Pitching Self-injection to Wary Doc

[Sedg1]

Friends, I have finally got my cyp dose dialed it - 150mg every seven days. Problem is that the urology practice I use has a policy against prescribing it for self-administration. It has become a considerable inconvenience for me to have to set aside that time every Friday to get my injection. And when I am not in town, I go without or have to interrupt the dosing schedule which is not good. The doc has agreed to approach the administration to change the policy.

It appears that their primary concern is the fact that cyp is a Schedule III. They seem to think that this designation prevents them for prescribing it for self-injection. It is a feeble argument. Both Vicodin and Tylenol with Codeine are Schedule III drugs. People certainly do not go to their doctor offices several times a day to get their pain meds. Even Schedule II drugs are regularly prescribed. They include Oxycodone, Hydromorphone and fentanyl patches. In fact the only drugs on the Schedule that are not prescribed for home use are Schedule I which are not recognized as having any medicinal benefits and can not be formally prescribed - LSD, opium, pot, etc. Consequently, there is no merit to the argument that cyp, as a Sched II drug, can not be prescribed for home administration.

The idea of selff-injection should not serve as a barrier either. I already do shots of Humira (biologic) and Vitamin B12.

If any of you have had this same conversation with their doc, I would be interested to hear the arguments you made - if you need to at all.

Thanks

 

[halfwit]

Considering the script isn't for them to inject you, it's just for the drug - he's full of shit and likes that back-office money from your insurance company. I don't remember exactly how I told my doctor I wasn't going to keep paying a 30 dollar copay every damn week, but I'm sure I was tactful about it and offered to have his nurses supervise me in my first two self-injects to make sure I was doing it correctly. He got his back-office money for two visits out of me on top of whatever charge is billable for having nurses supervise and I was given the green light by them to inject myself at home. Out of curiosity, don't you have to bring in your pins and vial to the office? If that's the case, I REALLY don't see how he can say that at all...

 

[Sedg1]

Out of curiosity, don't you have to bring in your pins and vial to the office? If that's the case, I REALLY don't see how he can say that at all...

Their cyp and pin. My delts.
The co-pay is not an issue as I do not have one. This is not a big money-maker for the office. Insurance pays $35 on a $55 bill. I declined the Testopel which is the big ticket item.

 

[halfwit]

Their cyp and pin. My delts.
The co-pay is not an issue as I do not have one. This is not a big money-maker for the office. Insurance pays $35 on a $55 bill. I declined the Testopel which is the big ticket item.

It's still 55x4 a month, not a bad chunk of change if you think about how many patients he might have. I'm really surprised that they carry the testosterone and pins. Is this a wellness clinic or an actual practice? I'd stress the inconvenience factor and inform him that twice weekly injects are far better for you as it keeps your levels more stable (true by the way). They don't rotate to other sites at all? That would worry me as you will start to see scar tissue over time as I did when I was just pinning my quads.

You're paying 80 a month for something you could be doing on your own if your insurance doesn't pay the entire bill... (I'm assuming that is what you meant.) That's a little more than an extra vial a month of testosterone from the pharmacy!

 

[Sedg1]

Actually, it is $35 x 4 - they have to eat the fee schedule differential. I pay nothing for any care once I have eaten through my health savings account ($3k). At $1k per Humera injection (not a misprint) takes 6 weeks to consume it.
It is a real urology practice associated with a hospital. How did it work with your doc. Did he give you a script for the cyp and pin and then you went to his office for the inject? Bizarre.
The nice elderly nurse who injects my cyp has encouraged me to inject my glutes. I think she just wants to see my tight hinei.
Curious as to how much the cyp costs at the pharmacy.
For me, it is not about the money. It is just a pain to schedule my life around these weekly injections.

 

[halfwit]

Actually, it is $35 x 4 - they have to eat the fee schedule differential. I pay nothing for any care once I have eaten through my health savings account ($3k). At $1k per Humera injection (not a misprint) takes 6 weeks to consume it.
It is a real urology practice associated with a hospital. How did it work with your doc. Did he give you a script for the cyp and pin and then you went to his office for the inject? Bizarre.
The nice elderly nurse who injects my cyp has encouraged me to inject my glutes. I think she just wants to see my tight hinei.
Curious as to how much the cyp costs at the pharmacy.
For me, it is not about the money. It is just a pain to schedule my life around these weekly injections.

Wow, you have some really good benefits then! Yes, my doctor just writes a script for my testosterone at a 3 month supply (1 vial) and for 2 dozen needles/syringes. It costs around $65 bucks from costco's pharmacy which happens to be the cheapest I could find as my insurance does not cover the cost of testosterone even though it's saving them hundreds a month on other drugs that were previously prescribed to treat the symptoms of low-T.

It took some coaxing, but ultimately he does work for YOU and should honor your wishes. If he's unwilling to allow you to take matters into your own hands, I'd think about finding a new doc (IMT here is another option) that is a bit more open minded and willing to trust a grown man with his own injections. Haha, I can only imagine an older gal wanting to smack that hiney to "get the site ready" for injections LOL.

 

[Sedg1]

Haha, I can only imagine an older gal wanting to smack that hiney to "get the site ready" for injections LOL.

And to squeeze it to make the site ready for penetration.
GILF, oh my! What a T-downer.

 

[Megatron28]

And to squeeze it to make the site ready for penetration.
GILF, oh my! What a T-downer.

Ask him if he lets diabetics self inject. Would he let you self inject B12 or epinephrin? It is stupid to not let you do it yourself. The money sucks, but the killer is the time inconvenience. And what if you take a trip?

I would inform him that there is no medical or regulatory reason to not allow self injections of Test and that it is a deal breaker for you if he doesn't permit it. There are plenty of reasonable doctors that he can transfer your records to. Where do you live? Maybe one of us can recommend one. I don't think IMT is a good option for you because they don't accept insurance. Your HSA deductible situation with the Humera costs makes it so you want to go through insurance obviously.

 

[bigben34]

Sorry to hear of all the trouble you're dealing with...When I first started with my endo doc, I informed him that "I know how to administer the shots"...Nothing further was asked of me and he gave me my script for 10ml with 5 refills...Might be time to find a new doc for you.

 

[Sedg1]

Thanks for the support, gents. I sent off a letter sharing my thoughts with the doc. The fact that he is willing to present the issue to the powers that be confirms my confidence in him. Whether I continue to have faith in the practice will depend on the response I get.

 

[halfwit]

Good luck man! Keep us updated on what happens!

 

[Sedg1]

 

[newtohrt]

.GILF...Oh, man, where is my eye bleach when I really need it...

 

[Sedg1]

.GILF...Oh, man, where is my eye bleach when I really need it...

Heeheeheehee....

 

[srichnc]

I have a friend that told the doc his wife was a nurse.