I don’t have any health insurance and i don’t have a job also im in college. I have like two days left of lantus and I have no clue where i can go to get help with this. I have applied for medicaid and they denied me because they do not consider diabetes a disability so i went to social security and applied but they said it will take up to 3 months to make a decision. Any ideas would help thank you well going to bed because its like 4am here hope to have responses when i get so i can get this taken care of.
Hi. NPH and Regular should be available over the counter. It’s hard to have really good control with them, but they can keep you going until Medicaid or some other help materializes. Trudy
Sanofi Aventis (makers of Lantus) has a page for info about patient assistance for those who can’t pay for their medication. You may want to check them out: http://www.sanofi-aventis.us/live/us/en/layout.jsp?scat=A1268951-5BF1-4287-BB19-2F0A9D64F93E
You may also want to call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-diabetes, they might be able to give you options that exist. You don’t have to be a member of the organization to use their helpline.
Do you have a regular healthcare provider? If so, check with them, they also might know of options to assist with prescriptions.
If you are in college, then you need to explore how your school can support you. Many schools offer a health plan, sometimes paid for as part of the tuition. You may find you can walk into the health center and they will just “give” you lantus. Sometimes, schools just offer supplemental insurance that you have to pay for, but even that can be surprising and is generally cheap. Understand that for the most part, a college student population is young and relatively free from health problems, making “insurance” inexpensive to provide. If all of that fails, then walk right into your college, right into the administration office, and tell them you are having trouble with your health and if you don’t get support, then you fear that you will have to drop out of school. Most schools will go out of their way to help students in these sorts of situations. You need to be your own “champion.”
Now, as to your immediate concern, there are a variety of ways for you to restore your supply of lantus. First, look for any free clinics in your area. If you can find one, you can go there, possibly walk out with a vial of lantus and at the very least, get a presciption that you can get filled. In the worst case, you can go see a doctor, pay a walkup fee (often negotiable) and get a prescription. All of this costs money, but again, you have ended up in a short term problem that you probably should have seen coming.
As a final backup, you can walk right into Walmart and get a vial of Relion NPH for $24. You will have to take 2-3 shots a day, but it will tide you over. And as a final final option, which I don’t recommend, you can go the ER, plead indigence and see if they will give you lantus.
I hope that is helpful. You surely know that this is not a situation you wish to be in as a diabetic and that probably you could have taken action earlier. But keep in mind that you do have lots of options and the only reason you should really lack insulin is if you fail to try out all those options.
number one - contact your last primary and/or endro to see if they can front you an emergency supply of lantus.
Your old doc may be able to put you in contact with affordable assistance. if thats not feasible look for a public hospital in your area and go to outpatients and explain your situation to them - if they cannot help you they might be able to direct you to some agency or organization who can help. Also check rxassist.org and myoptimumhealth.com. I am confused by the medicaid denial but since I don’t know what your status is in the state you go to school in…Most colleges have some sort of clinic or low cost health insurance - check in with your advisor for some help within the college. Church organizations can be very helpful…get going now before you end up in emergency!
Also, the deal with medicaid varies from state to state and you don’t have to be disabled to qualify - you could be classified as medically indigent if you have no assets in most states. You might not be a legal resident of the state you are going to school in and that will cause delays. You may need a social worker to intervene on your behalf with Medicaid.
Have you tried contacting the people who manufacture Lantus?. A lot of drug companies will give medication away if you can’t afford it. Have you also talked to your health center at the Colleg?. Also have you tried to go to one of the free clinics to see if they can help? maybe not Lantus, but some type of Insulin? Just thinking out loud here. I don;t want you to end up in the ER in ketoacidosis. Seems a lot cheaper to give you Insulin than to put you in the ICU. Good luck
Contact the pharm company. They have programs for people who can’t afford meds.
Check with Lantus mfg. they have programs for cases like yours!!! Also here they have some info can’t remember where?? Groups??? May I suggest posting this in the forums!!! Good Luck Let me know how you are doing!!! OK??
Find local diabetes educator and ask if they can help with a script, get samples from doc, sign up for financial assistance through sanofi aventis(lantus).
Don’t worry sweetie…there WILL be a solution. Another place to try…your local chapter of the American Diabetes Association. As well, your doctor or clinic, even the hospital will certainly help out…no one will let you run dry!