So I’ve been taking testosterone enanthate for a few weeks now and feel good. I have another appointment with the endo tomorrow that I will update you on, but I’m hoping it checks out. They did an ultrasound on my thyroid because the doctor said it was swollen. I also have some symptoms of hypothydroidism (nervousness, trouble sleeping, twitching eyelid…) but that could all be stress. I’ll get the pre-testosterone blood tests back, and I’m hoping he’ll order another one to see where I’m at now – but that probably won’t happen for a few more months, as I think he’ll just want me to “stay the course” for awhile since I feel better.
But that’s not what this post is about. I wanted to compare prices on the three options I had for buying my testosterone medication (200mg / mil bottles of testosterone enanthate for injection) so you can see how much money can be saved when you shop around.
Option #1 ($210 for 10mil) was going through the regular pharmacy, and that was after insurance coverage.
Option #2 ($75 for 5mil) was going through my insurance company’s pharmacy, or at least one that they have some sort of monetary relationship with. I’m not sure how it all works, but this is a mail order deal and they usually send you three month’s supply up front for most drugs, but will only do 1 month at a time for controlled substances like testosterone.
Option #3 ($100 for 10mil) from a mail order HRT clinic (the kind I discussed in this post about if you order testosterone online and whether that is legal) and this place didn’t take insurance.
I’m going to take 150mg per week of testosterone. The doctor prescribes 100mg, but I have a some left over from when I tried to get off TRT and, frankly, I feel better on 150mg per week while still being in the normal range. I need to get another blood test done, but I’ve been on this roller coaster long enough to know my body and I’m feeling in the mid-to-upper ranges of “normal” at this dose. I will give you hard numbers when I get another blood test done. What I’m getting at is how much this costs per week for each option:
#1 = $31.50 (CVS, Walgreens, Etc…)
#2 = $22.50 (Medco via my health insurance company)
#3 = $15.00 (Online HRT clinic)
Clearly the HRT clinic is the better option for those without health insurance (or without insurance that will cover TRT), or who don’t want to go through their health insurance, or who have high deductables and copays, etc… It is just cheaper, and my experience has been that it can be very reliable if you find the right place.
HOWEVER – if your insurance covers testosterone injections that you can do at home and your deductible is low enough that you’re going to meet it ever year – option #2 (if something similar is offered by your provided. You should ask.) is actually the better option in the long run. This is what I’m probably going to end up going with, although I may use the HRT clinic from time to time.
Option #1, unfortunately, is what most Americans tend to go with. Don’t ask me why. I guess we’ve just been conditioned to accept our lot as having one of the worst healthcare systems in the developed world. I don’t mean to bitch or be unpatriotic here. I’m not trying to get into a discussion about the Big Healthcare Debate. All I want to say is that you have other options and exploring them could save you hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars every year over the course of the rest of your life. It’s worth making a few phone calls.
I guess there’s a fourth option: Drive down to Mexico. But I’m not so sure I’d trust a pharmacy like the one pictured in the photo above when it comes to something I’m injection into my body ever week. 😉
Good luck!
WOW! $100 for 200Mg/ Ml 10Ml Vials?? Isn’t that crazy!Â
Option #5, get a bottle of 300mg/ml for $50. Lasts you 20 weeks…. 😀
I have a prescription and found a competitive local pharmacy. I compare every few months to the Costco price and they are about the same. The 10ml of 200mg/ml vial costs between $65 and $130. It contains 2000mg and lasts me about 3 months and a week, 1940mg of the 2000mg in the vial. The rest is difficult to get out of the vial.  So my typical cost per week is about $6 plus syringe cost. I buy those 100 at a time and a box with separate needles totals about 40 cents per syringe. A box lasts almost 2 years.
Another option is testosterone cream. Androgel costs me like $600 a month, but a compounding pharmacy can make the same thing for a lot less. I pay a wopping $68 a month, and it works great.
Has anyone tried Androderm patches? Â If so, what has your experience been? Â I originally started on the shots (in 1998), later on went to the Androgel, and am back with shots. Â I just got tired of the daily process of having to apply the Androgel, however, compared to Testim, I preferred the Androgel over the Testim. Â With the shots, I’m on the Enanthate 200 mg/ML, however, I started on the Cypionate (same strength). Been having issues getting my insurance/Dr’s office to work together so that the PA goes through for the patches, but would like to try those.
Joey
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