General Discussion

MineralMan

(151,728 posts)

68. And that's your option.

Wed Mar 19, 2014, 04:10 PM

Mar 2014

There are many prescription medications, however, for which there is no OTC generic equivalent. I can think of two, right now. I take two medications to control my blood pressure. Neither are available OTC. Both are generics and cost me almost nothing. They work great, have no side effects that I can notice, and do what they were prescribed for.

One is a calcium channel blocker, and the other is a beta blocker. I take very low doses of each, and together, they have completely normalized my BP.

If you have found an OTC medication that does what you need, that's great. However, that isn't possible for everyone. That's why we have doctors and prescription medication. It's the doctor's job to determine which medication you need. I don't have the expertise to self-prescribe. I doubt you have the expertise to prescribe for me, either. That's why I visit my doctor periodically.

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Why Pharmaceutical Formularies Exist. [View all] MineralMan Mar 2014 OP

Argument for socialized pharmaceutical industry PowerToThePeople Mar 2014 #1

It certainly is one of the arguments for that. MineralMan Mar 2014 #3

Do we really want Congressional hearings on drug research? theboss Mar 2014 #7

I think we would benefit from a government owned corporation that manufactures drugs. hedgehog Mar 2014 #66

I've been thinking the same thing. Or at least invents the drugs and patents them. pnwmom Mar 2014 #74

It's my impression that much of the research that results in new drugs is actually funded hedgehog Mar 2014 #77

It IS. And you've been reading my mind again! Why should we fund the initial stages of the research pnwmom Mar 2014 #79

And the rest of the world gets the drug cheaper than Americans even though Auntie Bush Mar 2014 #96

Right. It's a crazy system. n/t pnwmom Mar 2014 #97

Well written mcar Mar 2014 #2

Thanks. I'm afraid it might be too long for many people MineralMan Mar 2014 #4

Or, something that completely fails to address ... 1StrongBlackMan Mar 2014 #46

That's always the case, though. MineralMan Mar 2014 #50

True ... 1StrongBlackMan Mar 2014 #93

k&r ty for writing this especially questionseverything Mar 2014 #101

I was going to write something like this theboss Mar 2014 #5

Personally, I want a single-payer system, or MineralMan Mar 2014 #8

I think that is generally where the solution is theboss Mar 2014 #10

All this nonsense... MineralMan Mar 2014 #13

Didn't mean to offend theboss Mar 2014 #20

No offense taken. MineralMan Mar 2014 #41

Does her care improve her quality of life, or just the length of it? hedgehog Mar 2014 #60

Great summary and analysis naturallyselected Mar 2014 #6

Thanks for your reply! MineralMan Mar 2014 #9

Very informative post - thanks! nt Sarah Ibarruri Mar 2014 #11

Thanks for taking the time to read it. MineralMan Mar 2014 #14

just make this clear.... Sheepshank Mar 2014 #12

Well, I think a lot of people are not familiar with MineralMan Mar 2014 #17

your reasonable explanation is appreciated Sheepshank Mar 2014 #52

My pleasure. MineralMan Mar 2014 #54

... redqueen Mar 2014 #23

tldr NCTraveler Mar 2014 #15

I know. I knew it was too long when I wrote it, MineralMan Mar 2014 #18

Large amount of good information in a short post. NCTraveler Mar 2014 #26

It should not be up to insurance companies to decide which med I need. Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #16

So, they should be forced to pay for anything the doctor wants to give you? theboss Mar 2014 #21

One of my meds costs 1200 a month. Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #98

In an ideal world, you'd be right. But, it's not MineralMan Mar 2014 #22

Do you trust the doctor at the insurance company more than your own? Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #99

I used to think that, until I saw what some minor modifications to a drug might cost. Hoyt Mar 2014 #64

Like I said, if the insurance companies have a problem paying.... Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #100

Ok, you can buy the "we cover any and everything" plan, I'll stick with Kaiser. Hoyt Mar 2014 #103

Cool? Not everyone is as healthy as you, I suppose. Don't worry though... Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #104

Hah, your premium will be a lot more than mine. I'll take my generics, Hoyt Mar 2014 #105

It's funny because you actually already help pay for my premiums and deductible. Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #106

Generics, limits on self-refferals, formularies, etc., are not limiting care. Hoyt Mar 2014 #107

Not all medications have generic equivalents. Gravitycollapse Mar 2014 #109

If there is no generic or equivalent, you are good. Hoyt Mar 2014 #110

No one is in favor of "taking away your medications" theboss Mar 2014 #111

It surprises me that all Drugs require the approval of the FDA to come to market. dilby Mar 2014 #19

