Please don't fuck with my Zyrtec

The BBQ Pit
1

This sucks.

Apparently, insurance companies are loathe to offer Zyrtec as a prescription anymore. They want to make the copay on these higher, now that Claritin has been made available OTC. I suppose it’s because they’d rather that we use Claritin and pay out of our own pockets rather than have to foot the bill themselves. This will save them money.

Fuck them.

I have cold urticaria, which means that, when parts of my body get cold, I get hives. My hands will swell and itch and burn. If I’m not careful when I’m showering or swimming, I can have a full-body reaction that’ll make me pass out. Fortunately, Zyrtec completely alleviates these reactions, so long as I take it every day.

Yes. Every day. If I miss a day, I start getting the reactions again. I only missed once–as soon as I figured it out, I never missed another dose.

Now, though, my own insurance company wants to up the copay on Zyrtec to 50 dollars. Since I get 90 pills at a time, that isn’t too horrible, but it’s still a dent in the ol’ pocketbook. And the insurance companies don’t realize that taking this shit isn’t exactly optional for some of us.

Then, there’s talk about making Zyrtec OTC.

Fuck no.

Claritin is OTC now. I think the largest box I’ve seen is 10 pills, and it’s over a dollar a pill. My allergy isn’t seasonal (holding a cold soda can set it off). I’d have to go to fucking Wal-Mart every 10 days and buy a new pack for prices that are just fucking disgusting, just so that I can live without feeling like shit, with full mobility in my hands, and without risking unconscoiousness.

Fuck this. And I apologize for the lameness of this rant. I’m not very good at ranting when I actually care about the subject. But, goddamn, this pissed me right the fuck off.

2

Have you tried switching to a different antihistamine?

Maybe something that has a generic version of it out?

3

The problem with switching drugs is that they’re not all the same. For general things, yes, but not for specific problems. Zyrtec, as I understnd it, is vastly superior for treating urticaria.

You might be able to get around this by having your doc prescribe 2-3 months worth of pills to be dispensed at once. Then you’ll only have to pay the copay once every few months. Also, many plans allow you to order long-term meds by mail in bulk at reduced copays. It’s worth checking into.

4

I would switch to something else, but CrazyCatLady’s right–Zyrtec is the best for urticaria, especially the brand of it that I have. I already get my pills fairly inexpensively, but that’s going to go up 20 dollars…and, if Zyrtec goes go OTC, I’m screwed.

Incidentally, I saw a 20 pack of Claritin today. 17 dollars. Not so bad as I thought, but still kinda sucktastic if you have to take it every day.

5

I can sympathize. I’ve got year-round allergies, and was on Claritin until they made it OTC. They had me switch to Allegra, which, happily, actually works better than the Claritin for me. Hopefully your problem will work out as well.

6

I have an auto-immune disorder and one of the problems it causes is that when my immune system attacks my skin and lungs, I get hives there. For a year I had this problem, I couldn’t breathe, eat or sleep because I was in constant pain and itch and my immune system was going crazy thinking it was allergic to everything about me, my own organs, blood, etc.

Eventually I found out that this weird ass condition I have is very similar to lupus, but the only drug that works to make my life liveable although it doesn’t completely end the symptoms is Allegra. Without insurance it’d cost me over $3 a pill and there’s no way I can go without taking the Allegra because my immune system will attack my lungs and they will swell up and I won’t breathe.

So I can empathize with you about the Zyrtec, Angel. It’s pretty fuckin sick when there’s only one source of something that basically keeps you alive from day to day and you have to pay through the nose for it.

7

I also am dependent on Zyrtec. I have tried them all and Zyrtec is the one that works for me.

A months supply is somewhere near $3 a pill and over the counter would be about $1 a pill. I have no insurance. Over the counter would be a blessing to me.

8

I just refilled my Zyrtec and I think it was $30 for 60 pills. I thought it seemed high, but Zyr is the only one that doesn’t give me weird side effects.

9

It’s pretty common for non-formulary drugs to have a $30 copay. And it’s downright cheap compared to the $180 that it would have cost without insurance. I think we tend to forget that medications are expensive because a lot of us have gotten used to paying very low copays on very high-priced drugs.

When we were comparing insurance plans one year at my old job, we checked to see how much our monthly medications added up to (one plan had incredibly low rates, but no prescription plan). Between three techs, all of us women between the ages of 25 and 35 and in pretty good health, we took over $800 worth of medication a month. Two of us were on low-dose anticonvulsants, one was on hormones, and one was on an antidepressant. Four prescriptions, retailing at a total of over $800. By comparison, a buck a pill sounds pretty good.

10

If you have a documented need for a specific medication, most drug plans will make exceptions in their coverage. Your doctor has to request it from the insurance company, but they’re usually happy to comply.

The insurance company may ask to see records indicating that you’ve tried other medicines, or they may require some additional testing (my insurance company requested and paid for an MRI before they’d approve Celebrex for my knee), but they will eventually cover it.

Robin

11

To apply to these drug companies, you must reapply once a month to once every 3 months. I am currently in the process. I know my $800 worth of drugs a month is absolutely worth it and I will do it, but I am so confused at this point with paperwork.

I have to have the drugs to live, but there is a point where a person wants to give up. I make $1100 a month.

I presently get my drugs from Canada. The savings are immense and I can at least take my drugs. When that route is cut out, as the drug companies are planning to do, people are going to die.

I’m sorry. This started out about Zyrtec and has spilled out to the whole drug industry. I did not intend to stray, but I am frustrated.

Yes! I will fill out those papers, some how. At the moment, my physician is giving me my Zyrtec as samples.