7 replies to this topic

[sleepysarah]

I was wondering if anyone knows how much the typical meds cost (xyrem, provigil etc) without insurance. I am a poor, starving graduate student whose student health insurance does not cover prescription drugs at all

[Sisyphus]

Provigil, from the local pharmacy is about $8/pill. Adderall XR is about $1/capsul from the local pharmacy. From my pharmacy, the amount of the drug in each pill doesn't impact the price, so a 30mg capsul costs the same as a 10mg capsul, too bad you can't cut them up. You can get all of them for much cheaper on line, but I don't trust them and recommend a reputable pharmacy. I think adderall and ritalin can be bought as generics and are much cheaper but adderal xr still has some life left in the patent.

I am on adderall xr right now and I hear some pharmacies will substitute a generic while others say there is no exact generic and won't substitute. My current pharmacy (RightAid) doesn't substitute so I will be asking my Dr to either send me to a pharmacy who does or to modify the script to allow the non-matching generic (he already checked the box that allows generics).

[Marcianna]

A really good way to find out is to call a pharmacy and ask. tell them your dosage and usage ( so and so many per day) and they can give you a good idea and tell you if there are generics available. Also the company that makes Provigil, used to have a drug assistance program, maybe they still do? It has been along time since I quit using the drugs, I dont remember all the info.... any one else want to chime in here if they know?

If you absolutely cant afford them no matter what send me a PM I have some non-med tricks that could help you out.

[Lovemyhusband]

When your calling around don't forget to ask about price matching or price beating. We have several pharmacies in our area that just want to get another script in the daily count. It works to your benefit if your willing to make a few phone calls.

On another note if provigil has been out for so long why is it not available in generic form yet? or has it been released and recalled like so many others.

BTW the phone number for Cephalon (maker of Provigil) is 1-800-675-8415. That should be direct to the assistance program.

[sleepysarah]

I found this website http://www.raredisea...rams/medication

It is the national organization for rare diseases (NORD). They have some info on medication assistance. The two drugs involved here are Provigil and Xyrem since both were developed through the government's orphan drug program. I haven't actually started working on the details yet but I will post more once I find out.

Also, it looks like the patent for modafinil (Provigil) expired in 2006. However, the maker holds another patent that involves Provigil which has been extended until 2015. For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, it looks like there may be generic versions available in 2012.

Thanks for the info/suggestions!

[Marcianna]

I found this website http://www.raredisea...rams/medication

It is the national organization for rare diseases (NORD). They have some info on medication assistance. The two drugs involved here are Provigil and Xyrem since both were developed through the government's orphan drug program. I haven't actually started working on the details yet but I will post more once I find out.

Also, it looks like the patent for modafinil (Provigil) expired in 2006. However, the maker holds another patent that involves Provigil which has been extended until 2015. For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, it looks like there may be generic versions available in 2012.

Thanks for the info/suggestions!

Oh yeah I totally forgot about NORD! Good find!

[NicholeC]

I take the generic form of adderall. I have to take 30 mgs a day. I have taken both the the generic adderall and the adderall XR. The only difference is the XR you just take once a day b/c it is a slow release. The generic form you have to take it so many times a day. In my case I took a 10 mgs a day. The XR was like 90 or so a month. The generic is about 30. They both seem to work the same to me.

[MEColumbo]

I don't know the exact cost of Xyrem, but I do know that my medical insurance pays 25% of the cost, making my co-pay $247.44 a month. (That's a few short of my car payment and almost half the amount of my mortgage). Isn't that wonderful!