Good INR's?

[Nancy]

I'm with you DickV-

There are always lots of reasons why things are cheaper, and you've hit on one of them. Too important to fool around with. How does one know that the dose he/she is getting is the thrifty one?

Generic ibuprofen is one things, but something which is life threatening??? Why take a chance.

Joe has always used Coumadin, and I'm sure, will always.

 

[Dave]

Thanks Guys
We dont really get a choice down under, the bottle of pills has a warfarin label the dose and nothing else. In fact I never knew there was a choice available.
Cost doesn't come into it for us, we have a welfare system that provides for free health care for everyone, so in fact we never know what the cost of any medication is. We get a script from the doctor, take it to the pharmacy and they give us the pills.
Whatever I am taking seems to work for me, because my INR has been stable now for about 10 months.
Cheers Dave

 

[strayze]

Coumadin is the brand name in US for warfarin, which is the chemical name. In US generic warfarin has many manufacterers. Coumadin, a brand name, has only one manufacterer. If you use warfarin, make sure the manufacterer is consistent and the same. That way your INRs will not bounce around.

Unfortunately health plans require mandatory mail order pharmacies to use the cheapest generic available, despite the package inserts which state that one must stick with the same manufacterer. The health plans that I've dealt with actually INCREASE the costs of health care by condoning this arbitrary and dangerous practice for narrow therapeutic window drugs such as digoxin, warfarin, thyroxin, triiodothyronine. Yes, I've been to the board with all four of the aforementioned drugs, paying extra money for doc visits, wasted time from work, etc.

Now, I simply don't use my paid pharmacy benefits for these drugs, and save money in additional doctor visits to get "regulated" to the new manufacterers again.

Not all drugs are narrow window drugs, and generics are fine. Drugs such as beta blockers, glucocorticoids, statins, etc. Using the paid benefits work for these drugs.

If on warfarin, make sure it's the same manufacterer. There's nothing wrong with "warfarin". There's a lot wrong with our "thrifty" dangerous health plans who make no exception for narrow therapeutic window drugs.

I don't get it- - what were "they" thinking about, if anything?