The other side of that is: What happens to research and development if the profit motive is gone? theboss Mar 2014 #25

That's a real issue. MineralMan Mar 2014 #29

Well, a lot of research is federally funded theboss Mar 2014 #31

Most federally funded research, though MineralMan Mar 2014 #37

Actually ... 1StrongBlackMan Mar 2014 #69

Thanks. I'll look into that in more depth. MineralMan Mar 2014 #71

This is a starting point ... 1StrongBlackMan Mar 2014 #94

I have no problem with a company turning profit. dilby Mar 2014 #32

That's not the FDA's job, and they can't actually do that. MineralMan Mar 2014 #27

Thankyou, MM. Was a good read. n/t Whisp Mar 2014 #24

Thanks. I hope it was informative. MineralMan Mar 2014 #28

Highly Recommended! HuckleB Mar 2014 #30

Now I'm blushing... MineralMan Mar 2014 #35

thanks! Voice for Peace Mar 2014 #33

Thank you for the kind words, and thanks to MineralMan Mar 2014 #34

For the curious, muriel volestrangler explained the UK model well here steve2470 Mar 2014 #36

Thank you. I'll head over and read it. MineralMan Mar 2014 #38

. ProSense Mar 2014 #39

Wish I could rec this more than once. MADem Mar 2014 #40

Thanks for the rec. MineralMan Mar 2014 #42

not according to the NIH magical thyme Mar 2014 #43

That's a hospital formulary. MineralMan Mar 2014 #45

your title says 'pharmaceutical formulary' magical thyme Mar 2014 #49

I think I made that pretty clear in the post. MineralMan Mar 2014 #51

it doesn't clarify that insurance company formularies and hospital formularies are not the same magical thyme Mar 2014 #56

It doesn't do a lot of things. It's not a book. MineralMan Mar 2014 #59

a single word change would clarify a *fundamental* point of confusion magical thyme Mar 2014 #61

If you read the first line of the first paragraph, MineralMan Mar 2014 #63

you wrote that they "use formularies." Using is not the same thing as creating. magical thyme Mar 2014 #65

Every insurance company and healthcare system creates its own formulary. MineralMan Mar 2014 #78

my goal was stated in my initial post. magical thyme Mar 2014 #82

I'm sorry you were confused. MineralMan Mar 2014 #84

LOL. Pretty much the best response ever. phleshdef Mar 2014 #85

Thanks. MineralMan Mar 2014 #86

Look, you'll need to use the word F**K a lot more ... JoePhilly Mar 2014 #44

I f**king generally f**king eschew using that f**king word. MineralMan Mar 2014 #47

that, and mention how your drunken bar brawl language geek tragedy Mar 2014 #48

F**Kin A right. JoePhilly Mar 2014 #53

Very informative. bravenak Mar 2014 #55

Thanks for reading it. MineralMan Mar 2014 #57

maybe MOST people want "the latest whiz-bang medication" hfojvt Mar 2014 #58

When I worked in hospital contracting, our theory was "We want to be #2" theboss Mar 2014 #62

And that's your option. MineralMan Mar 2014 #68

I listen recently and found the reason drugs in the US is much Thinkingabout Mar 2014 #67

Good point. MineralMan Mar 2014 #70

Actually, insurers who administer Part D Medicare drug coverage do negotiate drug prices. Hoyt Mar 2014 #72

Very informative bpositive Mar 2014 #73

I appreciate your comment! MineralMan Mar 2014 #75

Great post, Mineral Man. Thanks for putting the recent discussions into much needed context. n/t pnwmom Mar 2014 #76

It simply occurred to me that most people aren't aware MineralMan Mar 2014 #80

It's especially surprising when otherwise smart and informed people aren't aware. pnwmom Mar 2014 #81

There's too much stuff to know. That's the problem. MineralMan Mar 2014 #83

I had a similar job for a time. pnwmom Mar 2014 #87

That's pretty much what I've done all my life. MineralMan Mar 2014 #88

How fun! pnwmom Mar 2014 #89

Los Osos, CA MineralMan Mar 2014 #95

K&R Dr Hobbitstein Mar 2014 #90

Good OP - TBF Mar 2014 #91

Good OP and thread treestar Mar 2014 #92

A great read, MM. longship Mar 2014 #102

Thanks to everyone who read this post. MineralMan Mar 2014 #108