What will it cost?

[Raverlaw]

Hi all,

Since I know I'm going to be on Coumadin for the rest of my life, I thought I just ask what you typically pay for Coumadin on a monthly basis. I know it depends upon your dose, etc. but I thought with all the "users" on this board I could get a range to plan with.

So if you're a Coumadin user, what do you spend on the drug each month? Blue Cross members with pharmacy coverage, is it covered?

 

[Ross]

Ha ha ha hahaahahahahaaa Your bummin!

30 tablets 90 tablets

Coumadin
tablets
5MG $22.99 $61.99


Generic Warfarin Sodium
tablets
5MG $13.99 $34.99

I used 5mg tablets as price indexes because most people use 5mg tablets. I take 45mg per week or 9 tablets per week. As you see, it can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. These seem to be about average U.S. prices though.

 

[Guest]

Prescription insurance will cover it. Generic is usually about 1/2 the co-pay of the brand.

 

[Bryan B]

How many are you comfortable taking the generic brand of Coumadin? Especially if your pharmacy switches generic brands often based on the best wholesale price they can get when it's time to reorder. I know there are certain drugs that are available in generic form that most physicians are reluctant to use do do the exact tolerences required (i.e. phenytoin, digoxin, levothyroxine). What's your thoughts on generic warfarin vs. Coumadin Al?

 

[Rich]

Bill,
It depends on your insurance coverage.
With my plan I pay $30 for a 90 day supply of Coumadin.
The generic would be $10 for the same 90 day supply.
And that is for 5mg tablets.

 

[Guest]

Please look at http://www.warfarinfo.com/generic.htm

 

[Raverlaw]

OK, Thanks everyone.

I can see that the cost won't be that bad - with my plan, I have a $5 co-pay for all prescriptions. Even at full price, the generic won't be more than some of the vitamins I take for my eyes.

and thanks, Al, for the link on generic warfarin.

 

[Bryan B]

Great article Al. Sounds like any difference in tolerances are minor, and with regular monitoring any slight differences should only require minimal dosing adjustments and only when first switching over.

While I have your ear, do you know anything about the new types and methods of cardioplegia used today? I read one article about better results using warm blood vs. cold blood cardioplegia and another about replacing Potassium with Amidorone resulting in less damage to the heart tissue.

As you can tell, I probably know a little too much information for my own good.

 

[Harpoon]

Prices for coumadin????


HA!


Has no prescription coverage, pays over $100 a month for meds, including 8mg a day of coumadin (generic warafin really.)


Somewhere along the way I signed up for insurance coverage thing, I don't need prescription coverage, I only get meds once in a while, like when I have a bad cold or am going to see the dentist...

Why pay extra for something I don't need???






Whoops!!!


Please pardon my venting. =)


ON name brands vs generics, I imagine that as long as your dosage and responses to it are being monitored, there probably isn't much difference in the effectiveness of the generic vs the brand... I guess for some things it might be more specific and obviously if your pharmacist changes from one generic to another on you, you should watch how the new pill does for a while, but for the most part I don't think there's really that much to worry about unless you're on some real powerful medication, and then you're being followed closely by a doctor anyways.