Sixty American Dollars For One Pill

[MoseyWalker]

to control the nausea from chemo.

I've written before about my brother's brain tumor, and the treatments, but this is more crazy than most.

He has now finished his radiation, and is tapering off the steroid (that controls swelling).

He has to remain on chemo, basically for the rest of his life, on a 5 days on and 28 days off regimen.

The doc told him that he has to at least now double his chemo dose, and has to add another med to control nausea, because he will definitely experience this more than he has already.

The pill costs $60.

For ONE PILL!

He said forget about it, even though his now state provided insurance (since all of the money he had made in his lifetime has now been sucked away) will supposedly pay for it. He said this is insane, and he's not going to be a part of it. He would rather throw up and lose more weight than take a pill that costs $60 apiece.

It is insane.

That the pill costs that much, and that people have to deal with this shit.

Universal Health Care.

It's cheaper, and it works well for more people.

Peace.

[don954]

1. get him a dime bag

it works better... ;)

[MoseyWalker]

6. He had to stop using

for other reasons, and doesn't want to start again. It's not an option - at the present time.

[Richard Steele]

10. Damn right it does. I recently offered to do that for a "friend of a friend"...

...who refused, simply because "it's illegal".

Of course, the SYNTHETIC cannibis the doctor
gave her the last few days cost them several
hundred dollars more than the real thing would have.

[LeftyMom]

11. and doesn't work half so well

Nevermind that if you're too nauseated to eat, which is why they prescribe the stuff, your pricey marinol tablet's going to wind up in the toilet. At least some pharma made money on it, and not some hippie. That's what's important, not helping sick people to feel better.

Drugwariors fucking suck.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Which Drug?

Perhaps he can get it from Canada for less. If you tell me the drug, I'd be happy to poke around.

[LeftyMom]

3. Do they have medical marijuana where your brother lives?

It's what kept my Grandmother alive and with it for a few months longer than expected and stopped her weight loss, when she was undergoing chemo and after she gave it up. She'd already lost a hell of a lot of weight when they found her cancer, that's what got her to the doctor to begin with. She was told 3-6 mos. and made it 9 with good quality of life for all but the very end.

I've never tried it (why? because it's medicine and I'm not sick) but if I had cancer or another illness with wasting, I'd be putting Rastas to shame.

[MoseyWalker]

7. Since it's a brain tumor, it won't help

in more than superficial ways.

peace, and thanks for the response.

[TomInTib]

4. $5,000 per injection

My uncle is retired from the Houiston Police Department and has developed some kind of rare cancer.

Once a month he goes to M D Anderson in Houston and gets a shot.

That shot costs $5,000.

Every month.

[MoseyWalker]

9. Wow

that is obscene.

[BlueJazz]

5. Wanta' make a bet that the same pill is other countries is.....

,,,...way, way cheaper.
Besides, a few good hits on a doobee will do the same thing..

[ShortnFiery]

8. Perhaps consider

medical marijuana? Well, if you are in a state that approves of it's use? I can not believe that it would be more expensive than $60 dollars a dose. :(

No, I'm NOT being flip because the THC in marijuana does profoundly control nausea.

I'm not knowledgeable about legalities but there are a few states that authorize Medical Doctors to write a prescription. Of course you always have to tolerate the demon Federal Government and DEA pukes busting chronically ill people BUT I think that the benefits have pushed the states to at least resent "big brother's" interference with honest medical use of marijuana. It does have as one of it's primary benefits the effect of controlling nausea. :shrug:

On edit: Just read your response above. I am so sorry and can send only my warm thoughts and prayers for you and your beloved brother. :grouphug:

[teamster633]

12. FWIW...

...My wife's first 4 cycles of chemo involved Cisplatin, which causes violent bouts of nausea. She had to take 3 doses of Emend beginning on the day of infusion for each infusion. Each pill cost $150. It was a lot of dough, but it worked very well. And no, she couldn't smoke any herb. She had esophageal cancer and was receiving radiation therapy to boot.

[MoseyWalker]

13. whoa

hope she has, or had, a good bunch of days.

peace