Cost of OxyContin?

[wrenegade]

Could somebody please share with me what the average cost of OxyContin is? I have no insurance, but I do have a discount card.

I don't know what my starting dosage would be.

My PM doctor is talking about switching me over to something long-acting and suggested OxyContin. I am on 10 mg oxycodone 3 x a day now and pain is not well controlled.

Also, does anyone know of any patient assistance programs for OxyContin?

TIA

wren

[Shoreline]

Hey Wren, The manufacturer of name brand Oxy "Purdue pharma" has a patient assistance program you can investigate at
www.needymeds.com
This is a complete listing of every manufacturer, how to make contact and usually lists the qualifiers, Lack of script insurance and a household income cap are the main ones. The generic manufactuers likely have a patient assistance program too that you would be eligable for.

Do not use that TV add that says they will help you get free meds, They charge 19.99 a month for each med, that you and your doc can get for nothing. They just do the paper work that you can do and make contact with your doc, which you can do, who makes contact with the manufacturer rep to get the application for each program. It's a total scam when it can be done on your own for no charge.

Als be careful with The peoples prescription plan. You do save money at stores like walgreens because the prices are so jacked, you can save the cost of the monthly premium on one script. But Sams cash price is better than the peoples prescription plan negotiated price. I stopped using the PPP when I started using sams because the PPP price was higher than Sams cash price.

You can go to walgreens on line site to get a rough idea of what the retail price is, but if you have a buying club like Sams or Costoc that has a pharamcy call them for a price, they don't require a membership to use their pharmacy services.

When you pay cash, you have to shop prices. I was paying 58 bucks at walgreens and Eckerds for 120 .5mg KLonopin, I get the same quantity, by the same manufacturer at Sams club for 16 bucks. Some of the retailers will price match, but you have to ask, give them the price and let them verify it. Sams is generally 1/3 the price of all the giant retailers with pharmacy on every corner.

Sams is part of walmart and there prices are fairly equal. But you don't need a Sams club membership to use the pharmacy. You will be shocked by the diference especially when comparing to a walgreens directly across the street from a sams or walmart, and walgreens doesn't price match.

The genericLA oxy isn't that much cheaper, maybe 20% which still makes it expensive. When it comes to a cash custmomer, if you don't qualify for a PAP through a manufacturer, you may want to consider methadone. I lost insurance and it would have cost 1400 to continue taking Kadian "12-24 hour morphine", $800 to switch to generic LA morphine with an 8 hour duration or 60 bucks for an equianelgesic dose of methadone.

You have to shop your BT meds too. A 10 mg percocet costs about 2 bucks a piece,a 5mg pervcpcet cost about 50cents. 4 times more for twice as much med. Plain generic 5mg oxycodone is about 30 cents a piece. A 30mg generic Roxicodone costs about 80 cents. All these oxy products are 2-3 times stronger and cost 1/2 to 1/3 the price of generic 10 mg percocet. In most cases generics work fine for short acting meds, but long acting generics like Fentanyl patches or OxySR seems to have a problem, generic LA morphine workes fine, but it's still expensive. When it comes to generic manufacturers I would avoid Mallinckrodt pharma, They simply make crappy products. But with most of the other manufacturers of Short Acting meds the difference is nominal.

Prices also very from one area to the other, whatever the market will bare.
Good luck and shop prices on every med and check out buying clubs and walmart.

Good luck, Dave

[Shoreline]

Hey Wren, You also have to look at what your getting for your money. For example the new percocet 10's are extremely expensive compared to the 5 or even plain oxycodone tablets.
60 EA
PERCOCET 10/325 MG TABLETS $174.99
Generic available:
OXYCODONE/APAP 10-325MG TABLETS $103.99

VS the 5mg percocet

60 EA
PERCOCET 5/325MG TABLETS (BLUE) $104.99
Generic available:
OXYCODONE/APAP 5MG-325MG TABLETS $22.09

VS 30 mg Oxycodone tablets
100 EA
OXYCODONE 30MG TABLETS $131.79

60 generic percocet 10/325 for $103.00= 600mgs of oxy for $103
60 generic percocet 5/325 for $22.00= 300mgs of oxy for $22
or 100 generic oxycodone 30mg tabs for $131.00= 3000mgs of oxy for $131
And this is Walgreens price

If you pay cash you have to be an educated consumer.


Same with 8 mg Dilaudid vs 4 mgs, New strengths, even generic tend to cost more.

100 EA Generic HYDROMORPHONE 8MG TABLETS $124.99
100 EA Generic HYDROMORPHONE 4MG TABLETS $51.99
Save 25 bucks by getting twice as many 4 mg tablets.

I know this is off topic as far as price of Oxycontin, But you need to check every single med and make sure your getting the best price available, even if it means having to swallow 2 pills instead of one.

Here is Walgreens on line price, you can do better but it's still spendy.
100 EA
OXYCONTIN 10MG TABLETS $175.99
Generic available:
OXYCODONE ER 10MG TABLETS $149.99
Generic Savings! Save $26.00

100 EA
OXYCONTIN 20MG TABLETS $309.99
Generic available:
OXYCODONE ER 20MG TABLETS $279.99
Generic Savings! Save $30.00

100 EA
OXYCONTIN 40MG TABLETS $527.99
Generic available:
OXYCODONE ER 40MG TABLETS $489.99
Generic Savings! Save $38.00

100 EA
OXYCONTIN 80MG TABLETS $991.09
Generic available:
OXYCODONE ER 80MG TABLETS $713.99
Generic Savings! Save $277.10


Good luck, Dave

[Director]

Hi Wren...Dave is right. Any way you look at it, these meds are expensive. I won't get all detailed as far as the cost, but I did want to give you an idea from personal experience. When I was on Oxycontin, my doc had me at 160 mg TID. That's six tablets a day or 180 a month. Fortunately, I had insurance with a co-pay, so I only paid $20.00, but someone without insurance would pay $1,400 at the pharmacy I use. You want to hear even a better one? I'm currently being treated for a bowel infection, which is connected to the IBS I have. A 14 day supply of four pills a day is 56 pills. The cost? $1,300!! No wonder the pharmacy does not stock them and had to order them in for me. Outrageous!!

Good luck to you, Wren.

[feelbad]

If you go to a generic oxycontin, stay away from Endos new generic,oxycodone ER.it is no where near the same as purdues oxycontin.I don't know what it is but the coverage and dosage just did not do the same as the name brand.It definitely does have a different sort of a delivery system as this one actually completely dissolves(unlike Purdues).I honestly think that they actually put much less actual oxycodone in this than what is supposed to be there.in doing some wandering around the net,I found that I am not the only one who had problems with this particular generic.It also caused me some definite nausea as well.Just an FYI,Marcia