Question about cost of Buprenex

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maryjoandsmokie

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I pay $15.00 for each dose of Buprenex.

Does anyone know how i could get it for less money?

I give it for Fluffy's arthritic pain when the pain increases.
He is an 8 year old non diabetic with history of severe injuries of hips and one foot.
Thank you for any information.
 
Is that $15 per dose, and not per 1 ml vial?
If so, ask your vet if it's cheaper if they dispense in full 1 ml vials.
It's a controlled drug, so they may be reluctant to do so, but won't hurt to ask.
 
Maybe you can talk your vet into writing you a script for ten, 1 ml carpujects of:

Hospira buprenorphine 0.3 mg/mL 1 mL Carpuject syringes (NDC 00409-2012-32)

It is a controlled drug so your vet may object.
 
Thanks to both of you!

That is $15.00 for one dose of Buprenex for Fluffy.
I will ask the vet about what you both suggested.
Sounds like this would help.
 
That is very expensive - if I'm understanding correctly. I just had some for Layla - can't find the receipt, but, it wasn't that much. They sent me home with 10 doses or so of the pre-measured syringes. I'm sure I didn't pay over 50. The total bill that day was 170 so I would've noticed if most was for the pain med.
 
What is Fluffy's dose?

Layla's dose is 0.1cc every 6-8 hours for pain.

I only gave it bid - but also cut the dose in half most of the time.
 
Thanks for your replies.
Fluffy's dose is 0.2mls. they give me prefilled syringes.

After i give it, in a little while he is curled up with his head on his back feet with his tail under his chin. When he is hurting he is hunched over with eyes half closed or in the meatloaf position.
I feel desperate.
 
You need to question this with your vet or the office manager. Maybe they entered it wrong in the computer?

I think they charged you incorrectly - who can afford that twice - three times a day? I think it is a coding error in your bill. Call them in the morning.

I hope Fluffy feels better soon.

Pam
 
Hmmm. I found an old receipt at work, that I'd scanned in for Meowzi's insurance claim. It says $40.00 for 5 in Sept. 2009, that was during her CP-UTI combo. I can go home and look for other receipts to compare, but I'm pretty sure that was 5 mls and not 5 syringes, since we don't get them in prefilled syringes. Plus, five syringes would not have been enough, I had her on it TID for almost a week, maybe longer. I also vaguely recall coming home with an entire box of four vials then, maybe more; she went through a lot of it then, was a very painful time for her.

Note that this was Sept. 2009, before the supply shortage last year (I think that was last year). The manufacturer(s) may have raised the price since then. But, $15.00 for 0.1 ml does sound much too high.
 
Tucker has chronic pancreatitis so my vet wrote me a script and I bought ten vials from Walgreens for about $35. I'll have to grab the box when I get home to see what the actual dose is, I want to say it's 3ml vials. I did have to work with my pharmacist to find the right product. They can come in ampules, a sealed glass vial where you have to break the glass to get the liquid, I needed to make sure my pharmacist got the kind that I could use a syringe with.
 
If it is Hospira brand the vials (they are called Carpujects) have 3 ml capacity but only com filled to one ml. Also, the concentration is 0.3 mg/mL.
 
For Smokey, I got a Rx from my vet for 1ml vials from Bedford Labs (about 5 doses per 1ml vial).

I took the Rx to Walmart. It is helpful to have an empty vial or the "number" off the vial
so they know what to order. It is not stocked...special order only.

It was MUCH cheaper...maybe $3-4 per VIAL.

But the catch was it was difficult to obtain.

I would submit my Rx, and they would tell 2-3 weeks, or not available until the end of
the month. End of month would come around and would only get half my requested amount.

As a controlled substance (synthetic opioid ) you cannot mail order it, you MUST submit a
written Rx and pick it up in person.

I hope availability has improved, perhaps brands other than Bedford Labs.

My vet offered to order extra through his own supplier and he would sell it to
me at his cost....great vet. Smokey was using a lot of it, long term.

I also found it useful to order a box of TB syringes with 25 gauge removable needles
from KV Vet supply (no Rx required). For drawing the dose out of the vial, then remove
the needle and give the dose orally.
 
For Smokey, I got a Rx from my vet for 1ml vials from Bedford Labs (about 5 doses per 1ml vial).

I took the Rx to Walmart. It is helpful to have an empty vial or the "number" off the vial
so they know what to order. It is not stocked...special order only.

It was MUCH cheaper...maybe $3-4 per VIAL.

But the catch was it was difficult to obtain.

I would submit my Rx, and they would tell 2-3 weeks, or not available until the end of
the month. End of month would come around and would only get half my requested amount.

As a controlled substance (synthetic opioid ) you cannot mail order it, you MUST submit a
written Rx and pick it up in person.

I hope availability has improved, perhaps brands other than Bedford Labs.

My vet offered to order extra through his own supplier and he would sell it to
me at his cost....great vet. Smokey was using a lot of it, long term.

I also found it useful to order a box of TB syringes with 25 gauge removable needles
from KV Vet supply (no Rx required). For drawing the dose out of the vial, then remove
the needle and give the dose orally.
 
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to go back and look up all that
information for me. I feel hopeful in my heart. YOU ARE THE BEST!
It sounds like i could get the Buprenex much cheaper from some of these places
you mentioned here.

I am paying $15.00 for a 0.2ml dose each time.

The last few times there is 2units less than it should be in the prefilled syringe i get.
I always check it real good before i give it so i'm not mistaken. I'll have to tell vet about
that today.

I love you all!
 
My vet's cost for 3ml buprenex has increased to $60, which seemed outrageous to me, but .2ml for $15 is even worse.

If you can get more at one time, maybe they will charge less or allow you to have a prescription to get it via a regular pharmacy.

It really sucks when our pets need something which helps but we are at the mercy of the suppliers who gouge the vets when the supply gets low. Makes you wonder why the supply got low in the first place.
 
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