Ozempic Cost - Ouch!

T

The_Hitchhiker_66

Active member
My physician just recommended Ozempic. Tried to get the script filled, and my insurance wants almost a grand. Checked the official Ozempic site for a discount card. With it, the price only dropped to about $870. That's way over my budget. Any advice on how to lower the cost?
 
Paying $850 monthly for Ozempic is a rip-off if you ask me. Consider the compounded forms at around $200 per month, or ask your doctor about Tirzepatide. Many find it works better with fewer adverse effects.
 
You can also investigate the Costco discount program, or find compounding pharmacies, as has been mentioned. That GoodRx coupon is def a good idea. The money I save on food each month pretty much balances out the $500 I spend through Costco, so it might be more affordable than you think.
 
I'm spending around $500 at Costco for the largest pen and counting clicks to get the correct dose. My insurance won’t pay for it.
 
My insurance is higher the first month due to the deductible, but it goes way down in months two and three. Check with your insurance, as plans can vary a lot. With United Health, I pay $700 initially, then around $90 each following month.
 
That's wild! I can't believe how expensive it is here. In Germany, a month's supply costs about $100, and two months cost $200, which I already thought was a lot.
 
It's insane how much more it costs! I started last week through a private online doc (can't move much with this foot), cost me 70e for the consult and 110e for the monthly pen. So about 200usd. I'm located in Finland.
 
If you have a high deductible, that's probably why you're paying so much right now. I just got a 3-month supply and it was around $2600 with the discount. On the bright side, almost met my deductible! The manufacturer coupon doesn't save as much as it used to - only saved like $300 on the whole 3 month supply. Not sure if that goes towards the deductible. See if other pharmacies have lower prices. Also consider a pen with a higher dosage and count the clicks (just get extra needles). I'm on 0.5 mg, so I get 8 doses from the 1 mg pen. The starter pen in the US has both 0.25 and 0.5 in the same pen, and it includes 6 needles. It's designed to have 4 weeks at 0.25 then 2 at 0.5, if you increase that fast.
 
Saw a similar situation in another thread. Some insurance companies want to see you lose around 5% of your body weight within the first 6 months. If you aren't losing weight, they may not cover it.
 
I've heard of insurance companies denying coverage if patients don't lose enough weight. It's awful. Some people just don't respond as well, or have other medical conditions. It's not always about lifestyle! Seems like a lot of folks have to resort to compounding pharmacies.
 
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Owned it. No shame at all—nobody's fooling anyone when the weight comes off. Call the whole injectable my "ozempic" joke when it goes in the in-laws' fridge. 😄
 
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