Lantus savings card

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/lantus-savings-card.133933/#post-1381268

I have not been to the new board since it got its new 'hairdo' so I hope that I am doing this right by posting the link that I need help with.

I really need the scoop on the Lantus savings card. I posted on VIN (based on what I read here last year) that I thought it was 'dead in the water' but now I see that people are talking about using it again.

I *think* the original card was for **$25/cartridge** but now it is **$25 off of each cartridge and you have to buy a whole box of (5?) unless you find a nice pharmacist will to sell one cartridge???

Can anyone give me the updated info on this card? Thanks!

 

Last I heard, it's $25 per pen but there was a limit on how many you could get...it was 6, but last time I tried to apply, it was only 3, but I've heard where if you buy the whole box of 5, it's $100 off the retail price for the entire box. The $25 is only if you can get someone to split open a box

The bad news is that I've seen several people who used to be able to use the cards say that when they tried this year, it was no longer being accepted due to some changes in the law due to Obamacare.

I think it's one of those things where you just have to try it and see if your pharmacist can make it work. Depending on the pharmacist and your relationship, some probably can make it work if they really want to

Nobody within 150 miles of me would split a box for me and even with $100 off, I couldn't afford over $300, so I found a great pharmacy in Canada where a lot of us have been getting our 5 packs for $133.99 plus $25 shipping

 

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your response. There is a thread on VIN (Veterinary Information Network - private listserv for vets only) that is discussing euthanasia of diabetic cats when owners cannot afford treatment. This is a very common problem and I am just trying to help as much as I can. Hence, the desire to get as many facts about this card as I can.

 

In the Feline Diabetes group on Facebook (it's the Facebook presence for this board) we hear a lot of people who've been hit with "sticker shock" when they've seen the price of Lantus

We've got a lot of people buying from Marks in Canada (last post in Insulin from Canadian Pharmacies) Unlike a lot of the "Canadian Pharmacies" websites, they have excellent customer service and of the 30+ people I've heard from that got their insulin from them, they've all been really pleased. They're a real pharmacy next to a real doctors office instead of just a "website pharmacy". They're also very happy to talk to vets, clients and anyone who has concerns about buying from them.

We do hear that a lot of vets aren't willing to write scripts if they know their clients are going to buy from Canada though which is really a shame since they're so excited to find that they can afford it if they can get the script to email to Marks

It also means having to wait about a week for shipment (seems like about a week has been average shipping time no matter where it's going in the US) but for new people, it also gives them some time to work on transitioning to low carb food

 

If I'm recalling correctly, there was an issue with how you purchased the pens. There was a charge of $25 per pen but you could only buy one pen at a time and you had to purchase them one per month. The cost was different if you purchased a box of 5 pens -- I think it was $100 off the retail price. Even when the discount was first in place, some pharmacists would not attempt to call in the discount if they knew the Rx was for a cat since Lantus doesn't have an indication for veterinary use.

 

I get mine at target, and they break up the set for me there. I gave them my savings card the first time I went there, and they have it set up so that I automatically get a 25.00 discount on each pen. I just picked up my second pen, and so far they cost me 50.00 each time. I remember telling them that Chi Chi was 18..I think thats how I was able to get the discount. I didnt tell them she is a cat, but I noticed on the label that it says cat. Maybe the pharmacist remembered our conversation and added it.

 

There are lots of money-saving tricks that people use.

I registered with www.mrrebates.com and then bought supplies from www.americandiabeteswholesale.com. I also bought insulin off of Craigslist - but one has to be careful and check out the story. The person I bought 4 boxes from had them after her diabetic elderly dad had passed away. Some people buy strips off of ebay or Craigslist as well. Punkin had acromegaly so we went through a lot of insulin.

We get lots of people arriving here with AlphaTrak glucometers that their vet sold them - the strips are expensive, the glucometer is expensive - so right off the bat the person has spent maybe $300 on those 2 items. That's an enormous waste of money. Most people switch to Walmart Relion glucometers and then many buy the generic strips that match from ADW (above.) ADW also sells Arkray meters and strips, which is about the cheapest combination you can get.

 

Or, if you are using ADW, you can go here and the FDMB will get a little bit to keep it up and running

http://www.felinediabetes.com/pet-supplies.htm

Hi Dr. Lisa! Hope all is well with you and yours,
Carl

 

Carl I couldn't find the shopping link button and thought that wasn't happening anymore. Thanks for posting the link.