Well crap (exemestane)

Nancy2581

now I know why not a lot of people are on exemestane (aromasin). $60 for a 30 day supply and that’s with insurance. Out of pocket CVS said $499. Holy cow. Those of you who take it may I ask what you pay?

Thanks

Nanc

exbrnxgrl

I pay $15.00 for a 30 day supply and I take a generic not the Aromasin brand name. I just went on Medicare but I was paying that amount prior to Medicare as well.

Nancy2581

exbrnxgrl - lucky you. I will be paying $60 for 30 days and that's the generic. I paid $2.16 for letrozole, but still convinced it was the letrozole that shot my cholesterol up so I'd rather pay the $60

exbrnxgrl

nancy,

I belong to an all inclusive HMO, and did before Medicare as well, so my whole medical/prescription coverage works a bit differently than most traditional insurance in the US. Are there ways to shop around for better prices or can you contact the manufacturer to see if they have discount programs?

Nancy2581

possibly I’ve been checking into any coupons that might work. My oncologist is running the BCI test on me to see if I even need to continue with an AI. Fingers crossed I get to stop. Should know in about 4 weeks so they sa

gb2115

I'm going to be starting exemestane here in a couple of months once my ovarian suppression kicks in. I'm pretty sure I saw it was no cost. My Cigna plan through work has a list of preventative meds that are free. My tamoxifen was always free through them. I know that's not typical probably. That said, my out of pocket is going up and other things are about to cost more, unfortunately.

sunshinegal

Would GoodRx be worth checking? I haven't used the app myself but it sounds like people do get better prices through it for a variety of meds.

Betrayal

Under my previous prescription insurance, I paid nothing for exemestane. Now under Medicare, my prescription plan (not through Medicare though but through husband's ex-employer) charges me $47 for a 90 day supply and this is the generic version from Breckinridge. However, after 2 failed attempts, in the past 5 years, with other AI's due to severe side effects, I'll gladly pay for it for the next 1.5 to 4.5 years (7 or 10 years total). I don't know why it is so expensive for even the generic versions but found out during a recent hospitalization that it is non-formulary due to cost and had to bring in my supply from home.

HersheyKiss

In my area, GoodRx offers home delivery through GeniusRx. For exemestane, a 30-day supply costs $32 with free shipping.

marinochka

I have Cigna and it is much less(generic) in CVS.

Nancy2581

thanks everyone. I have Blueshield of CA. I may check goodrx, thanks for the tip

Moderators

Hi Nancy -- here are some other resources that may be useful to you!

• AARP offers discounts on prescriptions to members.
• BenefitsCheckUp helps people 55 and older find public and private programs that can help them pay for medicines and other needs. The site is a service of the National Council on Aging.
• CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, 1-866-552-6729, offers financial assistance with insurance co-pays and medicine costs. The foundation is affiliated with CancerCare, an organization that offers support services for people diagnosed with cancer.
• HealthWell Foundation offers financial assistance with medication costs, insurance co-pays, and premiums for people diagnosed with specific diseases, including breast cancer.
• NeedyMeds, 1-800-503-6897, is an organization that offers information on a number of programs that help pay for medicines. NeedyMeds only provides information — the organization doesn't help with specific problems.
• The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, 1-888-477-2669, helps people without prescription coverage find assistance programs to help them get the medicines they need.
• The Patient Access Network Foundation, 1-866-316-7263, offers financial assistance to people who can't pay for treatment. To be eligible for the breast cancer fund, you must have health insurance.
• Patient Advocate Foundation Co-Pay Relief Assistance Program, 1-866-512-3861, helps people with insurance pay for the medicines and treatments they need.

We hope this helps!

--The Mods

Nancy2581

thank you

Trishyla

Great info on financial resources for cancer patients, mods. Could you please make this a permanent thread of its' own? So many people are hurting right now that this info is vital to get out to the community.

