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Medical Forum / General / Pharmacy / September 2006Anyone buying generic Zocor yet?
My doc told me that Zocor is now generic and cheaper than the Lipitor I'm now taking. He also said I could try generic Zocor but would have to take a 40mg pill of generic Zocor to equal the 20mg Lipitor I'm taking now. True? Anyone out there buying the generic version? If yes where are you buying it and is it in fact cheaper by a substantial amount? > My doc told me that Zocor is now generic and cheaper > than the Lipitor I'm now taking. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > If yes where are you buying it and is it in fact > cheaper by a substantial amount? I am getting it (Simvastatin 5 mg) from a local drugstore. It cost me cash $52.47 for thirty tablets. I can see this drug getting even cheaper in the future, so I will not ask my doctor to change it. BTW, the Simvastatin is made by Merck which also makes the original Zocor. However I am in the "donut hole" of my Medicare insurance. I had to pay $201.23 for sixty Niaspan tablets 1 Gm and $94.95 for thirty Tricor tablets. Those two drugs are 70 percent of my monthly drug bill. I am planning on asking my doctor to change the Niaspan to something like Niacon (about $30 a month) or Slo-Niacin (about $19.00 a month). I plan to switch from Tricor to generic Lopid. Everything else I take is generic including warfarin and it works fine. I am getting "flushed" anyway by having to pay two hundred dollars for a bottle of glorified-modified release niacin tablets. On 9/16/06 4:31 PM, in article aa2pg250mhf5vicf4tcae5gue2kn46oe4r@4ax.com, > My doc told me that Zocor is now generic and cheaper > than the Lipitor I'm now taking. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > If yes where are you buying it and is it in fact > cheaper by a substantial amount? My wife and I have been getting the Apo generic from Canada for a while now. It seems to be working well. Now if we could only get a Congress and later a president who will allow competition in the pharmaceutical industry... Bill -- Fermez le Bush > My wife and I have been getting the Apo generic from Canada for a while now. > It seems to be working well. Now if we could only get a Congress and later a > president who will allow competition in the pharmaceutical industry... > > Bill > -- Fermez le Bush Until a drug's patient expires about the only competition is: What pharmaceutical company has the most samples, the best looking salespeople, the most pens and patient pamphlets, the most TV advertising (The Purple One!), and can influence the most doctors to write journal articles promoting their products. The government doesn't mind if Bill or Pumbaa pays full price for our cash Rxs but they sure want a discount when they pay for it. The VA system is a good example. My son used to go to it before he got on Medicare. He was expected to drive 150 miles one-way from his home to see a doctor because we live in the country and they will not provide a local doctor. And this is "the best healthcare system in the world". The other thing my doctor told me abt switching from Lipitor to simvastatin was that I should take the simvastain at night before bed rather than in the morning as I'm now doing with the Lipitor that true? > The other thing my doctor told me abt switching from > Lipitor to simvastatin was that I should take the > simvastain at night before bed rather than in the > morning as I'm now doing with the Lipitor > > that true? My cholesterol levels improved when I started taking all my cholesterol meds at bedtime. So it is probably good advice. My doctor has my cholesterol levels checked every three months. The following is from the CVS Pharmacy website: Take this medication by mouth usually once daily in the evening, with or without food. Certain medical conditions (e.g., familial hypercholesterolemia) may require more frequent dosage instructions as directed by your doctor. Dosage is based on your medical condition, response to therapy, and use of certain interacting medicines. Many of the drugs listed in the Drug Interactions section may increase the chances of muscle injury when used with simvastatin. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more details. Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while being treated with this medication unless your doctor instructs you otherwise. Grapefruit juice can increase the amount of certain medications in your bloodstream. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more details. If you also take certain other drugs to lower your cholesterol (bile acid-binding resins such as cholestyramine or colestipol), take simvastatin at least 1 hour before or at least 2 hours after these medications. Use this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. Remember to use it at the same time each day. It may take up to 4 weeks before the full benefit of this drug takes effect. It is important to continue taking this medication even if you feel well. Most people with high cholesterol or triglycerides do not feel sick. >My cholesterol levels improved when I started taking all my cholesterol meds >at bedtime. So it is probably good advice. My doctor has my cholesterol >levels checked every three months. I see Should I take it RIGHT before bed? Or could I just it say with supper? IOW..... just how "late" at night should one take it? Early evening OK or before bed the best? > >My cholesterol levels improved when I started taking all my cholesterol meds > >at bedtime. So it is probably good advice. My doctor has my cholesterol [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > IOW..... just how "late" at night should one take it? > Early evening OK or before bed the best? I personally take mine just before I go to bed as it is easy to remember that way. It probably does not make much difference. >I personally take mine just before I go to bed as it is easy to remember >that way. Ok I will set the bottle next to my toothbrush so as to remind me. |
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