tavi45
Why would that make it worse?
en.wikipedia.org...

My brother treated his gout with a simple change in his diet. he always was the only one in our family who refused to eat the good stuff and went after a high volume of sodas and junk food. I suppose it was once known as "rich man's or kings disease" for a reason.

You can treat your high blood pressure with a lifestyle change as well. Of course I am certain your physician has also mentioned it and I would venture to bet you took him/her up on that advice as well. It would be really presumptuous of me or anyone of course to state their is a natural way to fix anything and everything, especially as I am no such physician. However, diet and lifestyle changes can easily change a majority of American's everyday ailments, and is documented routinely as such.

I suppose I am also biased though, as I have turned my apartment patio and balcony into a miniature farm of vegetables and herbs for the home cooking me and the misses do almost everyday.

Pasta, beans, and rice make up the bulk of our essentials, filled in with whatever fresh veggies to cook with from my urban micro farm and the store. Still buy most the mat frozen though and its never organic. A goal of ours for the new year, organic meat as much as possible, it is just sooooo damn expensive.

I dunno I just find it odd that the first person to get sick in our household this flu season was my oldest son, who happened to get a flu-shot at his school with my wife's consent (unbeknownst to myself until after the fact) who then got everyone sick except me. But then I am the one who cooks the most of my own food to eat. Wife still addicted to coffee, junk food and sodas. I have a sincere belief that all manufactured foods (anything I cant just pick from the earth and eat right on the spot or after a little heat is applied) and beverages (no really I literally only drink water milk and brewed tea with a soda as often as once a month to spoil myself) contributes to a decline of the human immune system.

Probably would explain why a good part of the country needs meds everyday.

I do dread to find out what happens in a SHTF scenario where the sudden depravation of the infrastructure that exists to deliver all this dope just ceases one day. This country will be Hell on Earth within a week o that happening. The consequences of withdrawal for the millions of pain med junkies alone would devastate local communities. Now factor in the millions on SSRI's who suddenly have to break that pattern of brain chemistry alteration and the neighbors who have to suffer the aggressive consequences and your really going to want to lock your doors and keep the gun loaded and ready at all times.

Also, I have always heard in passing that people can smoke ganja to treat glaucoma, although I never personally investigated whether this was scientifically accurate. Think there is any merit to that claim???

a reply to: rickymouse

You're exactly right with the statement that they've got us right where they want us. They are our dealers. As a result of injuries to my hip when I was in the army I spent several years on an ever increasing regiment of narcotic pain management. I started of on pretty low doses of hydrocodome and within 2 years I was on some massive doses of very heavy meds and while not abusing them for fun, you still end up with a physical dependence that is just completely he'll to break that cycle from. If I admitted to the dosages of medication I took on a regular basis until 8 months ago I'd make a junky salivate. Percocet, fetanyl, morphine and I was completely sober and functional because my tolerance was through the roof. I don't recommend the withdrawal to anyone, I'd rather detox off of heroin than go though that again. I was a state sanctioned drug addict for all intents and purposes and that's how they liked it because nobody is more reliant than a physically dependent junkie as a customer. .

a reply to: peter vlar It makes me proud to hear you had the willpower to break that cycle of medical slavery in a manner of speaking. Living in Florida I got to witness the pill mill epidemic that hit the country hard and the consequences it had on families. Some of my own friends were reduced to what amounted in appearance to anyone as some alley gutter junkie getting in trouble to get these pills. Break ins and muggings were quite a bit higher in the Bay Area at the time.

If you could have seen the lines that existed at these pain clinics, you would think people were lining up for a black eyed peas concert. I mean these lines would routinely be longer than anything you had to wait in in our club district on a weekend! These jackass doctors had guards armed with rifles to protect all the cash that the eventually had been confiscated after the courts threw the books at them and legislation tightened regulation of the industry.

Thankfully those days in Florida are mostly gone. It was virtually like crack 2.0 in the sunshine state in the early - mid 2000's .

