# Prescription medication price went way up!



## fishmounter (Mar 14, 2010)

I got my dog's seizure medication refilled and when I went to pick it up they wanted more than DOUBLE the price I paid 2 months earlier! This is at a Target store, which does provide pet medications. We went with them because they were a lot cheaper than what my vet wanted to charge. The medication is Phenobarbitol 64.8 MG in a quantity of 200. The last refill price was $39.00, now they want $90.00! WHAT?! The pharmacist said they had to pass on the price increase set by the Pharmaceutical Industry Board, and muttered something about supply and demand.. Huh? 
My 4 year old GR has done fantastic with this medication, and I need to keep him on it, probably the rest of his life.
Does anyone else use this med for their dog's epileptic seizures, and if so what do you pay? I'm thinking of trying PetMeds.com. Maybe I should drive up to Canada or down to Mexico. I hear you can buy it over the counter.. HELP!


----------



## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

fishmounter said:


> I got my dog's seizure medication refilled and when I went to pick it up they wanted more than DOUBLE the price I paid 2 months earlier! This is at a Target store, which does provide pet medications. We went with them because they were a lot cheaper than what my vet wanted to charge. The medication is Phenobarbitol 64.8 MG in a quantity of 200. The last refill price was $39.00, now they want $90.00! WHAT?! The pharmacist said they had to pass on the price increase set by the Pharmaceutical Industry Board, and muttered something about supply and demand.. Huh?
> My 4 year old GR has done fantastic with this medication, and I need to keep him on it, probably the rest of his life.
> Does anyone else use this med for their dog's epileptic seizures, and if so what do you pay? I'm thinking of trying PetMeds.com. Maybe I should drive up to Canada or down to Mexico. I hear you can buy it over the counter.. HELP!


Eye meds went up for us thanks to Bausch and Lomb buying out competitors. One idea is to check with the big wholesale clubs like Costco and Sams. Sometimes they offer them at a slight discount over the other pharmacies.


----------



## dogloverforlife (Feb 17, 2013)

Do you have Walgreens?

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Drug shortages....

Growing drug shortage problematic for patients, doctors


----------



## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

Yup, Phenobarb went way up everywhere. Our clients have felt the crunch too. Not very nice for the drug companies to do this..but it is happening across the board. Between increases of prices and back orders on drugs its a wonder how these companies make it! If you do find it cheaper let me know! We told our clients if they are able to get it cheaper to let us know and we would gladly write them a script.


----------



## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I pay $ 33.00 for 100 count of 64.8mg phenobarbital at Costco.


----------



## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

Maggies mom said:


> I pay $ 33.00 for 100 count of 64.8mg phenobarbital at Costco.


We dont have a costco near us, when was the last time you got it? These prices just went up this past month.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I would call various Pharmacies in your area including any of the Warehouse Clubs for prices. I read a recent report talking about the pricing of different pharmacies and it showed comparisons of several drugs currently on the market that are taken by a large number of people.

I have a small pharmacy chain that is only in my state, they have the best prices on a prescription that I take. It is about $10-$15 cheaper there than it is with a couple of the chain pharmacies. 

I've been seeing ads on TV for Vet prescriptions being available at Sams and Walmart-you may be able to check the prices online and see if it's available there, or give them a call.

Drug shortages do effect the prices, but if you do price checks with several pharmacies, I think you will be surprised at the difference you'll see at each. The price the companies buy the drugs at plus their profit margin effects the price you pay for a drug.


----------



## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

Walmart pharmacies offer some drugs at steep discounts, just to get you in the door.
Also, if you have a Market Street, check them out.

And to make you feel better, we pay over 200/month for Bailey's Denamarin - and have for almost 4 years. The shortage last summer/fall worried us, so I bought all I could find. It's worth every penny for what it does for her.


----------



## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Costco has an online pharmacy that you might try. You don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy, though the discounts are deeper for members.

If you decide to try an online pharmacy, watch for the VIPPS (Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) certification to make sure that you get what you order. Here's a list: Find a Vet-VIPPS online pharmacy - Programs - National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®). We use online pharmacies frequently and find that it pays to keep a spreadsheet with cost comparisons that we update regularly.

Good luck!


----------



## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

I feel the drug companies, are taking us all for a ride, they make plenty on the drugs, it is a shame they are doing this.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Want to add, I order some Vet medications through Drs. Foster and Smith's pharmacy via online, they are a VIPPS pharmacy. I've been ordering through them for several years now, they contact my Vet Clinic for the prescription approval. I always do a price comparison/check before I order, have found Drs. F & S to have some of the best prices. 

Great service too, I've never had any problems with them. You can view their accreditation on line.


----------



## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

OnMyWay2MyDreams said:


> We dont have a costco near us, when was the last time you got it? These prices just went up this past month.


2 weeks ago, Costco also has a mail program,(which I dont use) My local vets went up about 3-4 months ago. Costco did raise there price to what Im currently paying about the same time my vets did. It went from 24.37 to 33.00.


----------



## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

goldensrbest said:


> I feel the drug companies, are taking us all for a ride, they make plenty on the drugs, it is a shame they are doing this.


I used to think so too, until I worked for a large group of doctors that are involved in clinical trials for cancer treatment.
The amount of money and time the drug companies put into to finding new medications is unbelievable. Rather than go into the basics, look up Clinical Trials on Wikipedia - it is actually fairly correct.
We did Phase Trials in our clinics (they still do them, I just work elsewhere). The paperwork is amazing. Everything has to be timed exactly or it can eliminate that patient from the study.
For the drug companies, the problem is that very few of the potential drugs that they identify actually make it to the market. But the costs of identifying and doing the clinical trials on the failed still have to be paid. The FDA encourages the drug companies to do the research by giving them a 17 year patent on the drug - allowing them to recoup the costs of research on that drug and offset the cost of some of the failed drugs.
For every drug you see in the store, there were a hundred (or more) that didn't make it.
That said, I hate paying the high prices too.


----------



## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

Not only that, but a lot of potentially life saving drugs never hit the market due to the high cost of dealing with the red tape. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

When I was having to buy pheno for my RB-Logan. I was getting it at Target. Then at one point the price went way up. So much so, I called and complained. What the pharm. told me was, that at least in the state of California, the government will help offset the price for certain drugs for a lot of reasons. I did not know the great price I was getting was due to the price being offset by some government program. Then they stopped the program - which is when I got hit with the huge price increase. This might be what happened to you. It still doesn't make it any easier to shallow. I think I switched to Costco for a while. Good luck!


----------

