Source
r/Accutane•
DeathIsTruth

Looking at almost $800 a month for Accutane. I'm willing to do it.

Has anyone else dealt with this or have advice on ways to make this cheaper? I have health insurance through the open market. It's technically a 200 dollar a month plan but I pay 65 a month thanks to a tax refund. Yet it's literally giving me about $40 a month help. Useless. My accutane costs $700 a month and my monthly dermatology visit is $90. I make a bit over $17 an hour as a CNA. I have the option to do a lot of overtime and make about 275 dollars a day when I do a double shift. My basic bills are about 12-1500 a month. So this ads a major financial burden. It's within the realm of possibility to raise the money by working a ton of hours.

I am currently 26 and know nothing else has or will work. I hoped I'd grow out of it but that's not happening. I have mild to moderate acne. When I was younger I actually dropped out of college because it got so bad, and I wanted to hide away when it was at its worst. It gave me extreme social anxiety. Yet I'm naturally very outgoing. My past dermatologists when I was 18 told me that accutane was archaic and not used anymore. The only reason I came back to a new one recently was because of reddit. I discovered people are still being prescribed this drug and I have some hope. I've done the antibiotic route and that didn't really help. I was once suicidal over how bad my skin was. I can't believe I have been denied the possibility of having clear skin for all these years. It infuriates me. My life could be so different. I'm a guy but I don't leave home without fucking makeup everyday.

I'm a competitive bodybuilder (all natural) and actually very attractive. I've done modeling and have got some awesome shots. I recently started a fitness clothing line. While doing that I used myself as one of the models. When I went to repair all my bad skin in photoshop I couldn't believe how bad it actually was being viewed in the lens of a professional camera. My dream has been to model. But I can't handle the stress of being on camera with bad skin. I have a very beautiful girlfriend. I'm well liked and one of the most motivating people you might meet. I'm also a certified personal trainer and have some clients. I eat very healthy. I've tried everything obvious and had some moderate results but not good enough. I notice when I'm bulking to building muscle I eat over 4k calories a day and that makes it worse. Even if it is clean the extra carbs and fat seem to not help. What I love to do, working out, seems to make it worse. It sounds crazy, but I'm willing to spend 800 a month to make this happen.

I have one of the best bodies in the area yet all last summer my back and chest were so bad I didn't want to take off my shirt at the beach. I can't live like this anymore.

I'm I crazy? Is this normal to spend so much? Am I getting fucked because I feel like it... Having acne has cost me thousands and thousands of dollars in missed opportunities. I'll do whatever I must to raise this money. I owe it to my future self.

Posted Apr 7, 2016, 11:54 PM UTC

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Luftwaffe887/13/15 - done•

I would do it. Acne that severe can really fuck with someone's life.

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DeathIsTruthOP•

Thank you. I'm definitely looking for that advice to motivate myself.

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JohnBrookz•

Hey man call your derma and ask for a cheaper option and tell her your financial situation. Mine ended up looking up all the possible alternatives and I paid only 274$ without insurance for 80mg per month. Without her I would have had to pay nearly 700!

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DeathIsTruthOP•

That's a massive difference. I will thank you

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sanitationnation•

do it. it sounds like its really affecting you.

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DeathIsTruthOP•

Yes. It is. It's worth the momentary struggle. Thank you

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ItsBOOMM, Dec 2015, 80mg•

Well, $800 seems like alot even without insurance. The cheapest you can get it near me (NJ) without insurance is about $220-700(depends on dose).

Use the site goodrx.com to find the cheapest prices. Membership warehouse means CostCo BTW, and you do not need a membership to use the pharmacy there.

If this does not work out you can possible get it fully covered by finding a good derm who understands the amazing benefits of Accutane and writes a prior authorization form to your insurance company proving why you need the medication. Some insurance companies will accept it and you have a chance of getting a very good deal on it or getting it fully covered. If you ask your derm about this they will probably know how to do it.

Goodluck!

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DeathIsTruthOP•

Wow awesome tips. Thank you so much. I will look into that!

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StarboundSavy•

Another possible help is check out the brand Absorica and see how prices look for you. They will cover a HUGE portion of the co-pay via a manufacturer coupon as long as you have insurance. This could potentially save you money, without this coupon I'd be paying $850 a month AFTER insurance - instead I only pay $10 AND my derm set it up with a mail order pharmacy who sends it to me 2-day shipping no cost.

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nyc151992•

I understand 100% where you're coming from.. I also work out and I feel like my acne has really hindered my results because I'm a female and its like who wants to go to the gym with no makeup on and have everyone staring at you. Acne really fucks up your confidence and self esteem. I also took all antibiotics and tried everything possible, even with a clean diet and lots of water I was still breaking out.

Accutane is not what it used to be, although the side effects are very serious. Since you're a bodybuilder you'll probably be on a high dose (depending on your bodyweight) so at first you'll feel fatigued. You really have to up your water intake and make sure you're getting plenty of rest. Not sure if you do cardio but it may seem difficult at first but after 2-3 weeks I was exercising normally again. You will experience joint pain and maybe back pain if you're lifting heavy, when I work legs, back or do pushups or planks I get really stiff back pain. You may have to take it easy a bit and reduce the weight you lift. I've heard that whey protein is a trigger for acne, if you use it maybe try stopping and getting other sources of protein or try a non-whey. Not sure if you bulk clean but that would also be a good idea lol.