Thanks. Trish

GradyStubs2022

I had changed up my company provided health insurance forseeing the meds. Prior to that I found that GoodRx was always way less expensive than even my co pay. Go to the app and check and if its too expensive ck to see if you can switch

exbrnxgrl

Yikes! I made a mistake in my earlier post . I pay $15.00 for a 90:day supply, about $6.00 mont

Nancy, there has got to be a cheaper route for you somehow. I hope some of the resources help as it seems as if those who have posted are paying far less than you were quoted.

Nancy2581

I looked at Goodrx, some pharmacies are cheaper. Have all of my prescriptions at CVS. Costco I think was $48. I’ll check around more. I was thinking maybe so high because I live in California, but I see you exbrnxgrl live in CA as well. So maybe I just have crappy insurance

exbrnxgrl

I haven’t had traditional insurance in decades. I have been with Kaiser Permanente forever and since you’re also in CA you are probably somewhat familiar with them. Their prescription drug prices are excellent and their pharmacies have low prices on OTC drugs as well.

Nancy2581

my brother has Kaiser. He lives in the Bay Area. My neighbor is a pediatrician here in San Diego at Kaiser lol. I have Blue Shield of CA and they are usually great with generics. Just not this one

ajminn3

I have had luck getting my exemestene from express scripts. I’ve been paying $26 for a 3 month supply. When I first started it I was just going through Walgreens (my regular pharmacy for years) and paying $400 for a 3 month supply.

HersheyKiss

Something great about Costco pharmacies is that you don't have to be a Costco member to get your prescriptions filled there.

wondering44

Thanks for sending me to the sites. My out of pocket until I meet my deductible is $377 for a 30-day supply of Letrozole at Walgreens. I can get a 90-day supply from Costco for $20.99 and have it shipped to my house. I will take that savings!

Margun

am on letrozole for 2 years and I was diagnosed recently with osteoporosis despite taking calcium and vitamin D. By my doctor advise I am taking bisphosphonate now. But in sève emails here I see that there is a lot of reticence taking this med. I am too tired of taking meds, chimiothérapie already made me feel older, but besides that there is a specific concern related to bisphosphonates. It there any other choice given that all anti hormones have se?

My hope is that if by my next bone density measurement, in a year, all be better and I can stop it. But it is just a hope and I like to here from you your suggestions. I try exercise everyday (moderate such as walking stretching).

Sam2U

I use Express Scripts for Exemestane and pay a $30 copay for a 90 day script.

Margun

Exemestane is another brand of letrozole? No se on this drug? How long you were on it? T

gb2115

Exemestane and letrozole are different medications

exbrnxgrl

margin,

Here are the AI’s, both brand and chemical name. All can contribute to bone loss. Bisphosphonates have some serious, though not high frequency, side effects such as spontaneous femur fracture and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ)

Aromatase Inhibitors

• Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole)
• Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane)
• Femara (chemical name: letrozole)

Margun

thank you for the info about Bisphosphonates. There is a better alternative to it to fight osteoporosis?

exbrnxgrl

margun,

Because of the downsides to bisphosphonates I was only on one, Aredia which is not used much in the US anymore, for three years. After my mo took me off of it I worked on increasing bone density through diet, lots of walking, and a 15 minute sunbath for Vitamin D, weather permitting . I live in Northern California so even when it’s chilly we often have strong bright sunshine. Many members take calcium supplements too.

Margun

i have occasional bpressure drops. While doing my chores it happens that I become dizzy and feel lying down. I do not know if the Letrozole is doing it. Before BC I did not have this problem. I went through chimio and herceptin. Perhaps they had their effects on my heart? Anyone has pressure drops and what you do to prevent?

muska

Speaking of biphosphnates I want to mention serious side effects mentioned above are extremely rare and occur in patients who are stage IV and take them in different dosages and circumstances.

Newer drugs like Prolia not only improve bone density but provide an additional benefit of reducing the risk of bone mets. I was on Prolia for four years without any side effects and with excellent bone density improvement