Claratin OVER THE COUNTER & $1 off coupon starts 12/11!!!

[flythunderbird]

Originally posted by: spazola
i am screwed, i take 1 claratin d 24 every day for hives. i have no choice but to take it everyday and rite now with aetna i pay $6.00 for 100 threw there mail order.:|

$6 for 100 tablets? Wow. You've got it good. My insurance co. recently clamped down on my Claritin D prescription. When the doctor writes a three-month maintenance prescription, the insurance co. lops one month off the prescription(and still charges me the same amount! :disgust: ) and the call it "subject to limits," which means they have to pay for another doctor visit. Are they saving anything? Nope. I pay $35 a prescription right now through mail order. Hate to see what that's going to be in January. I checked into the Canadian route, but they were more expensive than mail order pharmacy ...

I hope the generic Claritin D is good. I have a terrible history with generics ... can't seem to get any of them to work for me, even though they're supposedly the same thing ...

Allegra sucks. Doesn't do a thing for me.

 

[Kevin]

Originally posted by: flythunderbird

Originally posted by: spazola
i am screwed, i take 1 claratin d 24 every day for hives. i have no choice but to take it everyday and rite now with aetna i pay $6.00 for 100 threw there mail order.:|

$6 for 100 tablets? Wow. You've got it good. My insurance co. recently clamped down on my Claritin D prescription. When the doctor writes a three-month maintenance prescription, the insurance co. lops one month off the prescription(and still charges me the same amount! :disgust: ) and the call it "subject to limits," which means they have to pay for another doctor visit. Are they saving anything? Nope. I pay $35 a prescription right now through mail order. Hate to see what that's going to be in January. I checked into the Canadian route, but they were more expensive than mail order pharmacy ...

I hope the generic Claritin D is good. I have a terrible history with generics ... can't seem to get any of them to work for me, even though they're supposedly the same thing ...

Allegra sucks. Doesn't do a thing for me.

My Migraine medicine is $10 a pack -> 3 pills.When we first got it, we filled the prescription at CVS and the INS wouldn't cover all of it, we had to pay like $40. I did the math, and the 6 pills were like $150. INS will only fill the prescription mail-order and sends two packs totalling 6 pills at $20 like ever 1.5 months or something stupid like that. Lucky I don't get migraines often...

 

[schmeckp]

From claritin.com - the OTC stuff will be the same strength as perscription.

++schmeckp

 

[nebula]

I agree about the drug reps. My wife used to love to see the drug rep. come in. She'd come home with various trinkets and stuff, the office would get taken out to lunch... Now she works for a insurance company, which she says are even worse! We tried to refill a scrip once and they wouldn't because it was ONE DAY too soon. But that's a whole other story...

Generic drugs - My wife and mother-in-law will not get generic drugs. When they get a scrip, they have the Dr. specify brand name only. My MIL explained it to me like this, (she's a nurse), while they may have the same active ingredient in them, they can use different "fillers", this can cause it to react with your system differently. This also burns me about insurance companies. My scrip says "brand name only" and they look confused when I reinforce it. Right on my insurance card it specifies how much my co-pay is for non-generic, but the pharmacy still gives me a hard time about it. Crap, it's my money. I also know that many pharmacies don't even stock brand name, arrrgh!

/rant off

 

[HarryK]

Originally posted by: yellowfiero

Originally posted by: jcrash
Actually, none of them work as well as benadryl (clinically proven), but they don't want the public to know that.

Plus, some people find benadryl sedating (for others it is like caffeine).

Man, benadryl knocks you out cold. Some doctors recommend it for sleeping pills.

I didn't know that Drs actually recommended it for that, but that's what it's used for in my house. Need to sleep like the dead? Take a Benadryl.

 

[Analog]

Claratin fought tooth and nail not to allow this to go OTC. Their own fault if you ask me, they've been touting about how these are just like sugar pills... Well, if they are , then why not OTC?????????????????????????????

 

[carmann]

Originally posted by: Dznuts007

$20 for 20 pills ain't too bad consider what it used to cost before they were going to go OTC. I think a month's supply cost around $70 bucks or more...

That's if you didn't have insurance to pick up part of the cost. $20 for 30 pills with insurance is better than $20 for 20 OTC.

btw...in next Sundays paper there's supposed to be a coupon for Claritin.

 

[jaybert]

I saw claritin up on the shelves today @ Wegmans here in Rochester, NY. I think it was going for like ~$5.99 for the small box. I didnt bother to see how long that was suppose to last.

