Grrr

[yendi]

Tufts Health Plan, allegedly rated #2 in the nation, has decided that they're not covering any fucking prescription antihistamines (like Allegra), because Claritin is available OTC and "works" (even though it doesn't, for 'song).

So, anyone have any recommendations for the best online Canadian pharmacies?

And yeah, I hope that every fucking executive at Tufts comes down with with fucking crippling allergies.

Comments

[jafinnola.livejournal.com]

Holy crap!
What a load of crap!
Are these people doctors that they can determine what medications work for certain people?

Why the hell do we pay premiums?

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

Are these people doctors...

Well, Tufts does have a medical school... =)

Why the hell do we pay premiums?

So the insurance company executives get big bonuses! Why else?

Tufts and Harvard (who have both shopped their plans out to others) didn't used to be that way; like MIT's plan, they existed to serve students and faculty, and did a damn good job of it. Disclaimer: out of the three, I've never been on Tufts. Grew up on MIT, and last employer in MA had the Harvard plan; both treated me great. Nothing else has compared, not even close.

In other news, Claritin does nothing for me. Then again, neither does Allegra or any of the other meds the last doctor got bribes to get me to take (seriously; last four visits to that doc, a drug rep was there, buying lunch for the office, taking one of the docs to a golf game, bringing birthday cake to the doc... )

[jafinnola.livejournal.com]

Truthfully, the only thing that really works for me is going to the allergist every two weeks and getting six shots in the arm plus taking time-released iron before going to bed in addition to my multi-vitamin at dinner.

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

Although this doesn't always work, it has had some effect:

A former co-worker used to say he was always plagued by allergies, and that nothing ever worked, and he was always taking stronger and stronger meds. So what he decided to was to not have allergies any more. He was through with them.

And, at that point (my last reference point with him), he had been allergy free for 2 years.

I've tried it twice now, and it does work... a little! =)

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

I used to try that approach with not wearing long sleeves as "winter" approached. If I didn't dress for winter and refused to admit it was happening, it didn't last as long.

It worked much better in atlanta than it does in washington DC. I imagine it would be an abject failure anywhere in canada.

[yendi]

Doctors? Hell fucking no. They're pencil pushers who embody every fucking negative stereotype of accountants. They understand medicine in the same way that I understand Swahili.

[coffeehouse.livejournal.com]

Same thing happened to me with Cigna and Aetna.

I use Zyrtec OTC. I have to take it at night though because it makes me slightly droswy. Not like Benadryl, but enough.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

The hell? I don't know anyone with serious allergies (i.e., anyone who's actually been diagnosed with allergies!) who can get away with taking Claritin.

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Me. Loratadine works just dandy for me. I get four allergy shots monthly: dust & dust mites, dogs & cats (& horses), four tree pollens, and grasses & ragweed.

I had been on several different antihistamines which worked to varying degrees, but the formula was the better they worked, the more my brain felt like a bucket of sludge. The chlortrimetron was so bad, I considered it more interfering than the allergies.

But at one very rainy Connecticut Renaissance Faire, they had spread hay all over to keep the tourists from sinking into the mud, and my face totally flushed red and my breathing became very labored. A friend handed me a (prescription, at the time) Claritin, and it cleared up within ten minutes.

However, my health plan wouldn't cover it at the time because there were generic antihistamines available which "worked".

Since then, of course, Claritin has gone off-prescription, gone generic, and I can now get it at Costco for three (3) cents per pill.

So I've been thru this bullshit before, I wholly empathize, and the fact that this medication works for me is no reason for the health plan to assume that it will work for everybody.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

OK, so there's one, LOL. I'm glad there's one!

[ckd]

Hm. I was going to say that I used to have it covered just fine as a tier 3 until it went generic and they covered fexofenadine as a tier 1, but then I remembered that MIT split the prescription coverage out from under Tufts so my experience is completely irrelevant to what Tufts will or won't cover. (And I'm not on Tufts any more anyway.)

(I hope you can find a generic formulation that works; that should at least be less expensive even if the %&@#!!s won't cover it.)

[ellyssian.livejournal.com]

I miss the days of no copay @ MIT...

(And yeah, those days have been gone since the late eighties or so... =)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

They won't cover fexofenadine, either. (That's what I've been on for the past few months.)

Doctor can apply for an exemption, but that'll only last six months, no extensions.

And loratidine doesn't work on me even a little bit. So I am stunned and growly.

[ckd]

Fecking feckity feckers.

[graydown.livejournal.com]

Are they doing that for all allergy meds, or only the antihistamines? I know I'd be up snot creek if I had to give up my fluticasone. OTC Claritin just isn't enough.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Just the antihistamines. ("For now", she says darkly.) I'm on fluticasone as well, but I need an antihistamine to deal with my non-asthma allergies.

(Watch, I'll get a letter about fluticasone on Wednesday.)

[chaoticmatter.livejournal.com]

http://www.drugdelivery.ca/

As someone who is extremely lucky (*knocks on wood*) to have no medication needs, I've never used this site. But! I know several members of my extended family (including some retired RNs) have mentioned it.

Hope that helps.

[whiskey-man.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard anything on my plan(s) about that happening, disclaimer though, I do work for a BCBS company. The most I've seen with medication is increased copays if you don't or can't use the generic.

[caerwynx.livejournal.com]

I switched from Allegra to generic Zyrtec, which works better for me. I can't find any info on when Allegra will go OTC.

I haven't used any Canukistan pharms, but I'm hoping you find one quickly.

[fiddledragon]

Does zyrtek work for 'song? It's also available OTC.

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

I get my synthroid from http://www.canadadrugs.com - check their site for the price. They're pretty easy to work with and if you order a 6- or 12-month supply up front you can save on shipping. Tell 'em I sent you!

eta: If you can't get it cheaper from Canada (sometimes you can't), call around to pharmacies for the "cash price" and see who has it for the least amount...

Has she tried Sudafed (with the semi-controlled pseudoephedrine)? That's the only allergy med that works for my husband.

[audacian.livejournal.com]

Have you tried WalMart or Target? I know they offer some cheapo prescriptions for common medicines. I think RiteAid is starting that up as well.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

WTF? People do know that allergies vary widely from person to person. For example, neither Claritin or Allegra work on me, but Zyrtec works great. Allegra works on my cousin but he can't use Zyrtec or Claritin. Actually it occurs to me that I don't know anybody who uses Claritin. Meh.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

I know it's not much, but I did just use the Change.gov form to tell Obama why I thought our health care system needed severe overhauling.

Shadesong's plight was one of a few examples in my head while I was drafting the letter.