Pharmacy Suggestions?

[mrsrodgersaz]

So I've been putting off pricing my meds for IVF because I'm a procrastinator but AF is about to show any minute, so I figure I can't put it off any longer. As I started to do my research, I realized that maybe I shouldn't have put it off for so long. Why can't there just be one price for all meds regardless of what pharmacy you use? They really don't make any part of this process easy. I'm feeling a little clueless so I'm hoping that some of the ladies who have already had to order meds can offer some suggestions. 

What pharmacy did you use? The nurse at my RE's office suggested Avella, Freedom, Walgreens Specialty, and Integrity. Has anyone used one of these?

I got the list of meds that my RE will have me on for this cycle (Menopur, Ganirelix, Goal-F, Follistim, and Lupron for my trigger), but I was standing outside of Chipotle when the nurse called so I didn't think to ask what dosages I'd be on as I was frantically taking notes on a random receipt I found in my purse. I have to call once AF actually arrives so I can get my BCP prescription filled so I'm going to ask then, but is there a standard dosage for each med that they usually start everyone out on?

If these questions have already been answered somewhere, let me know. I looked around on the n00b blog and didn't see anything specific about pharmacies - I did see the links to savings forms though and those will definitely come in handy. 

[deelopi9]

hello there... I found these links on the 3T/IF Newbie link. I've only used Gonal-F/Ovidrel through South Miami Pharmacy and their prices compared to Walgreens Specialty were less.

gbcb3tif.wordpress.com/links/

You're right, they should make it easy for you. Hope you are able to get the Rx you need at the lowest price possible. Good Luck!

[mrsrodgersaz]

Thanks, deelopi9. I saw those too. It looks like those are links to the companies that offer discounts for certain meds but from what I read, I think you order the meds through a pharmacy and then apply for the rebate. I'll look again though, maybe I read it wrong earlier.

[bootsorhearts]

I used south Miami and was happy with them, but I didn't price things out to compare. They were helpful in finding me rebates and such.

[lemonliz]

Feb 3, 2015 16:28:47 GMT -5 mrsrodgersaz said:

Thanks, deelopi9. I saw those too. It looks like those are links to the companies that offer discounts for certain meds but from what I read, I think you order the meds through a pharmacy and then apply for the rebate. I'll look again though, maybe I read it wrong earlier.

Yes, true. Freedom discounts Gonal-F (and whatever EMD Serono makes) and Walgreens discounts Follistim (and whatever that manufacture makes). Bravelle, Menopur and Novarelle are discounted through a third manufacturer and either pharmacy will have the mail in rebate.

There isn't a standard dosage for any of it but your RE's nurse will call in what you need when you select a pharmacy.

I used Freedom because I got a bigger discount on Gonal-F. But Walgreens was more customer friendly. Freedom ended up having great shipping, so that's a plus.

[mrsrodgersaz]

bootsorhearts - thanks for the suggestion. It looks like they ship so I'll definitely check them out.

@ketchup - I'm 100% OOP so I am going to comparison shop as much as possible. When I was doing my IUIs I just used Avella because there is a location about 20 minutes away from me so it was convenient. Since IVF meds are so much more expensive, I figure I should take the extra time to find the best deal possible. I was hoping to just make one call to the RE but if they call the script in on CD1, I should probably call now so I can do as much last minute research as I can.

[mrsg80intn]

Feb 3, 2015 16:31:33 GMT -5 bootsorhearts said:

I used south Miami and was happy with them, but I didn't price things out to compare. They were helpful in finding me rebates and such.

hijacking thread just a bit... does South Miami ship?  

[mrsrodgersaz]

lemonliz - thanks for the info. Does Freedom make you sign for the meds when you have them shipped? I know Avella does and wasn't sure if that is standard for all pharmacies. I haven't used the shipping option yet because I would have to have them shipped to work - no one here knows about IF so I don't want any questions asked when a giant package of meds shows up.

[madamewaffles]

Feb 3, 2015 17:09:17 GMT -5 mrsrodgersaz said:

lemonliz - thanks for the info. Does Freedom make you sign for the meds when you have them shipped? I know Avella does and wasn't sure if that is standard for all pharmacies. I haven't used the shipping option yet because I would have to have them shipped to work - no one here knows about IF so I don't want any questions asked when a giant package of meds shows up.

Could you arrange to have the package held at a nearby shipping facility, and you can pick it up at your convenience?

