Monday, January 3, 2011

Getting IV Rocephin on the cheap

Okay, so I need to post for those of you out there also on IV or not doing IV Rocephin because of the cost.  As I've explained before, my insurance stopped paying & also retroactively denied me by 2 months.  YIKES!  Talk about debt.  This disease has put my family so far into debt.  It's heart breaking.  This is probably happening to most people with lyme.  We scrounge, beg, borrow, scrounge from Peter to pay Paul just so we can stay alive.
Anywho - I was using InfuSource in Rohnert Park, CA.  They only charge $30 per dose including all supplies, dressing change kits, stat locks, etc.  Great place, great service.  But that's still $240 a week for me & I just can't afford it.  So here was the plan:


One of my friends started looking around to buy all the supplies separately instead of using an infusion company.  She found the generic Rocephin (Ceftriaxone) from DrugsDepot.com for $5.40 per 2 gram vial.  Great price.  But then another lyme friend pointed me to Walgreen's & we were able to get it there for $2.10 per 2 gram vial!  Amazing.  You need to buy the Walgreen's W card for $20 per year.  DrugsDepot also carries the bags of sodium chloride for the IV drip.  


Walgreen's W card:  $2.10 per 2 gram vial of Ceftriaxone (You need to go into the pharmacy & ask them to order it).  NDC# 0409-7335-03
Cost $21.52 per 10-pack of Rocephin (Hospira brand).  My friend saved us some time by going in & figuring out the easier way to order it (with the number).


**UPDATE:  Walgreen's has raised the price to $6.09 per vial!!!


DrugsDepot.com:   $5.52 per 2 gram vial of Ceftriaxone


DrugsDepot.com:  Approx $2.10 per bag of 100ml sodium chloride, have to buy in bulk, I got that price for a box of 64.  They cover several states.


ShopMedVet.com:  I found them on Ebay & bought some syringes really cheap from them without a script.  My friend ordered IV Admin sets from them for $1 each.  CHEAP!  I had another friend order from them & accidentally got the wrong ones.  Here is the one she ordered: 
B3000-47
ICI Medical, Inc (with horse logo)
PM-1681-HS Rev 00
20 drops/ml 81" (206cm) 20 Drop Admin Set w/Inj Site, Rotating Luer

You can also get syringes & needles cheaply through MedVet.

My friend told me that you can get supplies seperate from InfuServe America too.

I had a lot of friends with leftover supplies mail them to me so I have plenty of Heparin Locks, Saline Flushes, alcohol wipes, syringes, etc.  

If anyone needs help doing the same, please let me know.  Right now I am paying $4.20 per dose!  Once I need more supplies the price will probably up to about $10 per dose, but that's still a third the price! YAY!  Life changing.

Buhner Tea (Lyme Defense Tea)
On another note, I have started to suspect Babesia & since there is NO way I could come up with the money for Babesia meds I am going to start taking my Artemesia & Clove again soon. When more money comes in.  I also just ordered a tea based on the Buhner protocol (book, Healing Lyme).  It's called Lyme Defense tea from mistymeadows.org  $5.95 per ounce.  I ordered two.  Not sure how much that's going to get me.  You use a tablespoon of the tea in 32 oz of water & let it steep overnight.  Then you sip it all the next day.  Contains Cats Claw, Astragalus, Eleuthero, Japanese Knotweed, Nettles, Cinnamon, St. Johnswort, Pau D'Arco, Sweet Annie, White Willow. 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, how can I get in touch with you? I have some questions about I.V. supplies and infusion methods? My email is clevelandminich@att.net
Thank you...

Anonymous said...

Hi!
I am so glad I found your post on cheap IV meds. My insurance won't cover me anymore and I'm shopping around for the best prices.

I was wondering where you think is cheapest to get:
- dressing change kits
- PICC line end caps
- PICC line extension set.

It'd be great if I could get in contact w/ you. tonyshw (at) yahoo (dot) com

Thanks!

Unknown said...

Dear those affected by lymes disease,

My name is Travis and I am a pharmacist at Alitons Pharmacy Home Healthcare Centers in New York. I would just like to let everyone know that we have extensive experience in facilitating the treatment of lymes disease by supplying the necessary materials. We have several patients who suffer from this condition chronically and have helped them tremendously by offering affordable prices on the items necessary to treat chronic lyme including ceftriaxone, saline bags, iv tubing, heparin and saline flushes, dressing change kits, extension sets, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs etc. We have very competitive prices and we offer free shipping. We realize that there is an injustice being done to people suffering from chronic lyme in regards to insurance coverage and it can be difficult to obtain these supplies. We are here to help.
Please contact me at Alitons Pharmacy for pricing information at (845) 856-4120. We want your business and are willing to do what it takes to get it. Best regards, Travis and the Altions family.

Sonya Fights Lyme said...

Thank you for posting this Travis. Perhaps you can help Tony. I just noticed his comment as well.

majikz said...

Hey op could you please email me jordan.majeika@hotmail.co.uk I have just been diagnosed with lymes

majikz said...

hey op could you please mail me your email i have just been diagnosed with lymes jordan.majeika@hotmail.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for this article, and especially thanks to Travis from Alitons Pharmacy for helping me out so much. I really appreciate all the help you have given me. Your prices are very affordable compared to most other places I've looked into.

Anonymous said...

Hi Travis, does this apply to people in the UK too? My doctor is in California but I live in the UK. I will be starting IV Ceftriaxone in December and need to find the antibiotic at a good price that can be shipped to the UK.

Thanks,

Lauren