Stocking Up On Prescription Meds

[Ken]

A while back, we discussed ways to stock up on prescription meds. I've done a bit of surfing, and I came up with this website, "PHARMACY RX ONE." I've never done any business with them, nor can I vouch for the company.

However, if the product delivered is as advertised, you'll find a huge selection of prescription medications available (without a prescription) at a small fraction of the price you'll pay here (without a prescription insurance plan). Besides, I doubt very much that any physician would prescribe many of the meds sold here without a diagnosis - and that kinda' defeats the purpose of stocking up in case, right?

Here's the link to "Amoxil." Just remember, "Buyer Beware." I may place a small test order with this company in the near future.

http://www.qzmeds.com/products/amoxil.htm

[roar-k]

A while back, we discussed ways to stock up on prescription meds. I've done a bit of surfing, and I came up with this website, "PHARMACY RX ONE." I've never done any business with them, nor can I vouch for the company.

However, if the product delivered is as advertised, you'll find a huge selection of prescription medications available (without a prescription) at a small fraction of the price you'll pay here (without a prescription insurance plan). Besides, I doubt very much that any physician would prescribe many of the meds sold here without a diagnosis - and that kinda' defeats the purpose of stocking up in case, right?

Here's the link to "Amoxil." Just remember, "Buyer Beware." I may place a small test order with this company in the near future.

http://www.qzmeds.com/products/amoxil.htm

If you notice almost with every purchase they give you free viagra. I would be skeptical of purchasing products from a place that gives out viagra like candy. My reasoning is that 90% of spam and malware/spyware sites have something to do with viagra.

[hunter63]

I have purchased and used Metoprolol from:
http://www.1drugstore-online.com/

Same place?? Don't know.

Any way stuff was from Thailand, and worke out fine.
500 tabs for 60 bucks.
Used a store credit card with a $300 limit just in case, but worked out for me.

[roar-k]

I have purchased and used Metoprolol from:
http://www.1drugstore-online.com/

Same place?? Don't know.

Any way stuff was from Thailand, and worke out fine.
500 tabs for 60 bucks.
Used a store credit card with a $300 limit just in case, but worked out for me.

That was a smart decision and if I were to purchase something like this I believe I would use a card just like that. Shoot, I just may do that!

[BENESSE]

Thing is how do you know whether the meds work or not?
Most of the time it's a long range thing and you just might not know right away.

[Rick]

My thought is how do you know you're getting X when you order X from some other country? What guarantee do you have that's what it is or that it's the same strength? I'd hate to be half a farthing from Bum Rush, Egypt with a case of the Egyptian Two Step and find out my Amoxy was really a sugar pill. But you saved yourself $12!

I'll pay the extra few dollars for a reasonable assurance that I'm actually getting what I'm paying for. And my PCP is on board with what I'm doing in case something goes haywire.

[TucsonMax]

I've done a tremendous amount of research on this and started one of the prior threads, plus living close to the border, I pay close attention. My advice is: "don't!" The number of knock-offs and out right frauds in the global pharmaceutical gray and black market is mind-boggling. Pills are manufactured to gvt specs by country, so a simple antibiotic pill can have dozens of different shapes, colors, sizes and markings. You will never know what you are getting. Frankly, if you order from overseas and the pill comes to the US looking like you expect it to, it's probably a fake, because that country's pills are probably different. Ditto if the packaging is in English... Why would drugs made for Thailand have English packaging?

About the best advice I have been able to come up, (besides going to medical school myself) is to visit Mexico myself and buy what is Rx here, but OTC there at a reputable store like Walmart. I realize that doesn't help you if you don't live near a border, but that's all I got. And then you have to get it across the border, in reasonable quantities, else risk been arrested as a drug dealer.

[rwc1969]

No wonder prescription meds are so expensive in this country.

[Rick]

All good points, TM. And remember that some RX meds in the States might be OTC in Canada or Mexico. That doesn't mean you can purchase them and bring them back in the States. They would still require a script to possess.

A lot of RXs are American made that have been shipped overseas. Good, legitimate stuff that's no different than what you'd get here. The price is set by what the market will bear so they are often much higher here than in Canada, for example. Same stuff, different price. The problem is you don't know what you are getting.

Not to get political but just to describe the situation...One of the campaign promises that the President ran on was reimportation of prescription drugs from developed countries. There are some stipulations to guarantee product quality but it would have lowered prices. Now with the Health Reform Act, that's no longer on the table. Instead, there is supposed to be a 50% discount to Medicare Part D by the brand name drug makers. Hard to say, at this point, how the rest of us will fare.

