Aricept tablets - where to get cheapest?

[hj2k_x]

Bit of a shot in the dark here, but my dad is on the Alzheimer's medication, Aricept, the 10mg ones. Currently we are forking our R1100/month to our local pharmacy for them (no medical aid).

Does anyone by any chance know where we can find them for cheaper? I have called around various local pharmacies but they all seem to be similarly priced.

Why are there no generic versions of these tablets, I wonder?

Thanks for any feedback.

H

 

[Pitbull]

Bit of a shot in the dark here, but my dad is on the Alzheimer's medication, Aricept, the 10mg ones. Currently we are forking our R1100/month to our local pharmacy for them (no medical aid).

Does anyone by any chance know where we can find them for cheaper? I have called around various local pharmacies but they all seem to be similarly priced.

Why are there no generic versions of these tablets, I wonder?

Thanks for any feedback.

H

Depends on how old the medication is. Pharmacutical companies get sort of like a patent on the ingredients but unlike a normal patent it's only exclusive for 15 years I think. After that any company can use the same recipe to make the meds.

That will be the reason.

Maybe get Medical aid ?

Hospital plans cover Cronic meds I think. He'll be excluded for a year though but it's worth it if he'll be getting he's meds free after the 12 month exclusion though.

 

[hj2k_x]

Depends on how old the medication is. Pharmacutical companies get sort of like a patent on the ingredients but unlike a normal patent it's only exclusive for 15 years I think. After that any company can use the same recipe to make the meds.

That will be the reason.

Maybe get Medical aid ?

Hospital plans cover Cronic meds I think. He'll be excluded for a year though but it's worth it if he'll be getting he's meds free after the 12 month exclusion though.

Ah yes, that would make sense - don't think the drug has been around for very long.

I hear what you are saying about medical aid, but the 12 month exclusion period is not going to work - we can't afford to pay for the meds and the medical aid for a whole year until it becomes free.

 

[killadoob]

Dis-chem is normally really cheap hey.
firstly a medical aid will never take on your dad if they know your going to claim what you pay for him, second there is a 10 year period before you can find a generic and then alot of the time the generic's are not the same quality as the original.

 

[Pitbull]

Ah yes, that would make sense - don't think the drug has been around for very long.

I hear what you are saying about medical aid, but the 12 month exclusion period is not going to work - we can't afford to pay for the meds and the medical aid for a whole year until it becomes free.

Damn, that sucks

Killa got it right, try Dischem

 

[hj2k_x]

Damn, that sucks

Killa got it right, try Dischem

Indeed, it does....

Will see what Dischem have to say for themselves.

 

[hj2k_x]

R817 reckons the Canal Walk branch, which is not bad I guess...

 

[Yotch]

You could reduce the daily dosage to 5mg by cutting the tablets in half. The 10mg dosage only offers a marginal improvement over the 5mg one. This will reduce your monthly spend to ~R409 (it is probably cheaper to subdivide the 10mg tablets than to purchase the individual 5mg ones).

People with mild, moderate or severe dementia due to Alzheimer's disease treated for periods of 12, 24 or 52 weeks with Aricept experienced benefits in cognitive function, activities of daily living and behaviour. There is some evidence that Aricept is neither more nor less expensive compared to placebo when assessing total health care resource costs. The evidence suggests that the benefits of Aricept at 10 mg once a day are marginally greater than 5 mg per day, however given the better tolerability of Aricept at 5 mg a day, the lower dose may be the better option. The debate of the efficacy of Aricept continues as the treatment effects are small and not always apparent in clinical practice.

Source: http://www.library.nhs.uk/rss/newsA...ttp://www.library.nhs.uk/resources/?id=114048

These links might also be of interest ...

You won't find articles in popular magazines that discuss the benefits of exercise for persons with Alzheimer's Disease. In fact, as of February 2001, only two articles in professional journals documented the multiple benefits of physical fitness training for non-institutionalized early- to moderate-stage persons with Alzheimer's Disease. The author's Alzheimer's Disease Rehab by Students program (Arkin, 1999) showed dramatic gains in physical fitness and mood, maintenance of function in multiple language measures, and a slower than typical decline in mental status after a year of exercise. An Italian research group (Palleschi, Vetta, Degennaro, Idone, Sottosanti, Gianni, & Marigliano, 1996) found a significant improvement on four cognitive measures after three months of aerobic exercise.

