topic Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP ! in Wellness

55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Goodie2shoes — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 06:32:36 GMT

Had my first pneumonia shot last week and not sure if the shot along with being exposed to my 3 yr old grandsons cold from welcome to preschool pass the virus from one kid to another got together and attacked me. Chest congestion and coughing for the past few days, haven't had a cold in years ! I had a flu shot in October and no post symptoms so I called my doctor, he didn't order any antibiotics but called in a script for cough medicine. When I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up the cough medicine I was told it's not covered by my insurance so it would be $55 !! COUGH MEDICINE ???? I decided to just take over the counter cough syrup. Called my doctor, canceled the request. I cannot believe cough syrup could cost that much ! Now I understand why groups like AARP are fighting against increased drug costs for Seniors.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Nataliesgramma — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 10:38:46 GMT

Try Musinex......My hubby caught it from our Granddaughter too. He kept me up all night coughing. He took the Musinex and slept through the night the following day.

He was using Robetussin and it didn't do any good.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

shaggygirl — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 11:56:36 GMT

If you think that's shocky you should see the tiny little bottle of ear drops (ciprodex) that cost me $218 at CVS recently because my insurance doesn't cover them. 7.5 ml to be exact. But I seriously needed them so forked it over.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

software — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 12:54:07 GMT

$55 is not a lot of money for the diagnosis.

If you take Mucinex for a few days with no improvement, I would re-think the prescription.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Montana — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 13:41:08 GMT

Boiron Chestal Honey homeopathic cough syrup has helped me.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Still Raining — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 15:12:40 GMT

Presumably you are on Medicare? Check your Part D next year. In the meantime ask for a generic syrup. Most just have codeine and are cheap. Those pearls are nice too.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

ValuSkr — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 14:10:56 GMT

I don't blame you for ditching the prescription and getting over-the-counter instead. I would have done the same. After all, it's worth a try.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

redbird — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 15:01:12 GMT

When I need a medicine not covered by my medicare advantage plan I go to the site "GoodRX" for a coupon. My nurse practioner showed me this site and it has saved me money on needed drugs.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

proudlyfromNJ — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 16:08:22 GMT

I rarely get sick but every once in awhile I get some type of bronchitis which gives me an uncontrollable cough.

I told my doctor only codein works.

Well my insurance company wouldn’t pay for it. Cost me $80.00. But it worked. I never found an over the counter that worked for me.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Icegoddess — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 16:37:01 GMT

You can buy cough syrup with codeine over the counter in Canada. You have to get it from the pharmacest like you do here with Sudafed. Best purchase I made when I caught a bad cold on vacation in Canada.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

SeaMaiden — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:19:54 GMT

@Goodie2shoes What was in this expensive cough syrup? Just curious.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Goodie2shoes — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:25:10 GMT

@SeaMaiden wrote: What was in this expensive cough syrup? Just curious.

Codeine and maybe that was the reason for the high cost. I don't know. Someone mentioned on this post that Codeine is in over the counter meds in Canada.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

SeaMaiden — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:41:14 GMT

@Goodie2shoes wrote:
@SeaMaiden wrote: What was in this expensive cough syrup? Just curious.

Codeine and maybe that was the reason for the high cost. I don't know. Someone mentioned on this post that Codeine is in over the counter meds in Canada.

@Goodie2shoes When I was a little girl my parents used Chericol cough syrup that I believe was over the counter( if I am wrong about that please correct me) that contained Codeine. It had a great cherry flavor and was very sweet. Best part of being sick as a kid!

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Icegoddess — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 18:00:34 GMT

@SeaMaiden wrote:
@Goodie2shoes wrote:
@SeaMaiden wrote: What was in this expensive cough syrup? Just curious.

Codeine and maybe that was the reason for the high cost. I don't know. Someone mentioned on this post that Codeine is in over the counter meds in Canada.
@Goodie2shoes When I was a little girl my parents used Chericol cough syrup that I believe was over the counter( if I am wrong about that please correct me) that contained Codeine. It had a great cherry flavor and was very sweet. Best part of being sick as a kid!

Yes, many years ago codeine was a common ingredient in cough syrups. But, then, they discovered it's addictive qualities and it was removed from the store shelves. I think it might have been one of the first opiates. For awhile it was still common to get with a prescription, but I guess the bad name of being an opiate means the insurance companies want to stay away from it. Makes a great cough syrup though. I never felt any need to take it once my cough was under control.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

sfnative — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 18:36:43 GMT

@Goodie2shoes

Dollar to Donuts that cough syrup had codeine in it and your insurance company has decided to hop onto the national attempt to ban most controlled substances, due to drug addition on the street, brought about by manufacturing and smuggling from other countries.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Goodie2shoes — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 02:43:10 GMT

@sfnative wrote:

I found out from the pharmacy that the cough syrup does have Codeine in it. Good call and I agree with your take on the insurance company.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

1Snickers — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 03:47:34 GMT

I had a cough and Laryngitis about 20 years ago.

My Father in law grave me some cough medicine that he made each year. It was black and I had to drink a juice glass full.

The next morning he asked how I felt and I told him “that medicine tasted terrible”!

He replied “But you are talking aren’t you?

It was made from: Whiskey, rock candy, honey, and something called Pinex that tasted like a railroad track smells. (I don’t think it’s available now, bit it worked),

Sometimes I still try the Whiskey.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

susielong — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 08:11:00 GMT

Shaggy girl, Had to get the same eardrops at that price, actually I think mine were $223.00, in Jan. Just like you I paid to get them, needed them because the pain was so bad from the ear infection, so I had to have them.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

shaggygirl — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 12:19:13 GMT

@susielong wrote:
Shaggy girl, Had to get the same eardrops at that price, actually I think mine were $223.00, in Jan. Just like you I paid to get them, needed them because the pain was so bad from the ear infection, so I had to have them.

@susielong

Thank goodness they work though! It would have been a reall bummer if they hadn't after spending that much. When I got home from CVS I actually called the Dr's office and talked to the lady at the desk and told her to pass that info on to the APRN that saw me earlier and prescribed them just so if she needed to prescribe them for anyone else she might want to let the patient know what the cost is if their insurance doesn't cover it and if they can't afford it maybe try something else first.

The young guy who waited on me at CVS did a little research and found a $30 off coupon (I THINK that was the amount, not 100% sure, might have been more) for them, I think it was from the manufacturer but not sure about that but whoever it was from he couldn't let me use it because if you were involved in any kind of government program you couldn't. I have a medicare advantage insurance plan so that ruled me out.

Re: 55 DOLLAR COUGH SYRUP !

Lipstickdiva — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 16:00:11 GMT

I second the advice to try Mucinex. A few years back I had a head cold. About a week after my symptoms were gone from that, I got a dry cough. I went through 4 entire bottles of different cough syrups OTC and nothing worked. I went to my doctor and he gave me a script for those cough pearls. They did nothing.

I went to the pharmacy and the pharmacist recommended Mucinex DM pills. They are huge but they worked like a charm. My cough was gone in I think 2 days.