Why is cymbalta so expensive

To gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the maker of the generic must demonstrate that the drug has the same active ingredient and that it is identical in strength, dosage form, route of administration, and labeling as the brand-name drug.

The company must also demonstrate that people absorb the drug at the same rate. Shah, Ph. This article also appeared in the May issue of Consumer Reports magazine. This article and related materials are made possible by a grant from the state Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, which is funded by the multistate settlement of consumer-fraud claims regarding the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin gabapentin.

Get Ratings on the go and compare while you shop. Sign In. Become a Member. Remember Me. Forgot username or password? Not a member? Need further assistance? Please call Member Services at Subscribers only Sign in or Subscribe now! Forgot password? Check this box if you wish to have a copy mailed to you. More serious side effects include rapid or uneven heartbeat, chest pain, shortness of breath; hallucinations and unusual thoughts or behavior, confusion and paranoia; painful erections that can last four hours or longer; and numbness, pain, cold feelings, or color changes in fingers and toes.

Lyrica, or pregabalin, just under 10 million in prescriptions written is actually an anticonvulsant that was designed to help control epileptic seizures, but is now used extensively to treat fibromyalgia and the pain caused by nerve damage from diabetes, herpes zoster, or spinal cord injury. Lyrica works by decelerating the impulses in the brain that can cause seizures, and because it targets the brain chemicals that transmit pain signals across the nervous system, it is used for myriad purposes including others not mentioned here.

Like Cymbalta, Lyrica can also cause users to have thoughts of suicide or experience dramatic mood swings or behavioral changes, according to a report in Annals of General Psychiatry. Other serious side effects include panic and anxiety attacks; unusually hostile, aggressive or impulsive behavior; irritability, restlessness, and mental or physical hyperactivity; worsening depression; muscle pain and tenderness, or weakness with fever and lethargy; vision disturbances; rapid weight gain; swelling in hands or feet; and easy bruising or bleeding.

More common side effects include dry mouth, constipation, tremors or loss of balance and coordination, dizziness or drowsiness, memory problems or difficulty concentrating, and swollen breasts. Certainly, advances in modern medicine have given us lifesaving drugs that no one would argue we should do without. For example, included in the list of lifesavers are the many forms of insulin delivery systems available to type I diabetes sufferers including the seventh-most prescribed drug, Lantus Solostar.

To date, there is no other mode of treatment for type I diabetes that can universally prolong life and prevent the complications of that disease with the same level of success. Yet, with at last count 70 potential reactions to the average prescription drug according to Mercola.

Those bumps include, first and foremost, the potential risk to your health from substances you may have assumed were curative and benign. According to ProCon. Not surprisingly, the rate at which drug makers are rushing their products to market and the rate of dangerous-drug litigation that often follows is growing each year. Caught between those two events are countless individuals who spend a good portion of their income on prescription drugs that made them sick, not well.

Alarming Statistics A paper released by the U. Food and Drug Administration shockingly reveals that 6. That figure does not include such deaths occurring in nursing homes and ambulatory situations. If true, the study warns, then ADRs are the fourth-leading cause of death — ahead of pulmonary disease, diabetes, AIDS, pneumonia, accidents, and automobile deaths. Additionally, 10 times more deaths occurred annually from adverse reactions to properly prescribed and administered drugs than from illegal drugs.

Older people take more prescription drugs than any other age group — at least four or five prescription drugs and two nonprescription drugs daily, according to The Merck Manual report on Aging and Drugs.

For numerous reasons including decreased levels of body fluids and thus higher concentrations of drugs in the tissues , the elderly are more than twice as susceptible to drug side effects as are younger people. The side effects tend to be more severe, resulting in hospitalizations, additional physician care, and, often, more medication prescribed to manage the new complaints. All of these statistics point not only to tragically high human health and monetary costs for individuals and their families, but also to a key reason why healthcare and health insurance costs continue to rise , overburdening an economy already staggering.

In , Americans without drug coverage reported that they were more likely to cut back on other necessities, including groceries, in order to pay for their medications, according to an annual prescription drug poll cited in the New York Times. Every single drug on the market comes with a constellation of drawbacks for the relief that it offers — and, at times, those drawbacks may simply be too big a price to pay.

In such cases, an alternative approach is to skip the bandage and look for the root causes of the illness so you can attack the problem at its source. I know about this first hand: When an annual checkup with my doctor showed that my cholesterol numbers had climbed inexplicably, his reaction was to pull out his pad and pen a prescription for a statin medication.

But I offered a bargain instead: I told him my numbers would be back to normal by my next visit, or I would consider his drug solution.

I read up on possible causes for the spike in my numbers, scheduled thyroid tests to see if my underactive thyroid was a culprit, and then adjusted my natural thyroid supplement and my diet accordingly.

I gave up my morning sausages and bacon, and instead ate gluten-free oats with nuts but no sweetener. Natural, alternative options abound for almost every disorder imaginable. Once your application is approved, the first shipment of prescription medication typically arrives within four to six weeks, with refills coming on a regular schedule. Through our program, Americans save thousands every year from the retail cost of their prescription medications through Prescription Hope.

Prescription Hope is not a Cymbalta coupon card or insurance policy. As a national advocacy program that works with any coverage, you may already have, Prescription Hope is a complimentary program that works alongside any coverage you may currently have.

Although Prescription Hope is not a Cymbalta coupon, individuals searching for a Cymbalta coupon can find more savings through Prescription Hope. If we cannot help you obtain a prescription medication, we will never charge a fee for that medication. Because Prescription Hope is not an insurance plan, our program works alongside any coverage you may currently have to obtain your Cymbalta medication for an affordable price.

Our national advocacy program does not have medication tiers, copays, or deductibles. Every year, Prescription Hope works with some of the most prominent insurance organizations across the United States including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, and Humana to help individuals obtain their prescription medications at an affordable price.