Economy/reserved coumadin

[psalmist]

Just a thought, I have a 60 day prescription of coumadin and have wondered if our economy takes a big hit what would prescription drug users like us do? Do any of you have an emergency back stock and is that something that we should seek to have??? If so how could you do this?

Just some thoughts?

 

[Ross]

We shall arm ourselves to the teeth and take over all pharmaceutical production to ensure our survival amongst those that would not like it to be so.

We are Borg. You will asimilate, resistence is futile.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

We shall arm ourselves to the teeth and take over all pharmaceutical production to ensure our survival amongst those that would not like it to be so. We are Borg.

I'll be with you Ross! In case you can't find me, I'm the one hiding around the corner! But I'm there for moral support!

 

[Ross]

Seth please tell me your not spending your nights sleepless worrying about such things?

I highly highly doubt the economy will have any effect on the production of our precious pills. I'd be more worried about natural disaster then the econony.

I'm not saying this to make fun of your question either, so please don't take it as such.

 

[Jkm7]

I keep at last thirty day spare of all our meds on hand.
We get thirty day refills so I fill our pillboxes from one refill but always have an extra full refill in the house of each of our meds. Gives me peace of mind.

 

[Ross]

The most I can get is 90 days mail order. Got to watch the expiration dates.

 

[Bina]

Seth, I would think that there would always be some place, some where, to get prescriptions filled.
In the meantime, try not to let your pills get down too low before you have them re-filled.

 

[witzkeyman]

interesting thought. I always thought about if I lost my job, how would I pay for coumadin? I guess we're just paranoid.

 

[Bina]

Coumadin is not expensive, and warfarin generic is even less expensive. Don't worry.

 

[dick0236]

Seth, I understand your concern, but I doubt that the current financial crisis will cause those types of shortages....at least not in the near term. If things degenerate to those levels we will have much more serious problems than trying to find a few pills. I am optimistic that our "leaders" will pass the legislation necessary to get us "out of the ditch". Time will tell

Besides, most Rx insurance plans prevent you from stockpiling anything but a small surplus. However, as we just saw from Hurricane IKE, it would be a good idea to always have a little surplus on hand. Even here in Kentucky, IKE caused wind damage and power outages that lasted over a week for many residents.

 

[Duff Man]

I buy my medications cash, without the assistance of insurance - because it's actually cheaper. I also have at least one years supply of both my main cardiac medications. I have three years worth of Tenormin. I'm certain I would die relatively quickly without them, and I'm not letting that happen. Not to mention, I hate waiting in line and it's an interruption of life that I can go without.

Some people here think it's illegal, I don't. The insurance company is the entity that limits the number of days supply (usually 90) you can receive at one time, NOT the pharmacist. So if you pay for the meds with cash at walmart on the 4 dollar generic program, you're not bound by the insurance company's cost reducing rules. A pharmacist will probably not fill more than a year or two out.

 

[Cooker]

Yep Dick is right ... insurance companies would not let me stock up ... I take 5mg a day so I got my cardio to prescribe 10mg so now every time I fill it I get two months because I can split them in half ... I have built up a little stash ... let me know if you run low

 

[Bina]

ARe you all gonna be scoring Coumadin in dark side streets at night?

 

[Cooker]

ARe you all gonna be scoring Coumadin in dark side streets at night?

Hey little girl ... want some candy

 

[Jkm7]

I buy my medications cash, without the assistance of insurance - because it's actually cheaper. I also have at least one years supply of both my main cardiac medications. I have three years worth of Tenormin. I'm certain I would die relatively quickly without them, and I'm not letting that happen. Not to mention, I hate waiting in line and it's an interruption of life that I can go without.

Some people here think it's illegal, I don't. The insurance company is the entity that limits the number of days supply (usually 90) you can receive at one time, NOT the pharmacist. So if you pay for the meds with cash at walmart on the 4 dollar generic program, you're not bound by the insurance company's cost reducing rules. A pharmacist will probably not fill more than a year or two out.

Three years supply of pills? Won't they have expired dates before you ever get to use them?

All of my pill bottles say they expire 12 months from date of dispensing.

 

[Dina]

ARe you all gonna be scoring Coumadin in dark side streets at night?

Too funny!!
But seriously, I can't say this hasn't run thru my mind also.
Glad to know I'm not the only one.

 

[Duff Man]

Three years supply of pills? Won't they have expired dates before you ever get to use them?

All of my pill bottles say they expire 12 months from date of dispensing.

If you read this thread http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27130 you'll find a discussion about it. There was a study done by the government that showed alot of pills can last for a decade or more with normal efficacy. I guess my point is that there's no magical date where a pill becomes unusable. It's not like milk, where there's active biological processes going on. Logic dictates that if you keep the pills in a dry environment away from the elements, they'll keep their form and chemical structure. I've taken 2 or 3 year old pills with no discernible effect on my blood pressure or heart rate. Don't take my word for it though.

 

[dick0236]

Yep Dick is right ... insurance companies would not let me stock up ... I take 5mg a day so I got my cardio to prescribe 10mg so now every time I fill it I get two months because I can split them in half ... I have built up a little stash ... let me know if you run low

Hey Cooker, that's a good idea. I used to do that, back when I was taking the brand Coumadin and it was over $100/month(my cost not too many years ago). Now I take the generic Warfarin and I get the 5mg for only $4/mo, $10/qtr. So, I don't buy 10mg and break them in half anymore.

 

[Dina]

If you read this thread http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27130 you'll find a discussion about it. There was a study done by the government that showed alot of pills can last for a decade or more with normal efficacy. I guess my point is that there's no magical date where a pill becomes unusable. It's not like milk, where there's active biological processes going on. Logic dictates that if you keep the pills in a dry environment away from the elements, they'll keep their form and chemical structure. I've taken 2 or 3 year old pills with no discernible effect on my blood pressure or heart rate. Don't take my word for it though.

I agree it's just a matter of knowing which ones.
I have always suspected that some of the dates are exaggerated
just to keep the sales up,but then again I can be a cynic-- so don't
believe me either.

 

[Duff Man]

I agree it's just a matter of knowing which ones.
I have always suspected that some of the dates are exaggerated
just to keep the sales up,but then again I can be a cynic-- so don't
believe me either.

Well, I don't think you're being cynical very much at all. Take this quote from one of the links:

This expiration date specifies only the date the manufacturer guarantees the full potency and safety of the drug; it does not identify how long the drug is actually effective.

This means that the MANUFACTURERS dictate when the bottle says the pills expire. We'd be fools to believe they don't have an interest in shortening the expiration date. They're naturally bias, whether anyone admits it. They have a vested interest in you buying their product at future rates and not at the present rates because of inflation and market trends. And should we really believe every pill of every type has the same 1 year expiration date? I don't.