[lemonliz]

I did have to sign. I don't recall that they had an option not to sign. But from what I recall, the box was not marked Freedom Fertility. Absolutely no one knows on campus and I would have been okay having them shipped there. The box isn't too giant, either They are remarkably good at streamlining their packaging.

[fluffydamn]

I used village infertility pharmacy . They have a program for some meds that if you order X amount that you get all vials half off. (Rebate check way) also did first steps which gives you X% of drugs off based on income. They also ship over night which helped me out a lot when the doctor upped my meds and I needed them the day after.

[mrsrodgersaz]

Feb 3, 2015 17:06:58 GMT -5 mrsg80intn said:

Feb 3, 2015 16:31:33 GMT -5 bootsorhearts said:

I used south Miami and was happy with them, but I didn't price things out to compare. They were helpful in finding me rebates and such.

hijacking thread just a bit... does South Miami ship?  

I checked out their website and it looks like they offer free local and domestic shipping for qualifying orders. I haven't done any research yet as to what a qualifying order is though. 

[bootsorhearts]

Feb 3, 2015 17:06:58 GMT -5 mrsg80intn said:

Feb 3, 2015 16:31:33 GMT -5 bootsorhearts said:

I used south Miami and was happy with them, but I didn't price things out to compare. They were helpful in finding me rebates and such.

hijacking thread just a bit... does South Miami ship?  

Yes!

[ldubhawksfan]

mrsrodgersaz, I don't have anything to contribute, but I'm stalking this thread, as I will be pricing out injects maybe next cycle. I never thought about the issue of signing for the package, so it's already given me something to think about!! I would probably ship to my work (small company and I could arrange for my office manager to only tell me). Best of luck with the pricing and moving forward!!

[spring78]

I used Alexander Twin for all my meds. My nurse did a bunch of research to find the best option for her patients and Alexander Twin was overall the cheapest -- for what I was taking, at least. They ship. They do require a signature, but will ship to the nearest UPS Store, so they can hold it until you can pick it up.

[luvboston]

Columbia pharmacy
Ivfmeds.com
Canadadrugs

[butterfly712]

Feb 3, 2015 17:09:17 GMT -5 mrsrodgersaz said:

lemonliz - thanks for the info. Does Freedom make you sign for the meds when you have them shipped? I know Avella does and wasn't sure if that is standard for all pharmacies. I haven't used the shipping option yet because I would have to have them shipped to work - no one here knows about IF so I don't want any questions asked when a giant package of meds shows up.

Freedom fertility gives you the option to waive the signing and have it dropped at the door so you can have it mailed to your house.

[twinkie0612]

I used Alexander's Twin for my initial orders and used my local Avella if I needed to order more durning cycle. Alexander's Twin was the cheapest for my IVF cycles (Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelix, Lupron, HCG trigger, compounded E2V-Progesterone supps, clindamycin supps, viagra supps, and PIO), but I liked waiting until after my monitoring to order the meds for that day so that I would definitely never have more than I needed, which means I didn't have time to overnight meds.

[sundaybrunch]

Alexander's Twin was by far the cheapest when I called around last month. I'm 100% OOP as well and ended up spending about $3500 with them whereas I was looking at $4200+ everywhere else. (I did have a different protocol though.). they have free overnight shipping and you have to sign for it.

One thing I would do differently would be to account for the Follistim overfill. I ended up getting an extra 50-100 units out of each vile so I only used half of what I ordered. I could have saved a significant amount if I had counted on each 300IU vial of Follistim actually having 350IU and would have still had some leftover.

[lemonliz]

Feb 4, 2015 8:07:23 GMT -5 @ketchup said:

Feb 3, 2015 22:41:26 GMT -5 butterfly712 said:

Freedom fertility gives you the option to waive the signing and have it dropped at the door so you can have it mailed to your house.

This. But I will add that if you elect to do this you are releasing them from liability. Not that it is really an issue, but if you live in a neighborhood where people like to get all sticky fingers and steal packages simply in fedex boxes, it's something to consider.

Yes, this is my issue with not signing. Sticky fingered "neighbors."

I discovered too late last time that I could have had FedEx hold the package at location near me and picked it up from there. I might do this next time. Easier than waiting around for it.

[mrsmcsmith09]

I used Integrity-they are local for me and while it's turning out to be awesome to have a local pharmacy, it's not why I picked them. I had price checks from everywhere and I was going to have scripts called into three different pharmacies in order to get the best deals but when I told Integrity this they said they would price match everything. Give them a call-I am working with Lisa she is pretty great.