[AirborneEagles]

If you notice almost with every purchase they give you free viagra. I would be skeptical of purchasing products from a place that gives out viagra like candy. My reasoning is that 90% of spam and malware/spyware sites have something to do with viagra.

Safer just researching what natural foods that grow in the wild that have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Then anything that is alkaline, as an alkaline body is truly a fortress against bacteria and sublime sulfur kills all fungi. So just stocked up on a few vitamins and sublime sulfur. The rest I don't worry about, its free in the wild. Just research them. Oh, about the viagra, yes I would worry. Even when I bought my new RV I found a free box of viagra in it. I knew I was old, but not that old. haha. (I kept it though just in case I needed it when I hit the three digit age mark. haha)

[lucznik]

When thinking of stocking up on prescription meds, you might want to consider a couple of things:

1. Possession of a valid Rx is required for the possession of Rx meds. Possession of an old Rx is not sufficient to justify current possession of Rx meds.
2. Rx meds are given with the intent that they be used as prescribed and a physician is only supposed to prescribe the amount that is actually needed for an actual, existent medical condition and with the intention that they be used in accordance with their instructions. Physicians are not authorized to prescribe for "eventualities" or "what-ifs" and having stockpiles of extra Rx meds can get both you and the prescribing physician in a lot of trouble.
3. ESPECIALLY if you have Medicare/Medicaid or any other Gov't-run health insurance - Stocking up on Rx meds is specifically identified in your "conditions of participation" as "hoarding" and is considered fraudulent. If you are found doing it, you can find yourself subject to criminal and civil prosecution and can also be excluded from any future participation in these healthcare programs

[klickitat]

I had a friend show me a little trick for antibiotics. Go to outfits online that sell antibiotics for fish. They will be under the names such as aqua-mycin, fish-mox and such. Tablets are in 100-500 mg dosages and are identical to the stuff you get in a pharmacy. We bought some aqua-mycin off of Amazon.com and it worked great.

The Erythromycin Z-packs for respitory infections usually run about $65. That is if for 5 750mil. extended release tablets. With this stuff you take a 250 mil. every 8 hours for 5 days. Kicked the crap out of what I was sure was going to be pneumonia. Instead of $65 for one does, we got 100 250mil. tablets sent to our door for $30

There a lot of antibiotics sold like this. Just do a search for fish or aqua antibiotics. We ended up buying ours off of Amazon.com. BTW, my buddy has been doing it for years after his friend who is a vet told him about it.

[Rick]

Over use of antibiotics is a really bad thing that has led to resistant strains of things like MRSA. Nasty stuff. Self prescribing and self medicating should only be done in emergency situations.

Do you really want to trust your health to a product that you can only assume is what it says it is and is the strength that it says it is and doesn't undergo independent testing?

[klickitat]

I agree with the emergency use part. As for the quality thing, pet food and medication is as strict and in some cases stricter than human standards.

[BENESSE]

I found this to be an excellent write-up.
Ran it by a friend (NYU Med. Center resident) and he doesn't disagree with anything that was said.
http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/12/...twawki_by.html

[hunter63]

I sure all of you are correct, in the respect that a real Dr needs to be involved in your health plan.

But, as the days of you having YOUR Dr, that knows you and is concerned with your health, has pretty much gone the way a dial phones.

I think we should be aware that in a lot of cases, our health is now a money making, cost cutting, pill pushing, politically driven mega industry, that depends on the fear of all things "unhealthy" to keep us in line.

It will get worse.

As far as my decision to purchase my high blood pressure meds from an on line source, the decision was made at the time in financial self defense.

So here was one of the scenarios: Excuse my spelling.

Dr. prescribed Metoprolol w/co-pay $10 bucks. Pharmacy filled with Toprol, Higher cost brand, was supposed to be better for me. At the time $89 bucks per month.
Balance covered by insurance.

Insurance runs out, (out of work), find the total cost of Toprol to be $99 Bucks.

One refill left for Metoprolol, cost $7 bucks, so I asked why the difference, got the better for me line.

That's when I realized they were filling my script with a higher cost med, costing me $10 bucks co-pay, and costing the insurance $89 bucks for a $7 buck med. (and we wonder why stuff is expensive)

I became a little upset, (to say the least, and that's not the way they will tell it), but as it stood, it was the last refill.

Then I called the Dr. for another script, need an appointment to see her $125 bucks, then for blood work $800 bucks, physical, then appointment with cardiologist, blood work tests etc.etc. you get the picture.
All for a refill on a $7 buck refill.

As I type this, DW has been on the phone all morning with our self pay insurance mail order prescription supplier, her Dr, etc.