 

[Ionizer]

Anyone else think that the whole idea of "allergies" was done by some drug company many many years ago?

Take the trees that didn't make people allergic and the flowers and what not and splice them with the ones that do until all your planting is ones that cause allergies.. Than develop medicine to cure..


Did this many people really have "allergies" way back in say 1950?
I surely don't remember people talking about it the way we all do now.
Fuggin allergies in NJ suck.

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: Ionizer
Anyone else think that the whole idea of "allergies" was done by some drug company many many years ago?

Take the trees that didn't make people allergic and the flowers and what not and splice them with the ones that do until all your planting is ones that cause allergies.. Than develop medicine to cure..


Did this many people really have "allergies" way back in say 1950?
I surely don't remember people talking about it the way we all do now.
Fuggin allergies in NJ suck.

That's actually a very good point, and covered by science. So it goes that since indoors are a lot more clean than say 50+ years ago, meaning we have filtered air, a/c etc these days. But also, it prevents our immune systems to be exposed to allergens at an early age, so we don't ever develop systematic immunity to these allergens. So when we go outside and are exposed, our body reacts with an allergic response.

Back 100 years ago when our society was mostly agricultural, and we didn't have hvac/filtered air, the allergy thing was much less prevalent.

Raise your kids on the farm dude!

 

[Kevin]

Originally posted by: Ionizer
Anyone else think that the whole idea of "allergies" was done by some drug company many many years ago?

Take the trees that didn't make people allergic and the flowers and what not and splice them with the ones that do until all your planting is ones that cause allergies.. Than develop medicine to cure..


Did this many people really have "allergies" way back in say 1950?
I surely don't remember people talking about it the way we all do now.
Fuggin allergies in NJ suck.

Because people today are too soft. Anything and everything we bitch about. I say in the past 10 years, people have become way too arrogant and whiney...

 

[jcrash]

Originally posted by: Ionizer
Anyone else think that the whole idea of "allergies" was done by some drug company many many years ago?

Take the trees that didn't make people allergic and the flowers and what not and splice them with the ones that do until all your planting is ones that cause allergies.. Than develop medicine to cure..


Did this many people really have "allergies" way back in say 1950?
I surely don't remember people talking about it the way we all do now.
Fuggin allergies in NJ suck.

Prior to the industrial revolution, studies show that HayFever was nonexistent.

So, for all you folks getting rid of the cat and dog and carpet so that your kid can "breathe easier" - just realize you are exchanging some problems as a kid for continuous allergies as an adult.

 

[iwearnosox]

The best article on claritin, ever. Initially appeared in the New York Times.

Schering was issued a patent for their drug on Aug. 4, 1981, stating that the compounds, including the future "Claritin" were "useful as antihistamines with little or no sedative effects."

Total development costs are rumored to be in the $200-$300 million dollar range.

Desloratadine, currently awaiting F.D.A. approval as the next generation "super-Claritin," is said to relieve nasal stuffiness, unlike other antihistamines -- in a study done by Schering.

Claritin sales for year 2000: 2.6 billion dollars, or 30% of Schering-Plough's annual revenues.

Claritin's patent was extended three times past it's initial expiration date, resulting in an estimated $13 billion dollars of additional revenue.

Brand companies now patent the process of manufacturing the raw material in drugs. They patent the medical uses to which the drug can be applied. They patent the formulation of the medicine (the other ingredients used to stabilize the drug). They can patent what's known in the industry as "trade dress" -- the color, size and shape of the pill. They patent metabolites -- the chemicals into which a drug breaks after being metabolized by the human body.

So drugs don't come "off patent" the way the 1984 patent law envisioned; they come off as a series of strategically staggered patents, a practice known as layering. Patent litigation anyone?

 

[Zedtom]

Yeah, there may be a conspiracy out there with the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies. But Claratin is a big improvement over Benadryl and psuedophedrine. These last two have so many side effects, it's a wonder that they are still being used.

 

[Davak]

Benadryl and the other first generations are much more effective in clinical studies than the newer generations (claratin, allegra, etc.) To get the same effectiveness with these newer medications, one would need to increase the dosage higher than currently recommended... which, of course, will give you very similiar side effects to Benadryl.

That being said, I will often give my patients a trial of the newer medications first... since they have less side effects at the recommended dosages. However, often, we will either need to increase the dosage or change medicine to get good results.

