I called around a few pharmacies asking if they could special order the 5-pack of vials.  The major ones like CVS refused, however my local Safeway pharmacy said sure.  I picked it up yesterday.  This morning i gave myself a shot of only half of a vial.  You need syringes so be sure to ask your doc to include that in the prescription.

So for the cost of one auto-injector these vials provide either 10 or 5 doses depending on whether you want only 3mg or 6mg.  Using GoodRx has a coupon for $172 for the five vials if you don't have insurance.

They only come in a pack of five, so you need to very specific with your doc and have the script written for a quantity of five vials.  If he/she puts a note on the script to "include syringes" the pharmacist should also include them.

Vials:
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Autoinjector:
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THAT..... is a MOST excellent post!! Thank you Nervely................

Clusterheads must advocate for themselves because too often the medical "system" lets us down. If your Doc treats you like a rube and a helpless lump...incapable of understanding or conveying the vast and priceless information contained within ch.com...we advise to "fire their ass!!" Always good advice that bears repeating every once in a while...

Likewise.... pharmacies may need FIRING for incompetence or arrogance too ....I despair at how impersonal and rather machinelike they have become. At some... questions are an obvious annoyance (see Costco among others..in MY experience) as "we are BUSY...can't you see?". Calling around to get the service you need is brilliantly simple advice...folks too often accept what is fricken UNACCEPTABLE. And there are some things they will never tell you UNLESS you ask or THEY have no other choice...

For example: years ago I had a script for Imitrex autopens. When picking up one time I was given the vials. Speaking before thinking I said...wrong script..I need the pens. The Pharm looked at me like I was a moron and said: "we're out of those, this is the same med, same cost, what's the problem?" Light bulb moment...I shut up and asked for insulin syringes...which they happily supplied. Moral? It had never occurred to me to ASK for this...and I was prepared evermore to site the "same med, same cost" line for future refills. Fact is...I never had to...just had the Doc write the script for the vials+syringes.......

Advocate fer yourself....aint no one else gonna............

Best

Jon

Hey Jon, how goes it?

I used to get the 5 vial packs prescribed to me for years, and I got syringes, after explaining to my neuro about using a lower dose. I could get 3 shots out of one vial, so it worked out well. I was chronic at the time.

I went into remission for a few years, then back to chronic, and I asked my doc to write the script for the vials, and was told by 2 major pharmacies they were no longer available except in a hospital setting. I went around and around with my insurance, and the pharms, then had to settle for auto injectors, and those manufacturers must have caught on to the "splitting " them up into more than one dose, because you can't do that anymore.

I waited for years for generic (sumatriptan) to come out. The generic price is almost the same as name brand Imitrex, which really sucks.

Jon, yer right about advocating for yourself, I stopped using Walgreens after doing business with them for over 35 years, due to them not respecting my privacy, or anyone else's for that matter. They put the pharmacist out at the end of the counter, about 6 feet from the waiting area. Anyone could hear a conversation. I switched to CVS, and it's a small store nearby, and it's like a family run business. They really go out of their way to help me with things and respect my privacy.

I've heard bad things about the Walmart pharmacies, & the super large store pharms. Like they have much better things to do than explain something or help you with your medication.

Luckily, I've had the same doctor for a very long time, and my neuro for almost as long. My doc treats me as an equal, explains things to me, and I understand what he tells me. I explain the latest treatments to my neuro, and he is more than willing to try them out on me, so I guess I got lucky having both of them.

I'm going to look into the vials again. Where are you located, Nervely? Maybe that has something to do with availability of vials. Thanks.

Chris!....so good to hear from you!

Life is good...I don't "work" anymore so I volunteer....WAY more fun. Kinda amazing the difference. Folks used to tell me..."you always look so serious...why don't you smile?" Now...no more stress... and I smile all the time....probably thought of as nuts.... but strangers smile and say hello regularly (of course, I look a little like Santa...so it's kind of a cheat...especially with the little kids).

Not missing the job...just the people...like clusterville friends/family like you who stop posting....then DO...WAH-hoo!

My info might be obsolete...I didn't like the "ooky" feeling Imi gave me....much more success with Zomig Nasal Spray (5 mg)...stockpiled but rarely used anymore.....but vials, if possible.... the way to go for Imi users...

Best,

Jon

Purpleydog,

I live in San Rafael, California - just north of San Francisco.  The vials are generic.  If the pharmacist is lazy you can give them the NDC or RXNorm identifiers for the vials.  That's what they use when ordering from their suppliers.