Not sure which country you live in but if you're in the U.S. maybe you can try applying for a difference insurance? I paid $135 a month for 40mg and now I'm on 60mg (I get 2 packs of 30mg a month and take 2 at once) and only pay $35 with my insurance. My insurance didn't wanna cover it but my derms office authorized it, so maybe see if you can do that with your plan too. Best of luck!

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DeathIsTruthOP•

I will have to call my derm and see if she can help out thank you. I heard about the joint pain which worried me. I might have to cut back on those 405lb squats for a while. I hope that it doesn't hold me back too much. I'm doing a show may 28th for men's physique so I should be training hard as ever.. I'm glad to have the perspective of another lifter. If it does get bad hopefully I can simply adjust my training for some time. I typically do a gallon of water a day so I'll definitely keep that up

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nyc151992•

No problem! Yeah everyone is different though, I only experience back pain during workouts, not all day. If you experience it when you aren't working out as well as during workouts let your derm know. I told mine its only when I'm at the gym and he said if it persists and I start to get it throughout the day he may have to lower my dose. I only experienced random spurts of pain in my knees/elbows during my last week of my 2nd month (last week lol) but it only happened once or twice..

Just see how your body reacts to the medication and definitely listen to your body, don't do more than you can handle. 405lb squats may be a little much but if you feel like you usually do while you're doing them then keep it up. Also if you take supplements or multivitamins speak to your derm about those too and check the ingredients. You shouldn't take a multivitamin that contains vitamin A and some sups can be bad for your liver.

Some people recommend fish oil for the joint pain as well as a bunch of random vitamins for different shit but I personally wouldn't recommend that either. Fish oil raises your liver enzymes and effects your cholesterol which are two things that the accutane can raise on its own and would definitely not help you with your monthly bloodwork.

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Rroehm8900•

Have you called multiple pharmacies to get quotes? Depending on what generic the pharmacy uses can change the price of the prescription. My first pharmacy would have been $700, the second would have been $350.

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DeathIsTruthOP•

I have not done that. Great idea thank you

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tallmanaveragedick•

Check out Brian Turner on Youtube. He vlogged his accutane journey as a body builder and you will love his stuff. Good luck bro. Do this for yourself and we promise it will be worth it

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DeathIsTruthOP•

Perfect that's right up my alley. Appreciate that

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festrunkF-28, 40mg, Mar 2016•

I completely understand. Similarly, I've had acne all my life and thought I'd just grow out of it. Sadly, no, at 28 I'm still breaking out with cystic acne. I've tried everything under the sun so my derm kept talking to me about accutane and I decided to go for it. I started last Tuesday. Like you, I also have insurance through the marketplace, which means the premiums are high and i have a really high deductible ($3500). My insurance approved the prior-authorization for accutane and when I showed up to the pharmacy, it was freaking $900 for a 30 day supply. That's a shit-ton of money - money that I don't just have on hand. But I paid it because I think it's worth the price of having nice, clear skin. My self-esteem is so low right now and I can barely talk to people without feeling like an ugly freak. Anyhow, luckily I've been going to the dermatologist and other health care appointments so the cost of those, plus the $900 for accutane, is almost equalling my deductible. Once I hit that $3500, the medication goes down to just $70 for a month's supply. Assuming your deductible is roughly the same - $3500 - and you need to be on accutane for at least 5 months - that's your deductible right there. Look into your insurance benefits and call them to verify, but they probably have (give-or-take) the same lower price for "specialty drugs" AFTER your deductible is met. Plus your derm appointments count toward your deductible too. When you call them you can ask how much you've paid toward your deductible.

As u/ItsBOOM said - your doc will most likely have to get accutane prior-authorized, but not all insurance companies require it. You should double check with your insurance regardless, because you want to make sure the $800 is going toward your deductible.

I say, go for it! It sounds like acne is the only thing that's holding you back from achieving your dreams. You seem like you have your shit together, a good job with overtime opportunities, a social life and beautiful girlfriend. Being a trainer and starting your own clothing line...come on! That's fucking awesome! Go do this for yourself!

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DeathIsTruthOP•

Wow sounds like you definitely are in the same boat. Thanks for that advice as well. Let me know how it goes. I just left work on my break and spent $680 for my first prescription. I'll see if I can get it down from here. Keep me updated on how it goes for you

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davc1234567890•

wow why is price so different ?? in EU slovenia cost 17Euro for 30pill

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Njevil•

To much government regulations.

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DeathIsTruthOP•

Merica fuck yea

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Njevil•

I would seriously consider ordering it from the darknet. It is A LOT cheaper than what you will be supposed to pay. It would even be cheaper for you to actually fly to some asian country, get a prescription there and fly back with the drugs. You would get an awesome trip as well.

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DeathIsTruthOP•

That's what I was going to do originally when my last dermatologist and even current one wouldn't prescribe it to me. I was worried about not having blood work done along side taking the drug. Maybe if the first couple rounds go well that's what I will do. It's crazy that I could fly there for the same price. Great idea

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Njevil•

Just find out which values the blood tests measure (AST/ALT and cholesterol I think) and pay a doctor to do the bloodwork unrelated to taking accutane.

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accutane1323•

people are probably gonna shit on me and say it's a terrible idea, but honestly there are reputable overseas pharmacies that will sell you accutane for much much less than that. i do it this way. for example i get a month's supply of 40mg/day for like $35 from an indian one and i've had great results.

first you should shop around and even try contacting the drug manufacturer to see if they offer coupons or anything tho

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DeathIsTruthOP•

May I ask how I can get in contact with these pharmacies or even the direct link to the one you use? That's a very tempting offer.

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