Price of ADHD Medication: A Concerning Trend
ByAs the economy’s downturn is affecting businesses and families alike – it seems that Big Pharma has a plan to keep themselves thriving in this economy.
Quite simply: Raise prices.
A news report shares that Big Pharma are raising their prices to improve their income. Included in the example is Eli Lilly’s Strattera – a non-stimulant medication for ADHD.
I’m not sure if the same thing is happening with other ADHD medications, which are manufactured by other companies.
This is a very concerning trend – especially as people may be under-insured, or uninsured. The medication costs are often prohibitive – and if one needs the medication to survive at work and to keep one’s income, this can be quite a bind.
What has your experience been? Have the costs of your prescription gone up?
Please share your comments below.
** As further explanation – the information above refers to prices in the US. I have recently published two articles showing that the trend in Canada is that in fact the prices are coming down – particularly for Strattera and Adderall XR. You can read more details here: Strattera Price Drop in Canada, and Adderall XR Price Drop in Canada.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
What a shocker: pharmaceutical companies raising prices as if the expanding markets they penetrate does not generate enough cash. One day, we will be watching a movie similar to “The Insider,” except it will be the pharmaceutical industry that will be exposed as fraudulent.
Don
I don’t work for the pharma industry. I have a 6 year old son with autism just starting Strattera. My copay is $20 for one month supply. If I lose my job, I’ve heard that it costs $200 for one month supply (30 tablets of 10 mg, maybe more).
I for one am grateful Ely Lilly did their research and ponioed up the dough to take out out ridiculous insurance policies so that they could get Strattera trialed, approved and released for medical use. I don’t like the rising cost of medicines. I’m fortunate because I earn sufficient income and I rent. If elected officials can bail out mis-managed banks, and subsidize the payrolls of both themselves and the incompetent bank managers, and then find time to subsidize financially illiterate “homedebtors” in America, then maybe taxpaying citizens like me are not out of line to request some subsidy for the extortionate costs of medicine a little bit more.
But I’m not going to stand here and say the pharma companies are completely evil. There are as evil as a grocery store owner trying to make a profit. Do I get pissed off that a tomato costs $2.00 at that corner grocery because I’m hungry? No. Lilly has patents on Strattera and isn’t allowing generics to be made under license that would drive down prices (and perhaps quality). OK, so we know how it works. Could the government step in and subsidize Lilly for some lost revenues by licensing for generics? Maybe yes.
The last thing I want though is for the US government to think it knows what it’s doing, getting its mits all over the pharma industry, unless such mits positively motivates new research, drives down drug costs (reducing pharma liabilities, but maintaining pharma responsibilities).
So far so good on the Strattera, by the way.
I have been taking Adderall XR (20mg) for about 6 years. For the first 4 years, I paid $50 for a one month supply, with which I was fine. Then, without notification of any sort, my insurance company stopped covering ALL medications for mental health, which includes Adderall. That shot the cost up to $250 for a month’s supply. I soon switched insurance companies, only to find that I still had to pay $250 a month for my medication. The only difference is that the Walgreens bag with my bottle of pills says “Your insurance saved you $110.” So obviously I was thrilled to learn that there is a generic version. I got that instead when I refilled my prescription this week. The cost was about $20 less, it doesn’t work nearly as well and it gives me awful stomachaches. I’m at the point where I can’t refill my prescription every month, and my work and school performance without it is abysmal. So do I think they charge too much for ADHD medication? Yes. Yes I do.
- Sorry for not being very constructive. I needed to vent.
Go to your room and take your meds, Don. We’ve heard enough of your self-medicating, oppositionally-defiant anti-pharma theories. Really, just take your meds. You’ll feel better and see what it’s like to think clearly.
I’ve been tracking the cost of my Concerta medication for over a year. Each 90 day prescription carries an average 7% price increase. Dosage does not matter – 18mg costs nearly the same as 54 mg. Too bad it is a controlled substance or I could buy say a year’s supply in January and sell it in December for a handsome 24% profit. This beats all my current investments.
Apparently the patent is for dosing method and does not expire until 2018, and then I’m sure a strategic campaign contribution will extend it for another unknown period (we have THE best money government can buy and the stupidest population on the planet).
Gabrielsdad will not call them evil, but I certainly will. And GREEDY.
The fact is that most other governments like Canada and those in Europe negotiate prices while we (US citizens)get to make up the difference so that Alza and parent Corp Johnson & Johnson execs continue to receive obscene salaries and bonuses. Walter is obviously one of these individuals.
it is absolutely ridiculous, there is no regulations and no alternative they name their price and your stuck what do they care
My 8 year old son has been on Strattera 25mg for a little over a year now. He has gone from being an “at risk” student to straight A’s! Our Dr. recently increased his dose to 30mg and of course the only way to get that dose is to take 3 – 10mg capsules.
I couldn’t fill the prescription because it was over $400 for a month! We have insurance and my husband and I have decent jobs, therefore we are not eligible for any pharmecutical assistance programs. I am at a loss of what to do. Any suggestions or information that anyone can share would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Desiree,
I suggest you talk to your doctor about getting doses for your son which are single pills daily – i.e. 25 mg, or 40 mg. Instead of 30 mg per day, maybe 28 mg would suffice – i.e. a 10 mg plus an 18 mg. At least that’s two pills rather than 3 pills. The best solution is to review this with your doctor to find the best dose at a price you can afford!
Best,
Dr. Kenny
http://www.safeadhdmedication.com
Dr. Hadelman,
Thank you for the response. I actually thought of that myself and called the pharmacy to see what the cost would be for 28mg. The price is the exact same for a 10mg capsule, 18mg capsule, and a 25mg capsule. So, it is going to be $283 a month, which is far better than $400, but still a lot!
Our insurance is 80/20 up to $500 out of pocket and then 100% up to $1,500 and then we are on our own. So, $283 is going to be doable. I fear we are going to be in this predicament for a while though. At least until he is up to 40mg and able to take one capsule daily again.
Our 4 year old son is following in his foot steps. I don’t know what we will do if we have two children on this medication at the same time! We have some time before that will be an issue, but it is a really scary thought.
i don;t get it. we aren[t allowed to discipline anymore so lets just
turn our kids into zombies. another goverment control plan so no one
in thirty years will be awake long enough to think for themselves.
I used to be covered under Shire’s patient assistance plan for Adderall XR. Then Shire released Vyvanse and, without giving any advance notice, eliminated their patient assistance program for Adderall. When I went to fill my prescription that month, I was told I would have to switch over to this new medicine, even though the warnings clearly state that I cannot take it due to a drug interaction. I wrote Shire, explaining the issue, hoping they would reinstate even a portion of their program for those who cannot take this new drug, but their response was a coupon to try Vyvanse.
I cannot afford Adderall XR, so now I work two jobs to afford the non-extended generic version. Even so, I have to make my monthly prescription last 2-3 months if I want to eat and pay my rent.
I work at the bottom rung in society and it’s hard, because I have a very high IQ and, if properly medicated, could do so very much more. How many people does our government and big business throw away every year with its selfish, short sighted thinking? I live in a state where most doctors refuse to prescribe stimulants at all, so fighting to survive is a daily battle that leaves little room for anything else. The law gives those with physical disabilities far greater protection than those with mental ones. I pray someday that will change.
I can’t speak to Adderall prices, per se, but in general, try Cost-Co, Walmart, and/or K-Mart or even Target pharmacies. You’ll need a prescription in advance (ask your doctor to pre-date them), and order ahead of time. You don’t need a Cost-Co card to order from their pharmacy. Exact same generics as Walgreens for 1/3–1/4th the price!
Hope this info. helps…; )