Trouble paying for my abilify

My co-pay for abilify went up over 1000% in 2014 from $40 to $480. I used a savings card from the manufacturer, but when I refill it in 3 weeks, I will have to pay $330 because the reimbursement amount is a maximum of $150. I can make some cutbacks (I live alone and don't have a family of my own), but $3960 a year is still a huge chunk of change. If I didn't have insurance at all I would get it cheaper.

The problem? It seems to be the only one that's working. Before I went on it in December, I was frequently entertaining passive suicidal thoughts and struggling to get out of bed on non-work days. (This had been going on for 18 months). I see that seroquel is a similar drug that does have a generic, but I have read horror stories about the weight gain and I am already starting to gain some weight on abilify. I filed an appeal with my insurance company telling them of my suicidal thoughts before taking this drug, but I am sure it will go nowhere so I am preparing myself now.

Has anyone here tried the psych central card for abilify, and how much did you end up saving? I understand the procedure - you have to have the prescription processed without going through insurance. The retail price of the drug without insurance is approx. $900. So if the savings don't go below $330, it's not worth it anyway. Thanks for reading.

Wow, that's messed up how much it costs! I had the same problem when my dr prescribed it for me last year . There was no way I could afford it, so I just went back on my old meds.
I took seroquel for a little while, and I definitely gained some weight with it
I think that's pretty typical with anti-psychotics unfortunately
I'm sure you could ask your pharmacy to not process it through your insurance, if you can get it cheaper with a discount card .
Good luck!

I don't know if this would be an option for you, but from what I've been told by a few friends I have living in the US near the US-Canada border, it's considerably cheaper for them to come up here to Canada to get prescriptions filled.

There's more government regulations on drug prices here apparently. Technically there is online pharmacies you could probably deal with too, however personally I'm leery when it comes to buying drugs online.

Sorry you had to go back on your old meds.
Yep, I just want to eat carbs, carbs, and more carbs all the time...same thing happened to me on Paxil. Sigh.

Thanks for the suggestion. My mother actually lives near the border but I am sure she's not making that trip, LOL. I've seen tons of those websites for Canadian drugs too, I've always wondered how reputable that is.

Are you comfortable with calling the manufacturer? I'm thinking this is going to happen with plans that changed as of the 1st of the year. So if you understand what's behind those coupons you might be able to get them to cover it. Basically they provide them because they want the market share. It's more important than getting the full amount from the insurance company. Kind of makes you wonder how much they really need to charge for it Call them up and ask if they'll cover a bigger portion so that you don't have to switch to another med. Worst they can do is say no.

As far as the drug cards go... That is a different arrangement with pharmacies. It has to do with volume... Can't remember all of it. It is unlikely you will get a big discount however different cards cover different meds. The best thing to do is grab a few of them and take them in. Your pharmacy will probably be able to store the digitally and automatically use the lowest. That's how my pharmacy and Walgreens does it.

At least make sure you save those receipts. You can probably deduct some of it.

Shouldn't abilify be available generic in 2015? That's something anyway.

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Yes I did call them. They said no

from abilify's wikipedia:

Patent status

Otsuka's US patent on aripiprazole expires on October 20, 2014;[72] however, due to a pediatric extension, a generic will not become available until at least April 20, 2015.[70] Barr Laboratories (now Teva Pharmaceuticals) initiated a patent challenge under the Hatch-Waxman Act in March 2007.[73] On November 15, 2010, this challenge was rejected by a United States district court in New Jersey.[1][2]

I can sympathize...Each morning when I take my Abilify it amazes me that the stuff costs $30 for a single tablet. Hard to believe.

Talk to the doctor to see if they can help out with free samples.My Pdoc did this for a couple meds for me and helped me get through the paperwork to get it free from the manuf.

Also, for a lot of drugs that aren't generic yet you can get free through certain programs. I don't know which ones are in your area a local low cost counseling clinic would probably know

I had to go off Abilify due to cost when my insurance ran out. Even though I now have insurance the copays are outragous if it's not generic, so I want be going back on it soon. It's a shame because on it was the last time I felt good. I've been depressed since Oct a year ago and nothing is bringing me back up.

It makes me so angry that our government won't allow us to negotiate jointly as a nation the way I understand it is done is socialized medicine. I also don't understand what on Earth is so wrong with socialism. It seems like a more stable system to me... I am not adequately medicated to control my symptoms, which are systematically destroying my life right now. I'm pretty angry that we have fallen through the cracks of the "affordable" care act.

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I attended one of the initial public meetings that help the administration design aca originally. I was pleasantly surprised that there were also some republicans, the head of the libertarian party in my state and a lot of different international experiences. The conservatives did have some valid points against universal care (mostly small business concerns) however just about everybody wanted a single payer system which would allow negotiable prices.

It really isn't socialism. It has socialist elements at best. That is a spin. However there are experts who feel the us is heading towards a unique flavor of social democracy. Conservative fight it and slow it down but programs like Medicare and aca are evidence.

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Why should small businesses care if everybody's health gets taken care of? The way they did it, it's the people working to make those small businesses work that ended up getting left behind. We don't get help with coverage, and we can't afford the ridiculous plans being offered to us ($428/month with a $7,500/$15,000 deductible!)
If everyone wanted a single-payer system then why didn't we get that?


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Why didn't we get that... Two party system I was only part of many groups throughout the country and most participants were liberal.

Business with 50 or under don't have to buy insurance for their employees. If they did the plans would probably atrocious (like one company I worked for) or more expensive then 428. My counter was that as somebody with a preexisting condition it was prohibitive for me to start my own business because at the time no insurance company would insure me.

The single payer was never going to work because there is too much support for private insurance. You can't do a single payer unless literally everyone participates. You can't have it both ways.

Btw, a big percent of people adopting it are young and healthy. Also employed 30/40 something's who don't want to be tied to company insurance. It's a great bargaining chip not to be dependent on company insurance. Keep watching that number because as that stays up the ability to lower rates goes up.

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My doctor gave me some free samples but I also was given a card to get one month free and each month after its $25. I did have a packet of info with it, but I'm not sure where I put it. Try calling 1888-9-Abilify and asking them for the card.

Those are the coupons. They cover what your insurance with a cap. If your insurance doesn't cover it at all you are still liable for retail less the cap. Retail is over 400. That's the problem.

I would have to have expended all other options before I would try a pill like that for the simple fact that I work contract and my insurance can change quite frequently.

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There is a website called Goodrx.com. It gives you the prices of drugs within a specific radius and it gives you options on how to buy them for less

that's crazy!

I am on zoloft, and when I went to get it filled at CVS the other day, my copay AFTER my insurance paid was going to be over $50 (I take 150mg/day). I called Wal-Mart and the price without insurance was only $15. Uh...crazy.

I wish there was a generic option for you. I have considered ordering some of my medications from Canada. Some of them can be much cheaper. Especially if they have a generic that the US does not.

$400??? Is that for a month? I pay $23.23 for 7 2mg pills and that is without insurance.