[november]

Can anyone tell me how much their Zofran would run on a daily or weekly basis without insurance coverage?

I am really sick and have been for the past month. I've now lost 15 pounds and I don't want to lose any more. I am confined to the couch all day long--I just feel horrible.

However, DH and I don't have insurance. And I've read that Zofran is very expensive. Can anyone tell me just HOW expensive?

I really would love to give it a shot, but if it's going to cost me hundreds per month, I'm apparently just going to have to suffer. No way can we afford that. :0(

 

[Sharon RN]

Zofran (brand name) can be prohibitively expensive. However, there is generic available (odensteron? sp?) that is cheaper. Doesn't like Wal-Mart do $4 generic scrips? Or, can you qualify for medicaid?

Zofran SAVED me in my first trimester. Good luck!

 

[mysticmomma]

Mine was about $100 a week for the generic form. I should add that I was taking 8mg three times a day. It worked out to just over a dollar a pill. Make sure you do not get the ODT's.

 

[luv-my-boys]

I survived my hyperemesis pgs largely due to Zofran. It is very expensive, how expensive depends on your area pharmacies and your dosage and how frequently you need to take it. I was very fortunate to have insurance cover it. I believe for my RX it would have been (30 pills-which was not a month supply the way I took it) was over $800

I would recomend calling pharmacies in your area dn see if they will allow you to purchase a few pills at a time. I was able to buy 6 pills while my insurance authorized the RX coverage. This medication is very costly, however, I would check to see if your dr can obtain samples for you or possible has some already. I am a nurse and often pharmacies ( i have had better luck with ma-pa type pharmacies) allowing you to break the RX up. AS in get a few pills at a time especially because of the cost. Also if you have not had the RX before you probably would want to see if it *works* for you.

 

[pumpkin]

It may also be worth trying some of the other anti-nausea drugs. Many are very inexpensive.

 

[crazycandigirl]

I have been on Zofran. I have insurance, so my copay was $5 for the generic, but my receipt says "congratulations your insurance has saved you $460 on this prescription". That was for a 30 day supply. I took it once in the morning.

I actually hate Zofran.

It does keep me from actually vomiting and it did stop me from losing weight. It did nothing for my 24-7-nausea. I also had side effect problems with severe constipation and Zofran migraines. Aside from all of that I did take it for 3 months of this pregnancy to take the vomiting down from 6-9 times a day to once every few days. I managed to stop taking it at 19 weeks.

Phenergan works so much better for me in this area. It is much less expensive as well. It completely takes away all nausea and vomiting within 20 minutes. It makes me very very sleepy though, so I can only take it at night. I am still taking it in the evening (I now have mild nausea during the day, and it only gets severe around 7pm- and that time keeps getting later thank goodness).

I hope that you are feeling better soon! It can be so hard to deal with severe nausea and vomiting. It completely changes everything about every aspect of your life. It does get better! Everyday is a day closer to baby and a day closer to the end of the horrid morning sickness.

 

[Voltige]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazycandigirl I actually hate Zofran. It does keep me from actually vomiting and it did stop me from losing weight. It did nothing for my 24-7-nausea. I also had side effect problems with severe constipation and Zofran migraines. Aside from all of that I did take it for 3 months of this pregnancy to take the vomiting down from 6-9 times a day to once every few days. I managed to stop taking it at 19 weeks. Phenergan works so much better for me in this area. It is much less expensive as well. It completely takes away all nausea and vomiting within 20 minutes. It makes me very very sleepy though, so I can only take it at night. I am still taking it in the evening (I now have mild nausea during the day, and it only gets severe around 7pm- and that time keeps getting later thank goodness).

This was my experience. Zofran didn't do anything in the pill form for my nausea. When I was hospitalized, however, the IV form was AMAZING. So you definitely want to experiment to see if it works for you before spending lots of money on it.

Phenergan worked okay, as long as I didn't take it frequently. If I used it daily the effectiveness wore off. I reserved it for days I REALLY needed to function.

I think what helped me the most, on a daily basis, was the sleep aid Unisom. My Dr. and midwife both recommended I try it, and it really did help. I'd take either a half or full tablet at night about an hour before bed, and then another 1/2 the following afternoon when the nausea started to pick up again. I used it daily like this for several months.

I hope you find something that helps. The 24/7 nausea IS horrible.

 

[Aufilia]

The generics are not very expensive. My insurance was at first refusing to pay for more than 12 pills a month, which is ridiculous, and required a long paperwork process to "prove" I needed it. So when my first bottle ran out I just bought more wish cash and they were $3/pill at my grocery store pharmacy. If you went to Walmart or Target and shopped around I bet you could get 'em much cheaper.

