Hah. Thanks health insurance..

[lauren grier]

I had a <ridiculously long> doctor appointment.. and one of my minor complaints was about my never leaving me alone eczema. I've got a really bad patch on my leg thats been there for eons now, no treatments have worked so far so my dr wanted to step it up to the next level of medicated treatments...

Yeh.. my insurance doesn't cover it.. and the pharmacy is asking for $473.99 for a tiny tube of goop. No...............
sorry............
not happening. LOL

I can't wrap my head around how a skin cream could ever cost that much

[Darcy Baldwin]

Hmm... wonder what weird exotic animal excretions are in it! LOL

Have you tried some natural remedies? We do a coconut oil treatment on Aidens and it really works for him

http://www.commonsensehome.com/homee...kin/#more-7466

[lauren grier]

I'm allergic to coconut lol

pretty much everything natural i've tried has either a) given me these weird blister hives, or b) made it worse. I need to live in a bubbbbbbbbbble :[

[lovely1m]

I used a natural product on Nick's to get rid of it, too. Not sure if it had coconut oil though. All the medical stuff I used for him worked for a bit and then stopped. I also switched to homemade laundry detergent, no dryer sheets and homemade soaps.

I agree though about the prices. Like how is that even possible?

[Kara]

I just went to pick up an eczema rx that was $153.00. Um, no thanks! My skin is awful right now, though, so I went back to the doctor and asked for something cheaper. Hopefully it works ...

[flergs]

That is ridiculous! Mind boggling!

[MamaBee]

insurance... don't get me started... my hubby jokes that he is surprised our insurance's first level of care isn't leeches.... my mom has eye drops that it's like $5 a drop... It is shocking how much pharm stuff costs...

I wish I could help... J's doctor said make sure it's a "cream"... no lotions - which I'm sure you know. I hope you find something fast!

[Julie Billingsley]

Messaged you, but also thought of something else.

One time I was prescribed a med for eczema and it was like $215, but the manufacturer had a $200 instant rebate for first time users. So check for that too.

[MommaTrish]

Ryan's vitiligo cream he was using was so much that we were given a coupon for 2 free tubes, and then one $200 off coupon. I can't remember how much it was without, like $300-400, somewhere in that range.

[lauren grier]

Originally Posted by MommaTrish

Ryan's vitiligo cream he was using was so much that we were given a coupon for 2 free tubes, and then one $200 off coupon. I can't remember how much it was without, like $300-400, somewhere in that range.

was it Clobetasol.. because that's what mine is and it apparently can be used for vitiligo too lol

[lauren grier]

Originally Posted by Julie Billingsley

Messaged you, but also thought of something else.

One time I was prescribed a med for eczema and it was like $215, but the manufacturer had a $200 instant rebate for first time users. So check for that too.

Thanks sweets <3 I'll def see if they have rebate stuff

[jacinda]

Have you looked into Essential oils? I've been reading a lot of friends testimonies of how it's been a great success for their eczema.

[MissKim]

I have psoriasis, which is a lot like eczema, and I was prescribed a vitamin D cream and it worked really super well for me. I switched doctors after that first prescription and my new doctor recommends I take vitamin D pills along with my multivitamin (to build immunity) and I have not had any flare up since I started taking it orally. It only works for some people but my skin has always gotten better with sunlight, so I'm thinking that's why it worked for me. Anyway... something natural to try.

[Keely~B]

Keiran has horrible eczema, it's a constant battle and she doesn't have a mild case either.

We've taken advantage of drug rebates too. A couple times we've been able to get insurance to cover meds that aren't on the approved list when the doctor contacts the insurance company directly.

We've tried everything imaginable over the years, one of the things that really keeps the flare ups more manageable is daily 20 minute soaks and/or wet compresses. It sounds ridiculous but if she skips a day we can tell, at minimum it really lessens the severity of her outbreaks.

[Mum_NZ]

Yikes! Just for one tube of cream? What the heck are they putting in it?

The one thing I learned with eczema is that your body needs to be taking zinc to properly absorb any oils that you take.

[rach3975]

That price is absolute craziness!

Originally Posted by MissKim

I switched doctors after that first prescription and my new doctor recommends I take vitamin D pills along with my multivitamin (to build immunity) and I have not had any flare up since I started taking it orally. It only works for some people but my skin has always gotten better with sunlight, so I'm thinking that's why it worked for me. Anyway... something natural to try.