The most interesting research recently shows that one probably decreases his/her risks of developing allergies by being exposed to those potential substances at an early age. (Kids with pets are less likely to get pet allergies, etc.)

Claritin going OTC is probably a good thing. Anytime somebody can try an OTC medication without going to a physician (to get the script) will probably save money.

Davak, MD

 

[bpctech]

I might have to try some OTC claritin as soon as I run out of the clarinex I have right now. My doctor gave me a prescription for that, but my insurance sucks and it cost me $40 for 30 pills.

Hopefully Claritin will be equally effective and cheaper.

 

[Growltiger]

Everyone keeps saying "my insurance sucks," which makes me think about the following:

Have you talked with your Dr or insurance company to see if the allergy med is on the formulary? Many times, insurance co. will only covery one type of drug for a specific ailment (like Allegra but not Claratin). If the med the ins company covers works for you, then go for it and save some money. If you want the Claratin b.c. it works for you and the formulary one does not, you can always question their decision. Usually it will work if you have a good reason for wanting the specific med....they just make you work for it. It's a pain in the ass, but that's the "health ins. game."

Of course, some of you may just have bad insurance plans. Mine is such a joke b.c. I'm a student

 

[carmann]

You've made a good point Growltiger.

My husband was using generic Allegra ($5 co-pay) prior to his doctor switching him to Claritin. I think some drug rep got in there and convinced him to push Claritin. I may have to tell my husband to get his prescription changed back to Allegra since it worked fine for him prior to the switch.

 

[Growltiger]

Originally posted by: carmann
You've made a good point Growltiger. My husband was using generic Allegra ($5 co-pay) prior to his doctor switching him to Claritin. I think some drug rep got in there and convinced him to push Claritin. I may have to tell my husband to get his prescription changed back to Allegra since it worked fine for him prior to the switch.

The reps can be really competitive like that. When they come in to the office to "check for samples," many will go to the drug closet (or where the samples are kept) and reposition the samples so that their product has the most prominent place while their competitors are in the back and pushed to the side. Our nurse would never let them "organize" the closet because she made them put the samples on her desk so they would never have the opportunity. A lot of the reps were really nice, but some went a little too far.

 

[Dznuts007]

Originally posted by: svidanag

It costs hundreds of a millions of dollars and almost 10 years to develop a new drug in order to go from laboratory to clinical trials to your pharmacy, not to mention resources spent on demonstrating superiority vs. existing drugs and marketing to the doctors who do the prescribing. Claritin is a wonderful second-generation anthistamine that is a hellava lot LESS sedating than the current OTC antihistamines, which I'm sure anyone with seasonal allergies appreciates. To recover its initial financial investment, the manufacturer always charges a little more during its patent period, however, the insurance companies usually end up paying anyway. I don't think any drug company is out to "gouge" the consumer, believe it or not.

Valsalva

You think they pay for this themselves? The US government gives them BILLIIONS AND BILLIONS to develop drugs which they never have to pay back.

Hmm..the US government gives them billions of dollars to do the drug research? Where did you get this information. I've never heard of this. From my understanding, it's the drug companies that front the money for all the research, manufacturing, etc. In a way the government "gives" them money by allowing them to have a patent on any new drug the company develops, which translates into billions of dollars, but no, the government does not give out money to drug companies like you say...

Claratin fought tooth and nail not to allow this to go OTC. Their own fault if you ask me, they've been touting about how these are just like sugar pills... Well, if they are , then why not OTC?????????????????????????????

I don't think they were forced to go OTC. When a drug company wants one of their drug products to go OTC, they must submit an application to the FDA, meaning that it's not forced. They did it willingly. Probably in the last ditch effort to make some money since they were going to lose their patent on Claritin...

 

[hotstuff2000]

Hmm.. everything after the first post is pretty much OT but this is DEFINATELY a HOT deal!! And it's about time.