As the insurance changed suppliers and screwed up the meds, (Who knows where they get them?), the mix-up hasn't been resolved, and is looking like another Dr appointment, to straighten it out.

I sorry, but I do not like the feeling that I (we) need to show up every 6 months to be "milked" and pay for the Dr. latest new testing toys.
And meds.........
He who takes the most meds when he/she dies wins!

It's buyer beware, I understand, but haven't had a bad experiance with on-line purchases, just our current system.

I am no longer buying into the Great American Health B.S.

[Rick]

Hunter - I understand your frustration but being married to someone in the health industry I see the other side of it as well.

First, if you are not comfortable with your PCP or the pharmacy, change!! I have a great working relationship with my PCP. I'm confident that he has my best interests at heart. I maintain my own medical records and update them when something changes, tests are run, new meds, etc. He takes the time to go over those records with me to ensure that his match mine and we are on the same page. My medical care is not the responsiblity of someone else. It's my responsibility and my Dr. is just a well trained guy that I've hired to help me get through....whatever my complaint is and to help me with preventative care.

If you're doctor hasn't seen you in six months then 1) they probably don't even remember you and 2) a lot can change in six months time. Some prescriptions, while beneficial on the whole, require close monitoring for impacts to kidneys and liver. Without blood tests you could easily damage internal organs through long term use. I'm not suggesting that this the case with you but I'm offering it as one possible scenario.

If the pharmacy is filling your script with something other than your Dr. prescribed then a call to your Dr. is in order. I've done that very thing and had him tell me to go with what he wrote because it's cheaper. I've also changed pharmacies because I just didn't like the way they did business and/or I didn't think they valued me as a customer more than they valued my wallet. It happens so go somewhere else.

While costs today are astronomical when it comes to health care some of the charges are legit whether we like it or not. There is a huge nursing shortage in this country and Drs. and hospitals are having to pay top dollar to entice nurses to work for them. Higher salaries mean higher costs no matter where you are. Couple that with equally astronomical malpractice insurance and equally ludicrous payment schedules from Medicare/Medicaid and doctors have to make up the loss somewhere. That's where those $125 dollar doctor visits come from.

If anyone doesn't have insurance to cover medical and/or prescriptions then tell your PCP up front. They may give you a break on their office fee and they may give you free samples of scripts instead of writing you one. They will also be aware of free or low cost medications that pharmaceutical companies offer and tell you whether you qualify.

Do not go to the ER or Urgent Care facility for regular care. It's overly expensive and those folks don't establish a relationship with you so you are in and out with script in hand. Instead, find a PCP you trust and develop a relationship with them.

It's a difficult ride for sure. We just have to help each other as much as possible and folks need to shop around just like they would if they have to replace the radiator in their car. Find a PCP you trust and one that will work with you.

[hunter63]

Rick, Thanks for the advice.
DW also worked in the medical profession, and saw how appointments were scheduled, it was her job to see that the day was booked, with a couple of extras added, in case there was a no show.

I don't dispute any advice given here, but I still think there are options out there that need to be explored, hence my "research".
The thread talked about "Stocking Up On Prescription Meds", so I answered it with personnel knowledge, and experience. Which has been positive, so far.

My experience since my/our Dr retired many years ago, has been a long series of PCP's mostly passing us on to a "specialist", and here's your bill, thank you very much.

Not to fear, National Health Care will fix all that, so it will be a non-issue.

[kyratshooter]

Back in '04 I had the scheduled heart attack of the mid 50s. Two stints, 2-4 balooms blablabla....

Put on the regulars, Topral, Plavox, Lasinopril...took them for two years. Went to get a refil and the pharmisist said my script had run out. I call the DR. Next appointment was 6 mts away.

I had an interesting conversation with the PA.

me "I need to get in now because my meds are out."

pa "Can't do that closest appt is 6 mts."

me "Can you call the script in?"

pa "no you have to come in."

me "You mean I do not need these meds for the next 6 months?"

pa "No you need to take them daily."

me "Apparently I do not since I will have no meds untill I come in 6 mts from now? If I do not need them why should I come in at all?"

pa "I think we can work you in Tuesday I'll call a week of meds in."

It was a revelation.

After that I hardballed them on everything and am now on all generic meds at $10/90 day supply. I get generic topral at that price too.

Apparently is works, I'm still alive.

[Rick]

Good for you. You're the boss when it comes to your health. My parents generation viewed Drs as omnipotent....when they went. Did anything and everything they said with no questions asked even if they didn't understand.

I see doctors as just another professional that works for me.