Saturday Rant

 So, I think I mentioned my kidney doctor wanted me to start on Jardiance.  He doesn't want my disease progressing further, or at least, slow it down. I am always leery of starting a new medication, but even more wary of dropping a medication I've been on for about 6 years, and he had told me I'd have to drop my water pill if I went on Jardiance.  Memories flooded back of the time I decided my Amlopidine was causing may ankles to swell so I stopped it....abruptly....and just as abruptly I ended up in the ER with heart palpatations.  Lesson learned.  I called my PC to ask his advice, and he told me to stop the pill and come see him in a week to check my blood pressure.

I discovered that one of the ladies in my class has takes Jardiance with the exact water pill I am on with no problems.  Hmmm!!!! Maybe her doctor didn't take her off it because she takes Jardiance for diabetes and I would be taking it for kidney disease.  After talking with her, I felt more assured that I'd be okay on the Jardiance and decided I would take it.  I was not happy about the $47 co-pay though so I called the pharmacy to see if I could get it cheaper with Good RX, a card that cuts co-pays almost in half.  Here is the conversation.

Me:  (after giving her all my info)  I understand I have a $47 co-pay.  

Pharmacist:  Ma'am, you have a $347 co-pay.  They took $300 toward the deductible. 

$347.00??????

I asked about Good RX and was told that there was no generic on Jardiance so I was up a creek.  Had to tell her I couldn't afford it.

I looked into special coupons and looked into the assistance plan the pharmaceutical company offered, but my income was above the income limit so again I was up a creek.  Makes me so darn mad.  I'm not rich.  Hubby and I are both on Social Security and small pensions.  We just manage to get by.  Might as well say we live check to check.  But I am not poor enough to qualify and not rich enough to pay.  So what does an in-between person do?  I'm not rich and I am not poor according to them.  Go without their medication or go without other staples like healthy food just to pay for the medication?  $347 a month would break me.  Simple as that.  So I go without the medication.

Thanks for listening.