Asthma on No Insurance - Advice? - Asthma Message Board

JellyRoGrl · 10-05-2003, 11:11 PM

I recently moved and switched jobs. As such, I probably won't have insurance for a few more months, but my asthma has been horrible.

I wake up in the middle of the night pretty much every night coughing and having a hard time breathing.

I only have 6 Singulair pills left and 19 puffs left on my inhaler. I'm starting to get worried because, especially without the inhaler, getting through these coughing fits in the middle of the night is excrutiating.

Are inhalers expensive if you have no insurance?

Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with these coughing fits without medication?

I'm getting desperate here and would appreciate any help whatsoever.

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-Rebecca

Monday1954 · 10-06-2003, 10:20 AM

I don't really know how much my perscriptions cost, I am lucky and have a mail in precription thing that costs very little. They do put a thing at the top saying how much I saved, these are not exact but I think Advair cost around $100.00 per disk, the singulair I think cost around the same. The albuterol is not as expensive.

Go to your doctor and explain about the insurance, maybe he can give you enough free samples to keep you going until your insurance kicks in.

SiberianLover · 10-07-2003, 06:35 PM

I have insurance, but the kind I have, I pay up front and then get reimbursed. Different pharmacies have different costs for their drugs...at Rite Aid by me, Singulair is $40, and Albuterol inhalers are $10. The Advair diskus is $40. That would be the uninsured priced...which I pay. Like I said, I get reimbursed when I turn in the receipts, but thats how I know the full cost.

Call around though and get some quotes. Good luck!

Karina

lilytooth · 10-08-2003, 05:07 PM

Do you have refills left? It would be better to pay for the meds. You don't want to end up with a huge ER bill.

Strong coffee will help you during a mild attack.

Kelly3581 · 10-10-2003, 01:13 AM

Dealing with insurance companies is a terrible thing to have to do....I personally hate it. If you can, opt for generic albuterol inhalers....which at a walgreens pharmacy can be almost $20-30. Another option that some people are leary of, but I personally advocate is just buying your meds on the internet. A lot of places dont require perscriptions...there you can get an inhaler for about $10. If you are desperate, it is a good option as long as the meds are made by the same companies you regularly get your meds from. The reason meds are so expensive is because of their riduculous mark up, esp. in the USA....an inhaler costs around $2-3 to make, but name brand inhalers are $40-50. There is not yet a generic form of singular, so you might be looking at $70-90 at a pharmacy, maybe less online.
Another option is to talk to your doctor and see if they have any samples laying around their office....you would be suprised....my sister was recently given an entire round of augmentin anitbiotics, free of charge in sample form. Good luck and I hope your insurance kicks in fast!