The NDC number for the brand I have is 0143-9638-05. They may need to cross-reference it for the brands in their supplier catalog. 

You can get a list of all the NDCs for the vials at
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For my vials it shows you can search by NDC and use the number above.  If you search by non-propriety name "sumatriptan" you'll get 168 results and they include all the different manufacturers and forms.

The phamacist might ask for the RxNorm identifier, which is a bit different.  It's vendor agnostic and focuses on the molecule.  You can access the RXNorm database at:  START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

I believe the RXCUI focuses on the molecule and form - for injectable sumatriptan is 313165 but you have to ask for the vials.  Here's a list of products but some are injectors and some are the vials:
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It's a little confusing, but the NDC is to track manufacturers and their products, whereas the RXNorm is more for prescribers and is useful for clinical data mining.  We're all on injectable sumatriptan (313165) but we may have different NDCs based on our brand.

This is by far the least painful and least expensive way to give yourself a sumatriptan injection.

Today I go the insulin-style syringes.  The needle is tiny and I barely feel it.  Far less painful than using the autoinjector.  For those of you who have tried the needle-less autoinjector you'll probably agree it's incredibly more painful than the regular needle-style injector since it uses a blast of compressed air/medicine to blow a small hole through your skin.

These needles are thinner (31 ga) and set to the correct depth for a subcutaneus injection.  You can also fill them to exactly 2ml or 3ml from the vial, giving yourself two or three doses from a single vial.  With it being $120 for the 5 vials, that's between $8 and $12 for a dose. 

The syringes are made by becton-dickonson.  They're called the the "BD 6mm".  They come in two different sizes - one holds .3ml and the larger holds .5ml.  I would get the .3ml ones since that holds half the vial and you can very precisely measure out the exact amount from the vial.

To inject just find a spot with a little fat under it, rub some alcohol on the spot and push the needle in all the way (it's only a 1/4" long).  I didn't even feel the needle going in, but  I could feel a little sting when I pushed in the sumatriptan.

Attached is a picture.

---

I just read an article from AARP about warehouses for drug manufacturers getting ripped off and the drugs being sold to pharmacies, doctors, etc., for extremely cheap prices. There is also mention of drugs that may not have the active ingredient in them, or only a small amount. They are sold online too, with or without a script. Here's the link:

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I found this to be very informative. Let the buyer beware.

Nervely, while you may think my pharmacist is lazy, I can assure you they are not. As I mentioned above, I've spoken to my pharmacists, my insurance, and (I didn't say this) my old pharmacy regarding the sumatriptan vials. I've also spoken to my doctor, leaving my neuro next at my appt coming up. 

The pharmacies are aware of how to order drugs, as is my insurance.

Thanks for your hint on how to inject sumatriptan from vials. When I'm in the throes of a hit, however, I don't really care what size the needle is, nor do I care about the needleless auto-injector, as there is nothing worse than CH, pain-wise. It may be uncomfortable for a few seconds, but if I can get some semblance of relief, I can put up with it. It's better than me screaming into a towel with my ice pack for 30 to 40 minutes.

I used to have syringes pre-loaded so I didn't have to try to load one while getting hit. Since mine go from 0 to 60 in less than a minute, having my medication handy is paramount.

Hey Jon, good to hear about your volunteering. I'm considering that myself. You take care!


Add-on: even though the link I posted appears incomplete, it should take you where you need to go. Let me know if it doesn't, and I'll type it out completely. Thanks!

The point I'm trying to make is most chain pharmacies have standard stock, and if you want something outside that menu they need to do extra work.

I'm not advocating using an online pharmacy.

I'm on a first-name basis with the two pharmacists at my local Safeway, who are both strict grey-hairs and have known my family for many years. They recognize my voice whenever I call. They would do anything in their professional/legal scope to help me, and in this case it was calling up the chain to special order the vials.  It was not in their computerized formulary.  And I trust them very much.

After using all the vials at 3mg doses I can assure they were the real deal.

A few days ago I had only one 6mg autojector.  I injected it into a recently emptied vial and then pulled out two 3mg syringes.  "such a waste" I was thinking as I threw out the empty autoinjector.

Nervely,

I live in Marin and have been cutting autopen doses. Much easier on my body.

Tried to PM you, but I needed a forum post to be allowed to send a PM. This is that post.