Does anyone pay for ADD/ADHD medications?

[rachelfran]

My daughter (almost 16) was prescribed vyvanse which is not covered and when I called the insurance company they said the only thing they cover is generic adderall - which I believe is straight amphetamine...

We got a free 30 days on the vyvanse so will try it but see it's obscenely expensive though I am concerned about the switch over to the generic adderall and how that will affect her ...

Any thoughts? Anyone find a cheaper way to get their medications? Anyone experience a smooth transition to a generic adderall? What should I expect?

Thanks,
Rachel

 

[earthprowler]

i would talk to the doctor to see if something can be worked out, maybe he can give you samples each month. there was one medication my difficult child was on that i couldn't afford at the time and they gave me a coupon twice to get it for free. the doctors don't always know what insurance will pay for and what they won't but are usually willing to help you out.

 

[smallworld]

Your psychiatrist should be able to appeal the insurance company's denial of coverage. Call the insurance company Monday and find out how it is done. Then have the appropriate paperwork faxed over to the psychiatrist. This has worked for us on several occasions.

 

[KTMom91]

Miss KT did not have insurance for 6 months, during which time we paid out of pocket for her Adderall and Risperdal...close to $400 a month. If you are a AAA member, they do offer prescription discounts. We go to Longs because of that discount, I think Costco does as well. Walgreens does not. She's on Medi-Cal now, so she's covered, but Hubby and I are not. I just picked up his Ritalin this week...AAA saved us $100. For my Paxil, it's $25 a month, down from close to $90 without the AAA discount. You don't need their car insurance, just the towing.

 

[rachelfran]

Miss KT did not have insurance for 6 months, during which time we paid out of pocket for her Adderall and Risperdal...close to $400 a month. If you are a AAA member, they do offer prescription discounts. We go to Longs because of that discount, I think Costco does as well. Walgreens does not. She's on Medi-Cal now, so she's covered, but Hubby and I are not. I just picked up his Ritalin this week...AAA saved us $100. For my Paxil, it's $25 a month, down from close to $90 without the AAA discount. You don't need their car insurance, just the towing.

Thank you - this is very helpful --
I have AAA and had no idea that they offered any prescription coverage ...
Their rate for vyvanse at a local pharmacy is $ 115.86 for 30 days - compared to $141.00 from the pharmacy; or $ 306.12 for 90 days when purchased through their mail in program ($117 savings);

It's good to know there is some alternative....

Rachel

 

[jannie]

I have been able to get adderall, concerta, focalin, all covered by insurance company for the cost of $5.00-$10.00 per month. However Vyvanse costs us $25.00 thru insurance per month at our local pharmacy. I believe the cost is high because it is still such a new medication. I was able to get a lower rate when I did it mail order for three months. Hopefully the price will go down soon.

 

[Loving Abbey 2]

Walmart can be cheaper sometimes. Also, call the company that makes the medication. They will often provide assistance is the medication is not covered, you can't afford it, and need it. Sometimes free medications and sometimes a discounted rate through them directly.

 

[trinityroyal]

Costco has pretty good discounts as well, and a low dispensing fee. The company has a policy of only marking up prescription medications by a certain percentage, so they don't do any price gouging. There was an article in Consumer Reports about a year ago that had great information on the different options for buying prescription medications.

 

[rachelfran]

Costco has pretty good discounts as well, and a low dispensing fee. The company has a policy of only marking up prescription medications by a certain percentage, so they don't do any price gouging. There was an article in Consumer Reports about a year ago that had great information on the different options for buying prescription medications.

I'll call them... vyvanse wasn't listed online at their website but I guess they could have other medications in their stores...

Thanks!

 

[rachelfran]

Walmart can be cheaper sometimes. Also, call the company that makes the medication. They will often provide assistance is the medication is not covered, you can't afford it, and need it. Sometimes free medications and sometimes a discounted rate through them directly.

I don't have a walmart near me -- but wonder if anyone has had luck dealing directly with the pharmacy company?

Thanks!

 

[susiestar]

You can contact ppa.org (Partnership for Prescription Assistance) for help.

While Adderall is an amphetamine, Vyvanse is also an amphetamine. Adderall is in the body a shorter amount of time, making multiple doses each day required. Some children do much better on adderall, some do worse.

With most insurance companies you can do a 30 day trial of a medication, then the more expensive medications can be successfully justified. Your doctor will have to contact the insurance co to go through this process. We had a number of times where the insurance co gave the wrong info to us on this process. Most doctor's offices have a person on staff who deals with this kind of insurance problem.

If the insurance co gives you a lot of problems, contact the employer the insurance is offered through. Several times we have had the human resources person help us with authorizations. They have more clout than we lowly sick people do.

I would also check various on-line pharmacies. Sometimes they are cheaper. When you check prices, check prices for several quantities. Some medications are cheaper in one size than others. When we had no coverage for topamax I was able to buy 270 tablets cheaper than 90. It saved on shipping and dispensing fees and the medication was cheaper per tablet.

You might also call Newcastle Pharmacy in Newcastle, OK. They are a mom-and-pop pharmacy who have specialized in not charging high markups. They USED to do a LOT of mail-order. You can find them by searching online for "Newcastle Pharmacy Oklahoma". While they are NOT neighborhood, they were by FAR the cheapest place for many medications. Sometimes they were cheaper than the insurance copay!

Susie

 

[tim dlc]

You can try the shires care assistance program
I just got accepted and approved for assistance for a year. I faxed in my application two days ago and it got approved earlier today.
you can find it by googling shire cares application or navigating through the shire website also the last two times I got a prescription I used a coupon i found on their website it was still expensive but not as much as it could have been

 

[Marcie Mac]

Google the cost of the medication. I take Adderal - 10 mg and it is 25.00 thru Costco. CVS was charging me 119.00 for my antidepressant, and I now get it at Costo for close to 6.00 - same stuff. Always (and I learned the hard way) google the cost of the medications to see where a better deal may be

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Call the insurance company and find out about getting authorization for the medication. You doctor's office probably has someone who deals with these issues on a regular basis. I had to do this with one of difficult child's medications one time. The insurance company didn't end up covering the whole thing (but that never was the case with any of his medications in the past, always a copay) but they did end up covering about 60%. It's done all the time....