Source: http://www.ncpad.org/disability/fact_sheet.php?sheet=138
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~sarkin/elderrehab.html

Pricing ...
http://www.innovativemedicines.co.z...)/Pfizer PGP SEP LIST EFF 01 JANUARY 2008.pdf

It might also be worth investigating other similar products to see if there are any cheaper alternatives ...

As of February 2001, five approved drugs were on the market - Aricept, Cognex, Razadyne, Namenda, and Exelon - that temporarily improve cognitive functioning to a slight extent or slow the rate of decline in a small number of patients. Positive effects are seldom noticeable for more than six months. Some people do not handle the side effects well; others cannot afford the drugs.

 

[Frankie]

What about buying it from online pharmacies abroad?
http://www.pill-here.com/item.php?id=2965

 

[hj2k_x]

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I shall look into what you have suggested.

 

[hj2k_x]

You could reduce the daily dosage to 5mg by cutting the tablets in half. The 10mg dosage only offers a marginal improvement over the 5mg one. This will reduce your monthly spend to ~R409 (it is probably cheaper to subdivide the 10mg tablets than to purchase the individual 5mg ones).

This was most interesting. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with this to tell me if this is the case?

 

[Turbo_Aspiration]

This was most interesting. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with this to tell me if this is the case?

I'd suggest a doctor or pharmacist rather than the internet

 

[hj2k_x]

I'd suggest a doctor or pharmacist rather than the internet

Ya, we are going to contact them as well

It's just that this drug has not been around long and not many people have used it - so I was hoping that someone out there might actually have a personal experience they could relate.

 

[Yotch]

The package insert that comes with Aricept also mentions that the 10mg dose is only marginally more effective than the 5mg one. They recommend trying a 5mg dose for at least 4 to 6 weeks to prevent adverse reactions etc. Discuss this with your doctor or pharmacist first though. You should be able to make further savings by purchasing online as already suggested.

Directions:
The dosages of ARICEPT ® shown to be effective in controlled clinical trials are 5 mg and 10 mg administered once per day.

The higher dose of 10 mg did not provide a statistically significantly greater clinical benefit than 5 mg. There is a suggestion, however, based upon order of group mean scores and dose trend analyses of data from these clinical trials, that a daily dose of 10 mg of ARICEPT ® might provide additional benefit for some patients. Accordingly, whether or not to employ a dose of 10 mg is a matter of prescriber and patient preference.

Evidence from the controlled trials indicates that the 10 mg dose, with a one week titration, is likely to be associated with a higher incidence of cholinergic adverse events than the 5 mg dose. In open label trials using a 6 week titration, the frequency of these same adverse events was similar between the 5 mg and 10 mg dose groups. Therefore, because steady state is not achieved for 15 days and because the incidence of untoward effects may be influenced by the rate of dose escalation, treatment with a dose of 10 mg should not be contemplated until patients have been on a daily dose of 5 mg for 4 to 6 weeks.

ARICEPT ® should be taken in the evening, just prior to retiring. ARICEPT ® can be taken with or without food.

Please follow your doctor's instructions.

Source: http://www.biogenesis.co.za/pi-aricept.asp

The original quote is from this extensive review of studies of Donepezil (Aricept).
http://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD001190/pdf_standard_fs.html

There also appear to be a number of promising new treatments ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525115.stm
It should be possible to purchase a suitable form of methylene blue from a local pharmacy as it has a variety of other medical uses. See below for more details ...
http://alzheimers.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/762104261/m/1251094523/p/1

You could also investigate adding some very inexpensive spices such as turmeric, cinnamon to empty capsules or supplements such as ginkgo biloba and lithium orotate.
http://alzheimers.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/675102261/m/6051008062

This free e-book might also be of interest. There is a discussion in Chapter 10 about two patients who claim to have recovered from Alzheimer's disease and have described their treatments in their own books. Chapters 8 and 9 are also worth a look ...
http://www.healsa.co.za/ebooks.htm#What_Really_Causes_Alzheimers