Hacker News Reader

Comment by fallingknife | Hacker News Reader

It's seriously ridiculous. I have had a prescription for Adderall for over 15 years now but I have to pay $175 every 3 months for a new prescription. They last about 2 minutes on the phone. That's $10,000 I've paid for a doctor to do nothing!

I also have a prescription for this ointment to treat eczema. Last time I ran out I tried to call my dermatologist for a refill, but apparently he's retired now. So just to get this stupid skin cream I had to make an appointment with another doctor, wait a month, and pay money when I already knew exactly the medication I needed from the pharmacy.

View on HN

It's criminal. The entire doctors profession is the reason why the US is so expensive.

It's cartel based regulations by the AMA. Everything about being a doctor is gate kept. Prescriptions, test results, even becoming a doctor is artificially made harder than it needs to be to keep prices high.

One doctor on HN told me why patients could only get test results through another appointment with the doctor. I thought it was because the docs wanted more money. He told me it was because patients can misinterpret results and go suicide. Yeah makes total sense treating patients like simpletons to keep the money funneling in. Suicide?. Give me a break.

FYI you can get some tests without the gatekeeper now. I've used walkinlab.com before.

There's some news you just need to hear in person. And of course you're going to have a ton of questions and the most efficient way to do that is talk face to face.

At 150$ for 15 minutes.

Yeah will the doctor provide that information for free or do they hold that information hostage by making me pay them a fee for consultation? Just tell me the results of the tests over the phone, no need to rip me off.

It's criminal behavior disguised as concern.

if you get the information that you have a terminal illness, just refuse to pay them! what $expletive difference does it make?

What if I don't have a terminal illness.

The information blocking rule requires that all test, notes, and labs are shared by default as soon as they result with few exceptions.

Did the Adderall help you keep your job/do well in life etc? I think if people could get adderall over the counter then everyone would start taking it. Even those without ADHD. They wouldn't know how to titrate the doseage as well.

But anybody can get adderall. They just have to pay off a doctor to do that. It's a rubber stamp. Dosage selection isn't any more difficult than ibuprofen and is mostly feel based anyway.

No, not everyone can get it. It is widely prescribed, but there are situations in which it is contraindicated and wouldn't be prescribed.

> not everyone can get it

Everyone can get it. Not everyone can get it prescribed. But I have previously-prescribed medication which I now just order in bulk overseas. Not because it’s cheaper (it is). But because the hassle of getting prescriptions filled every month is tedious.

Ok, I'll bite - how does one go about sourcing that? I have a similar ethic when it comes to DIY medicine, and do order some from alldaychemist.com, but they are a bit limited in selection. I'm assuming someone dealing in ADHD medication is a bit less public than that however (and as such a name would not be shared on a public forum like this), and I wonder how one goes about finding a reputable seller.

In the context of the thread and post, I’m referring to US prescription/pharmacies.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com