Also be sure to apply to First Steps Design RX. It is super simple to do and they reply within 48 hours. I ended up getting 50% off my Follistim, Ganerelix and trigger.

[mrsg80intn]

Feb 3, 2015 18:41:06 GMT -5 bootsorhearts said:

Feb 3, 2015 17:06:58 GMT -5 mrsg80intn said:

hijacking thread just a bit... does South Miami ship?  

Yes!

Ok - great.  thank you!  

[lovegrilledcheese]

I got all my Meds from Walgreens Fertility Pharmacy. They offer a 100 off every 1000 you spend. I also had them run some of the Meds through my insurance (steroids, antibiotics, iv Meds for retrieval) and saved me $800. I checked out Fertility Freedom Pharmacy and was quoted 2k more than Walgreens.

[NariaDreaming]

I use Alexander twin. They have had the best prices and they ship.

And @ketchup not all triggers are 10,000 units. A lupron trigger has no HCG, and pregnyl is only 5,000 units

[mrsrodgersaz]

Feb 4, 2015 10:30:29 GMT -5 lovegrilledcheese said:

I got all my Meds from Walgreens Fertility Pharmacy. They offer a 100 off every 1000 you spend. I also had them run some of the Meds through my insurance (steroids, antibiotics, iv Meds for retrieval) and saved me $800. I checked out Fertility Freedom Pharmacy and was quoted 2k more than Walgreens.

Freedom does seem really expensive from the pricing I've seen online. 300IU of Follistim is $639 at Freedom but $268 every where else I've checked. Maybe their website has a typo - but if not, that's probably where the $2k difference is coming from. 

[mrsrodgersaz]

Thank you so much to everyone who has responded! This has been really helpful.

I think I've narrowed it down to Alexander Twin and Avella. I'm just waiting on a call back from the nurse so I know exactly what version of the Gonal-f (apparently there are vials and pens) they'll be ordering. Alexander Twin is slightly less expensive for everything else so if they charge a lot less for whichever I need, I'm definitely going with them.

Integrity and Walgreens Specialty both had pretty good pricing as well, but Integrity doesn't carry Gonal-f and Walgreens Specialty said they don't currently have Lupron because it is on backorder with the manufacturer. I don't want to have to order from multiple pharmacies so I ruled those two out.

@ketchup and lemonliz - now that you mentioned sticky-fingered neighbors, I'm definitely not waiving a signature even if it's an option. Not that I don't trust my neighbors, but after spending this kind of money I'd hate to get home to a missing box. I might just ask to work from home the day that it is delivered so I can be waiting at the door, ready to attack the FedEx person as soon as I see the truck pull up.

[lemonliz]

OMG there's a backorder on Lupron? Insert rolling eyes here.

[lovegrilledcheese]

Feb 4, 2015 13:02:32 GMT -5 mrsrodgersaz said:

Feb 4, 2015 10:30:29 GMT -5 lovegrilledcheese said:

I got all my Meds from Walgreens Fertility Pharmacy. They offer a 100 off every 1000 you spend. I also had them run some of the Meds through my insurance (steroids, antibiotics, iv Meds for retrieval) and saved me $800. I checked out Fertility Freedom Pharmacy and was quoted 2k more than Walgreens.

Freedom does seem really expensive from the pricing I've seen online. 300IU of Follistim is $639 at Freedom but $268 every where else I've checked. Maybe their website has a typo - but if not, that's probably where the $2k difference is coming from. 

I wonder if freedom is more expensive because you can apply for their discount program and it would make the meds cheaper. I I have seen a lot of ladies on here get some great discounts. Best of luck to you!

[lisagood]

Feb 4, 2015 8:31:15 GMT -5 twinkie0612 said:

I used Alexander's Twin for my initial orders and used my local Avella if I needed to order more durning cycle. Alexander's Twin was the cheapest for my IVF cycles (Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelix, Lupron, HCG trigger, compounded E2V-Progesterone supps, clindamycin supps, viagra supps, and PIO), but I liked waiting until after my monitoring to order the meds for that day so that I would definitely never have more than I needed, which means I didn't have time to overnight meds.

Sorry but did you take generic viagra or official meds? By prescription or not? I always wonder is there any difference or is it safe to order generics online? I noticed there are so much advertising on Canadian pharmacy, dunno what to think about most of them.