 

[brinalicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazycandigirl Phenergan works so much better for me in this area. It is much less expensive as well. It completely takes away all nausea and vomiting within 20 minutes. It makes me very very sleepy though, so I can only take it at night. I am still taking it in the evening (I now have mild nausea during the day, and it only gets severe around 7pm- and that time keeps getting later thank goodness). I hope that you are feeling better soon! It can be so hard to deal with severe nausea and vomiting. It completely changes everything about every aspect of your life. It does get better! Everyday is a day closer to baby and a day closer to the end of the horrid morning sickness.

I take Phenergan, too, and it really helps me make it through the day. I got mine filled at Costco and I paid $3 for a 30 day supply. It does make me really sleepy, so when I have taken it during the day I pretty much have to just sleep it off. But it seems, for me anyway, like the effect is long lasting and more cumulative than immediate. I do not take it and have relief within 20 minutes, but if I take it every night I seem to do much better during the day. Like crazycandigirl said, my nausea gets really bad in the evening, but it seems like that is later and later as the days go by.

Although this is my 3rd, I have never been sick like this before. It has been very emotionally and physically draining for me, and has caused me a lot of distress in an otherwise totally healthy and normal pregnancy. I am 13 weeks now and am just starting to feel a bit better. I hope relief is just around the corner for you, too. Good luck!

 

[prettyflwrs]

have you tried B6 and Unisom?

They are cheap and pretty effective as well as safe.

 

[JollyGG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by prettyflwrs have you tried B6 and Unisom? They are cheap and pretty effective as well as safe.

I was going to suggest the same thing. Zofran actually didn't work very well for me. My problem was the nausea making it difficult to eat in the first place not vomiting. Well since the Zofran only prevented the vomiting not the nausea it didn't do much for me.

The B6 and Unisom were lifesavers. Yeah I walked around in a fog while my body adjusted to the Unisom but at least I wasn't in a fog and sick.

 

[mountaingirlbl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyGG I was going to suggest the same thing. Zofran actually didn't work very well for me. My problem was the nausea making it difficult to eat in the first place not vomiting. Well since the Zofran only prevented the vomiting not the nausea it didn't do much for me. The B6 and Unisom were lifesavers. Yeah I walked around in a fog while my body adjusted to the Unisom but at least I wasn't in a fog and sick.

I have now suffered two hyperemesis pregnancies. yuck. i used zofran during the first 12 weeks, as i was unable to stop vomiting (more than 12 times a day). but zofran didn't do a thing for the nausea. for that, definitely try B6 and unisom. they saved my life. i first took unisom three times a day, half a pill at a time plus 150 mg of B6. I was told not to take more than 200 mg while pregnant. the unisom made me zombie-like for about a week, but it was WAY better than constant nausea. now (32 weeks) i take half a unisom at night and B6 in the morning.

good luck, mama.

 

[seeing_stars]

I was on the generic (8mg 3x/day) and on my receipt from the pharmacy it would say "your insurance saved you $1600"

I am happy that I didn't have to pay all of that, but DANG, that is so expensive!

Zofran kept me from vomiting, but did not kill my nausea in pill form, it only really worked for me when I had it administered through a pump.

 

[chi_mama]

around here generic Zofran runs about $8/pill for 4 mg to $12/pill for 8mg. Brand name is like $30-$50/pill.
It's not included in the $4 generic programs that the pharmacies in my area offer.

 

[Talula Fairie]

Zofran's manufacturer has a program for people who can't afford it, just FYI. Check their website or call the company.

 

[mamarootoo]

yeah... i think it is about $40/pill w/out insurance.

 

[rosedoe]

Zofran didn't really help me. They had to send a nurse out to my house to give me an IV at home. Not fun. I lost 15 lbs my first trimester and I've finally gained two pounds I'm at week 16 now. I'm still sick a lot of the time, but it seems like the Zofran is finally helping me. I dunno how much it costs. Mine was like $12.00 for a two week twice a day supply, but I got the generic and I have insurance. Good luck! I know how much it sucks to be that sick.

 

[mags]

The pharmacy accidentally rang up my generic Zofran w/o my insurance. It was $115 for 30 pills. My DH paid it w/o batting an eye and then of course when he came home and I found out how much he was charged, he called back and we realized the pharmacy never asked for my insurance info. With our insurance it ends up being a $10 co-pay for 30 pills (8mg).

Unisom works too, although it might make you feel groggy, but it's cheap and OTC. Phenergan is another one that may help and it is MUCH cheaper than generic zofran.

 

[mags]

Oh and like a pp. The zofran does not take away my nausea. It just decreases the # of times I vomit. I still feel pretty sick most of the day. However, at least I am only down to vomiting 1-2x a day vs. 6-8x a day w/o it.

 

[Cynthia78]

Being pregnant, the morning sickness is horribe! I leave my dissolving Zofran on my night stand so before I get out of bed in the morning I take one and I am set for the whole day! If not, I barely make it to the kitchen for my decaf coffee without spewing up a whole lot of nothing. I love this medicine. The only downside is that it tastes horrible, but it dissolves so fast it is MUCH better than the alternative.
I buy generic Zofran. I get 60 x 8mg pills for $59.