Very interesting...I used to have horrible eczema (dyshidrotic eczema) on my hands, and it has been a lot better for the last couple of years. I thought it was because all my kids were finally out of diapers and I was washing my hands less, but I also take vitamin D pills. Maybe that's part of the reason I haven't gotten it lately. Mine is triggered by heat and humidity, so it was always worse in the summer and better in the winter.

[erica zane]

Yeah, I tried to get a prescription for my kids' eczema that with my old insurance, cost like $50 which I thought was expensive but it helped a lot...with our new insurance it was gonna cost over $400...heavy sigh...not happening. With 4 kids, that might not even last a month. Hope you find something cheaper that works for you!!

[MommaTrish]

Originally Posted by lauren grier

was it Clobetasol.. because that's what mine is and it apparently can be used for vitiligo too lol

No his was Locoid. There's several creams out there for it, but only two are FDA approved for children under 12.

[DawnMarch]

You might try appealing with your insurance company. Sometimes if nothing else works, they'll cover something that isn't on their usual formulary.

[GraceLee]

My daughter has eczema since birth and it is a constant battle. We've tried traditional Chinese medicine, which works slow and tastes worse that a witch's brew. She couldn't take it any more, so we switched to western medicine. Steroids work if I put them on, but once I stop it always comes back. I avoid taking her to the doc because he keeps wanting to put her on oral steroids!

A few natural things that's helped her so far:
1) Essential oils. I dilute it with coconut oil, but I'm sure there are other oils that will work. I've heard good things about almond oil too. Make sure your EO is pure and has no additives.
2) Acidic water. I got a machine that will produce acidic/alkaline water, and spraying her 3-4 times a day with the acidic water seems to have calmed the eczema down. I couldn't bring the machine with me when we were on a road trip last month, and she had really bad flare ups.
3) Eczema could be related to candida. You may want to try a detox process. There's more info on the web, but usually it involves cutting back sugar and taking a probiotic.

I know that's more advice you ask for. I usually get tons of *unsolicited* advice when I mention my DD has eczema. Sorry if that was too long!

[Gemma]

That's crazy!!!

All 3 of my boys and oh have ridiculously bad eczema and the kids creams are always free and oh has to pay £7.85 for his!! We've had clobetasol and it does work, until we stop using it lol. It's a never ending cycle!

[nietis]

Have you tried bathing in soya oil, La? It helps me, when I was in UK.
Vitamin D also helps, some people even take the sunbath for it.

[Stacey42]

Something that worked for me about meds costs.... call around to various pharmacies, tell them you have no insurance & ask how much the meds cost. I've discovered that meds cost more when they are 'not covered' by insurance that they do for people with no insurance at all. My meds were not covered by insurance the place that had my insurance on file & filled it quoted me $165 but the places where I called & just said I had no insurance & was wondering at the cost, quoted me from $45-60. And 8 months later, at the cheap place, after I had a different prescription filled there with insurance, suddenly it was $128 because my insurance didn't cover it. Until then they'd had no insurance to try.

[color of my heart]

they're gonna charge you that much for clobetasol? that's just ridiculous.

i have a barely used tube (i opened it, used it once, had an allergic reaction), i should mail it to you.

[pewtertm]

Rachel has had bad eczema since she was a toddler. We finally have gotten a good (and cheap) prescription that is helping her.

Soaking for 15 minutes in lukewarm bath each day (twice a day is better); drinking a tablespoon of cod fish oil (orange flavored at Walmart...mixes pretty well with OJ), and totally ditching dairy has also helped a lot.

[britaneejean]

random but maybe the doctor has (micro) samples? we always ask for samples of whatever we're prescribed (or formula/tylenol at the pediatrician's).

and i was also going to suggest Stacey's idea as well...call around & say you don't have insurance. see what the quote is then. that's absolutely ridiculous!

[newfiemountiewife]

We had a great cream for Rae, since her skin is a disaster zone. It's called Vanicream and works amazingly. Nothing else we had worked at all.

I know it's driving you nuts, hopefully something will work!

[maryinaz]

I use Vanicream (find it at Walgreens) with YL pure essential oils and it got rid of my ever-persistent eczema on my lower legs. I get that sporadically and it takes months and months to get rid of.

[alinalove]

i had an eczema under my arm when i was 20 years old. i treated it with an essential oil. chamomille. but it has to be the good one, that is the blue color. because it's extracted in a different way.
but watch out because even though it's really mild and can be used on babies, you might be allergic.
i used it undiluted but you can mix in any oil that fits your need. i just wouldn't use petrochemicals.