PrEP

[rvwnsd]

That was back when most prescriptions cost $20.00 or 30.00. The total annual retail cost for prescription drugs that I take is ~$30,000.00. In addition to Truvada, I take one semi-exotic drug for a clotting disorder, but otherwise they're just average prescription drugs for typical old-guy health problems.

Right. My point is a poster said they hate insurance companies. Without an insurance company, you would be paying out of pocket for medications that cost $30K/year.

[sincitymix]

medication costs are so high in america, because many countries around the world regulate and subsidize on how much those countries will pay for the total cost of meds, so the drug companies jack up the price in america. $1.25 pill in one country costs 27.58 in the US.

Also, drug companies dont eat the costs of the drug assistance programs, or the copay waivers. They pass those costs back to the insurance companies and or employer insurances with increased total cost of product.

[Rudynate]

I agree with you 100%.

 

 

 

I also agree with you 100%.

 

For me, the risk of the medication not being effective is too great to be compensated by the lower price. That's not to say that a reputable overseas pharmaceutical company makes an inferior product. I've had prescriptions filled at Target, Safeway/VONS, and Osco/Jewel-Osco/SavOn with products that were manufactured overseas and they were fine. However, those retailers are reputable companies who acquire their inventory from other reputable companies. I don't know whether some internet pharmacy uses a reputable supplier or makes shit in some basement that looks like the real thing but isn't.While it is true that bad products have made their way into the supply chain, for me the probability that Safeway sells counterfeit Truvada is virtually zero.

 

You might find that the Indian pharmaceutical industry is a bit better-regulated than that.

[MikeyGMin]

Right. My point is a poster said they hate insurance companies. Without an insurance company, you would be paying out of pocket for medications that cost $30K/year.

Because those of us in the US live in a backwards country without alternative socialized not-for-profit medical care. I realize I would be totally screwed without insurance. But just because I come away with third-degree burns instead of first-degree, is no reason why I shouldn't hate the companies that are throwing fuel on the fire.

[Deadlift1]

You might want to ask SCRUFF as they were pushing it so hard on there app one wondered whether they were in on it with big pharma. My physician told me that many drugs have become so complex they can be difficult to copy. And they can be off by a certain percentage and still pass as a generic. Not very comforting to think you may not be fully protected.

[sincitymix]

You might want to ask SCRUFF as they were pushing it so hard on there app one wondered whether they were in on it with big pharma. My physician told me that many drugs have become so complex they can be difficult to copy. And they can be off by a certain percentage and still pass as a generic. Not very comforting to think you may not be fully protected.

They have to have the same active ingredient, its just the inactive things that can vary like fillers and dye.

They also have to be proven to act the same as the brand name... doesnt help that some pharmacists and doctors have studies to show some generics are off by a rather skewed percentage, despite the fda saying the percentage has to be medically minimal.

[rvwnsd]

You might find that the Indian pharmaceutical industry is a bit better-regulated than that.

I don't doubt that. I am also not referring to the legitimate Indian pharmaceutical industry.

 

... I've had prescriptions filled at Target, Safeway/VONS, and Osco/Jewel-Osco/SavOn with products that were manufactured overseas and they were fine...

 

India is one of the overseas countries in which meds I've bought at a pharmacy chain have been produced. I've also purchased meds that were made in the Philippines, Isreal, and Ireland.

 

...I don't know whether some internet pharmacy uses a reputable supplier or makes shit in some basement that looks like the real thing but isn't....

Again, not referring to the Indian pharmaceutical industry there. I'm saying that I don't know whether an internet pharmacy is reputable. It is very probable that many Internet pharmacies that say they are located and licensed in India actually are located in India and are licensed by the Indian authorities. It is also probable that some Internet pharmacies that claim to be licensed are not and are selling counterfeit or less-than-100%-effective drugs. I might be willing to risk that with Cialis or Levitra, but I am not willing to take that risk with Truvada or Advair or any other drug that is required to maintain my health.

[+ WmClarke]

Well, after doing some research on line, you are right that I cannot find anything that would indicate that it's problematic to start PrEP and then stop it. The only argument I can find against it is that PrEP should only be taken by people who are HIV negative. If someone is recently infected but doesn't know that (and tests for HIV don't yet show the infection) and starts PrEP, he/she could be assisting their existing HIV infection to mutate to become resistant to the medications he/she is taking. So intentionally going on and off PrEP repeatedly might be questionable if that person is coupling the PrEP use with periods of high-risk activity.

 

I think your tone was unnecessarily aggressive, though.

You are right in that. Definitely an issue if your HIV status changes.

 

As for tone, I toned down from what I originally wants to post. So you actually got the kinder, gentler version.

[Rudynate]

. It is also probable that some Internet pharmacies that claim to be licensed are not and are selling counterfeit or less-than-100%-effective drugs. I might be willing to risk that with Cialis or Levitra, but I am not willing to take that risk with Truvada or Advair or any other drug that is required to maintain my health.

 

Alldaychemist has been in business for years and I have been getting products from them for years. You remember years ago, seniors were taking tour buses to Canada to get their scripts filled on that side of the border for far less than they were paying in the US? They don't do that anymore because of internet pharmacies like Alldaychemist.