FDA May Allow Drugs Go OTC, but.....

Emilia · Post by **Emilia** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:31 am

not medical devices, I presume.... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... escriptio/ So, you'll be able to buy BP or Diabetic drugs at your local store, but cpap machines will STILL be Rx only. M.A.D.

MaxDarkside · Post by **MaxDarkside** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:35 am

Downside is some insurance won't cover OTC drugs, but the upside for me is that mine for blood pressure and cholesterol are quite cheap.

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:57 am

I find it hard to believe because more and more OTC meds have ended up behind the counter.

MaxDarkside · Post by **MaxDarkside** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:00 am

BlackSpinner wrote:I find it hard to believe because more and more OTC meds have ended up behind the counter.

Well, I suppose that is rather literally "Over The Counter"... the pharmacist's counter. (heehee ) Like pseudo-ephedrine, off the shelf, now really over the counter.

Gerryk · Post by **Gerryk** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:08 am

I really feel sorry for those on Medicare who are retired. So many already have to chose between food and meds. Now thousands more will have to make choices like that.

Maybe those who are smart enough to understand what is happening to us will actually take the time to go out and vote this fall.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:38 am

I can buy a glucose monitor OTC, without a prescription, also test strips and lancets.
How is that different from CPAP?

MaxDarkside · Post by **MaxDarkside** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:48 am

chunkyfrog wrote:I can buy a glucose monitor OTC, without a prescription, also test strips and lancets.
How is that different from CPAP?

I suppose because CPAP is therapy, a glucose monitor is, well, a monitor. Buying CPAP supplies should be allowed w/o prescription, I think, but then some insurance might not cover it, but then if insurance didn't cover the large mark ups by some DMEs the prices would fall further.

Janknitz · Post by **Janknitz** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:27 pm

I can buy a glucose monitor OTC, without a prescription, also test strips and lancets.
How is that different from CPAP?

Because, don't you know, CPAP's are very dangerous--all that air they blow!

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:19 pm

Oh, I forgot--nearly blew my lungs out the other night!

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:12 pm

chunkyfrog wrote:I can buy a glucose monitor OTC, without a prescription, also test strips and lancets.
How is that different from CPAP?

Because there are all these gangs waiting to buy them and use them for illicit purposes and to get high?

What do you think the street value of a cpap machine is? $10,000? $20,000?

xenablue · Post by **xenablue** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:01 pm

IMHO for me - having meds I take now being prescribed means I can claim them on my FSA - if they go OTC, I still have to get my doctors to write scripts otherwise I can't use my FSA - very dumb move.

Cheers,
xena

Janknitz · Post by **Janknitz** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:36 pm

Because there are all these gangs waiting to buy them and use them for illicit purposes and to get high?

I've actually thought about this! Those of us who are successful on CPAP know what it's like to wake up after a good night's sleep on the machine. It feels WONDERFUL!!! I've never taken illicit drugs, but I can't imagine them feeling much better than I feel when I wake most mornings now.

If the general public knew about this, EVERYBODY would want a CPAP. The would be selling blackmarket machines on street corners. Imagine!

IMHO for me - having meds I take now being prescribed means I can claim them on my FSA - if they go OTC, I still have to get my doctors to write scripts otherwise I can't use my FSA - very dumb move.

This is EXACTLY why the drug companies are behind this. As their patents run out, this is a way to squeeze more profit out. They even want to make STATINS OTC, for goodness sake. How crazy is that? "Gee, I feel like I might have high cholesterol after eating that butter last night, maybe I'll go out and buy some statin today". Or how about "I want my kid "protected" so I'll give him statins with his Flintstone vitamins". (NO, I don't think butter causes "high cholesterol" and I don't believe statins protect against heart disease, but too many people do).

Meanwhile, we're learning that OTC drugs like Tylenol are not so benign as we think and can be very harmful to the liver.

SleepyToo2 · Post by **SleepyToo2** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:23 pm

MaxDarkside wrote:
chunkyfrog wrote:I can buy a glucose monitor OTC, without a prescription, also test strips and lancets.
How is that different from CPAP?
I suppose because CPAP is therapy, a glucose monitor is, well, a monitor. Buying CPAP supplies should be allowed w/o prescription, I think, but then some insurance might not cover it, but then if insurance didn't cover the large mark ups by some DMEs the prices would fall further.

So why don't we stop calling the non-brick machines CPAP. Call them a sleep monitor. After all, that is what they do. As for the air, it is a sleep support device. No treatment mentioned. After all, the machines don't cure us, so how is the support we get any different from a crutch? I know, we normally get a consultation with a doc before we get a crutch, but that is often because there is a medical/surgical/orthopedic problem that they have had to fix. Unfortunately, there is nothing that a doc can fix in the case of sleep apnea, despite the claims by various types of surgeons that they can do this or that procedure and we will be "cured." What is the 5-year success rate? However, good luck with getting the terminology changed any time soon. I can already hear the screams of the docs and the DMEs!

2flamingos · Post by **2flamingos** » Tue May 01, 2012 9:13 am

Janknitz wrote:
I can buy a glucose monitor OTC, without a prescription, also test strips and lancets.
How is that different from CPAP?
Because, don't you know, CPAP's are very dangerous--all that air they blow!

I guess that means they have something in common with a politician. But, would probably be better than most politicians.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Tue May 01, 2012 9:24 am

OTC, as mentioned, is a double-edged sword.
When Claritin went over the counter, I wound up paying more, because my co-pay for the brand name was
still less than the generic OTC price. Same with acid reducers. Now Flex won't cover them at all.
I can get my lancets OTC, with no Flex, or RX and insurance pays 90%;
but the pharmacy jacks up the price 2 or 3 times!
Cheaper to buy OTC--but only if NO insurance participation.
Odd that docs/hospitals charge more if you DON'T have insurance, but drugs are the exact opposite.

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