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Thank God my husband has insurance

Years ago when we didn't, his monthly med cost about $600
Luckily we were able to afford it anyway

Well, a pharmacist suggested and helped him get Extra Care Help from Humana
What a God send that was!!

The monthly payments for Humana are about $24/month
Now then, the doctor puts 3 mos. at a time on refills so we are charged just that one time of $2.50 for generic and $6.50 for name brand

So we only pay around $35 every 3 months plus the Humana
All are generic except the Janumet

Not sure who all is eligible for Extra Care [other companies available] but it maybe something for some of you to check with at your pharmacy

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: rickymouse

I already do what I can to keep myself healthy....but things like glaucoma need chemicals to treat them.
Certain ailments/conditions just do not respond well to alternative treatments, IMHO.

They more or less have us over a barrel in some cases.

Well, a B12 deficiency can accelerate glaucoma and Methyl Folate and Betaine are needed to utilize B12 sometimes. Consuming liver can help with that as can eating cooked spinach. Some people have reductions in the enzymes to properly utilize the Methilization cycle, especially when they get older. I like pickled beets the best. I add wheat germ to my bread also, it supplies betaine plus many other minerals and vitamins.

I found that when my eyes don't focus properly for distance things start to work better if I buy some braunsweiner. I don't know exactly what eating it for a couple days does but it sure does help. It could just be that as you age you don't make as much retinol and need to consume it. Some of women's skin treatments have retinol in them and it is absorbed through the skin. Maybe that is why my wife sees everything I am not supposed to be doing.

Sulfur is also needed for the eyes, part of the regenerative properties of the tears needs some sulfur. Now this won't stop glaucoma but it can help with the eye healing. Vitamin D and sunlight are needed also, and many other nutrients. I also investigated the genetics part of it, I don't have the known gene variant for that but do have lots of other co-variants that can lead to glaucoma. It looks like there are quite a few ways that glaucoma can manifest.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

You may not want to rely on wikipedia for your information. It's a starting point at best for anything that's not common knowledge. This is from Doctors without Borders. They aren't known for caring about much besides health and well being of humans everywhere.

leaked documents reveal that the United States is pushing for stringent intellectual property protections for drugs. These protections could give pharmaceutical companies longer monopolies over brand name drugs. This would allow them to charge high prices for longer periods of time and either stop or delay the generic competition from producing less expensive versions that are vital to global health.

www.msf.ca...

Considering that iatrogenic (medically caused) diseases, medical mistakes, and pharmaceutical reactions, interactions and 'side effects' (really EFFECTS) of medications are one of the leading causes of death in the United States, maybe they're doing us a favor.

Once everyone can't afford their 'medications' anymore, they might find themselves more willing to change their diets, grow something out in the back yard that Monsanto hasn't tampered with to medicate themselves, or make other lifestyle changes that will truly negate both the need for the medications, and the dis-ease itself. For godssakes, read about CBDs...and ask yourself why a plant that our brains have a receptor for has been illegal for the last 70 years, ever since the American Medical Association and the Chemical Companies (AKA the pharmaceutical companies) took over medicine and labeled everyone else a quack, especially those people who 'cured' people... or just made them feel better without poisoning them, irradiating them, or killing them off as soon as their wallets were empty.

Frankly, I think the plan is to kill off the baby boomer generation as fast as possible, in any way possible, to avoid paying the Social Security and pension benefits they've promised but can't make good on.

Get even with them, live forever!

And whatever's wrong with you, I DARE you to try an all vegan raw diet for a week. Watch what happens after the third day. The first two and a half days will be your cerebral cortex screaming for its sugar/fat/meat/whatever you're addicted to/fix. Ignore it, it's a junkie.

I think more people will try to start buying medication
on-line from other countries. This can be very dangerous
since we do not know all the ingredients.