BTW insurance is where the scam is and the insurance companies and our government are what caused all this mess.. Back 30 or 40 years ago there was no such thing as health insurance. Some people had "hospital coverage" which meant in an emergency where they had to have surgery or something that cost > $1000 or so they would be covered. And it was a simple market descision whether you bought it or not. The whole IDEA of insurance is to protect against unacceptable risk--home insurance exists because if your house IS burned up, you can't shell out the money to replace it. Insurance was NEVER meant to cover things that you can already afford, and the ONLY arena where it does so is medicine. This all changed when the gov't passed some tax write-off for medical insurance for employees. And by the way, although your visit to the doctor may be "free" keep in mind that you or your employer pays $300/month AND UP for you to have this "benefit". Now for me $300 x 12 = $3600 a year which is more than I've spent on doctors in my WHOLE LIFE and I'd rather just pay for things as I need them (like anything else in a non-socialist environment) and keep this extra $$ in my paycheck! I mean what if I'd prefer car insurance over health? Why does my employer have to decide for me? Anyway, all this leads to separation from service and prices paid, which automatically inflates prices. Sadly I can't even buy the coverage I WANT OR NEED (hospital coverage).. I have to get something that pays for a $30 doctors office visit (which otherwise would cost less than $30) These drug companies would not want their pills to be prescription-only under a free market system--we would pay for the medicine based on its price, without the inflated cost of a doctors visit added to the bill every time we needed a refill. Basically unless you use $300 worth of medical services every month you are getting screwed, which is how socialism works--those above average suffer for those that are below average (not to condescend anyone with a health problem, thats just how it works!) And if we're going to have a semi-socialist system like we do now, we might as well go the final steps and make it 100% socialist b/c mixing the two approaches never works.

 

[Growltiger]

Originally posted by: hotstuff2000
I have to get something that pays for a $30 doctors office visit (which otherwise would cost less than $30) These drug companies would not want their pills to be prescription-only under a free market system--we would pay for the medicine based on its price, without the inflated cost of a doctors visit added to the bill every time we needed a refill. Basically unless you use $300 worth of medical services every month you are getting screwed, which is how socialism works--those above average suffer for those that are below average (not to condescend anyone with a health problem, thats just how it works!) And if we're going to have a semi-socialist system like we do now, we might as well go the final steps and make it 100% socialist b/c mixing the two approaches never works.

Curious, but how would the visit cost less? There are valid reasons for seeing a doctor before getting a refill on medications. I don't see how we're getting screwed, either. All it takes is you to get diagnosed with malignant cancer and the huge bills start coming in. I'd rather pay a little bit now that wait until something bad happens, which I though is the reason for insurance. Maybe I missed the point of your post...not sure though

 

[DurocShark]

PS Which works better? Claratin or Allegra?

In my situation (sinus allergies, was prescribed a steroid nose spray, when that ran out and I didn't have insurance, I tried Afrin, etc. Got addicted. Dr. tried other stuff to get me off the *&^*&^ Afrin)

Dr. gave me Claritin. Did nothing for my sinuses. Wife was given Allegra D for something else. I stole one and it worked great! Can't get the Dr to give me a prescription for that so I'm still ripping my sinuses apart with Afrin. :frown:

The OTC Claritin will be nice for my wife though. She liked it better than the Allegra. LoL

 

[Jamie571]

I have always had severe allergies, but when I was younger just learned to accept it. Once in High School and College, the Docs tried everything with me. Claritan doesn't even phase me. Allerga 180mg works OK. Panaz helped the most but made be drowsy. I then got a decent job after College and now am on Allergy Shots. I have been on them for about 6 monthes and my symtoms have gradually decreased, hopefully in about another year I can stop taking medications and then in about 2 more stop the shots. My 6 year old daughter has inherited the same problem from me and has been on shots for about 3 monthes and they work better for her. A lot of having allergies is knowing what your allergic to and how to avoid it. Unfortantly I am allergic to pollen, mold, dust mites and animal dander, basically the whole spectrum. Pulling up the carpet only works for people with allergies to dust mites. Allergra and Claritan don't help much for aniaml dander. Mold is the ass kicker, because if your house ever had water damage or leaks, its extremely difficult to get rid of it. It helps to be allergy tested and to see an Allergy Specialist instead of a doctor. Allergies are basically an over-acting immune system that confuses allergens with viruses and thats why you have cold like simtums with allegies. When you get a cold, the cold virus, in a matter of speaking, is not causing your runny nose, sore throat, and conjestion it is your body doing that to in response to kill the cold virus. Oh well, enough chit-chatting.

 

[slaman]

I'm Canadian and was shocked when I moved to the States and couldn't find a decent allergy medicine. I died for the 2 months until my parents visited me and brought some good ol' Reactine.

Claritin does nothing for me - but it is 1000X better than anything I found at the local pharmacy. Eventually when the US catches up, Reactine will also be over-the-counter and people will finally be symptom-free!