I saved my pain meds that I did not take & got all but
one refill before the Oct deadline which put restrictions
& limitations on scheduled pain meds. I keep them on hand
in case I need them. Better safe than sorry.

Cheers
Ektar

These price increases are focused more towards what the drug companies can get away with charging the health insurance companies. If you don't have health insurance the price you pay out of pocket, relatively speaking, is much less expensive. I recently had a gap in my health insurance for a month where I had to pay out of pocket and my pharmacist explained to me that when submits the prescription he gets two prices, the one they will try and bill the health insurance company for and the out of pocket price. Its basically med companies trying to price gauge health insurance companies.

Let em keep jacking the prices up. I have found that cannabis and massage can replace the majority of meds doctors have tried to prescribe me.

I was surprised to see that a drug for depression that I take is in such short supply that the chemist told me I had to wait for four months before it would be available again. Find in the UK where we do have other alternatives but for people who don't have alternate choices this is something that needs investigation immediately.

What gets me though is the poppy production in afganistan which is apparently up by a huge percent despite all the troops from foreign countries so I fail to see unless we are talking about natural medicines which I know the UK hates as its pretty well done away with herbalism so big pharma can profit even further than it does. Yes I know the rich have to put their money somewhere other than some deep closet.

Good time to make a generic drug company no? Is not that the way the free market works?

originally posted by: DYepes
I just want to bring up a point here. I Don't take any pharma dope for nothing.

Are you depressed?? Get the hell out of the house and just meet people face to face at a church, library, bookstore, dog park, or volunteer somewhere and surround yourself with positive people and all that positive energy.

Chronic pain?? Try to see if there is a way to treat the source of that pain instead of taking the easy way out and masking it every 4-8 hours. I have chronic pain in my right knee because of the pins holding the rod in place. It pretty much limits severely my running.
.

i really cant stand people like you....you sound so ignorant...
i can do this and i can do that so you should be able to as well.

not everyone handles issues the same way...
maybe youre just a bad ass mofo and can take all the pain in the worldz.

i had an accident that has left me in intense pain every day...i take meds and i need them...

your statement about depression is ignorant too.

you obviously dont know what its like to be truly depressed...
its more than being sad and just getting outside...

the meds for these and other issues allow people to have some kind of life....who the hell are you to rip on it?



as to the prices....
i read somewhere that when a new med comes out whichever pharm has it has a lock on it for 10 years. after 10 years other companies can market a generic...anyone know if that is true?

i thought there was competition for most generic meds...
i have been on a certain medicine for almost 2 years..its generic..i always go to the same pharmacy and even with that, sometimes the label says another manufacturer.....
i dont know where this no competition thing comes from

originally posted by: tavi45


You may not want to rely on wikipedia for your information. It's a starting point at best for anything that's not common knowledge. .

pfffft.
who needs medical school when they have broadband and access to the wiki...

thats all people need. read wiki and eat veggies and they will have the cure for all their medical issues

a reply to: onequestion

The problem with the guillotine is like when one gets a haircut at a 5 smacker hacker......they always trim a little too much....

However, the images in my mind of the demise of Mussolini and his woman, (forgot her name) comes to mind......piano wire.....but better than that.....put all politicians into Guantonimo!!!

Peace, Ya'll

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

As a pharmacist I can confirm this is 100% happening. There are generic medications that have been around for decades that used to cost us $2.00 per bottle of 100, that are now costing well over 50. Some others I can think if went up 4 or 5 times the previous cost.

What seems to happen is that there will be a shortage of a med. None of my wholesalers will be able to find it anywhere, and none of them will have a good reason as to why the supply has disappeared. Then, a month or so later, the drug comes back online, only with a price that is outrageous.

Another thing worth noting is that our reimbursement rates through the new insurance plans SUCK. We are now losing money on about 20% of our Rxs. It may only be a few bucks per Rx, but over time it is enough to put little pharmacies like mine out of business. This is only going to get worse I am afraid.