CVS shortage?

[Konnor]

Hey guys! Got a question on something I'm running into for the first time since starting T. My prescription coverage is thru CVS Caremark. CVS's generic T is on manufacturer back order, and won't be available until late January-March. Through Caremark, you can fill prescriptions at pharmacies other than CVS, but only three times, then you have to go back to CVS.

I'm not sure what I should do until the back order is over. I could pay 7x more and get the brand name (which is conviently in stock!) or jump through hopes switching pharmacies every month. Anybody else going/gone through this? Any suggestions or alternatives? Thanks!!

[CursedFireDean]

I don't know if this will work for you, but what I did was I checked all the CVS's near me until I found one with what I need in stock. Some CVS's will only give me three 1mL vials and others will give me a 10mL because for whatever reason, it seems some only stock the 1mL and some stock the 10mL. Vial size isn't exactly your issue but maybe some CVS's still have the generic T in stock while others ran out early. You can check GoodRX for coupons too and that may help. My T is $110 without a coupon but I can almost always get coupons that bring it to $44.

[mrs izzy]

As i tell the girls that im estrogen search out a compounding pharmacy.

My husband used them in the states and was cheaper then the big box pharmacy.

[Tysilio]

It's definitely worth calling around to other stores. CVS fills all my prescriptions -- I refilled the T last week and they had it on the shelf.

[Bimmer Guy]

I don't remember the names of the testosterones, but one brand is suspended in cotton oil, while the other is suspended in sesame oil.  I can get either one.  Maybe ask CVS if they have the opposite of the one you are using?  Then call the doc and see if they will switch you over.

[Wolfy]

CVS told me they had it on backorder as well but they told me they were going to order it from a different provider. I got it 2 days later, and my syringes. Rite Aid is cheap with goodrx. Through CVS I paid 65 dollars with a Goodrx coupon. It's not bad!

Ask them if they can order it from West Ward. That's where they ordered mine from.

[Magnus]

Enanthate is a hell of a lot more expensive than Cypionate. 10mL Watson Cyp = $94, we were just quoted $150(!!!) for Enanthate (Endo wrote it wrong; still trying to resolve that. Ugh. They always screw up my scripts somehow). Depo is cheaper than that.

Yep, you'll have to call around to the other CVS' and hope to luck out. Failing that, you'll need to go to another pharm (call around for estimates) and just eat the additional cost (still cheaper than both Enanthate and Depo).

You can try the GoodRX thing but I wouldn't bank on it.

[bambam]

I don't know if this will work for you, but what I did was I checked all the CVS's near me until I found one with what I need in stock. Some CVS's will only give me three 1mL vials and others will give me a 10mL because for whatever reason, it seems some only stock the 1mL and some stock the 10mL. Vial size isn't exactly your issue but maybe some CVS's still have the generic T in stock while others ran out early. You can check GoodRX for coupons too and that may help. My T is $110 without a coupon but I can almost always get coupons that bring it to $44.

Same for me, as far as the coupon goes but I got my T from Walgreens.

[CursedFireDean]

Same for me, as far as the coupon goes but I got my T from Walgreens.

CVS and Walgreens almost always have the same coupon prices for me, but CVS is closer so I go there XD

[bambam]

CVS and Walgreens almost always have the same coupon prices for me, but CVS is closer so I go there XD

I see. There's a Walgreens and CVS 5 minutes from my house and they're right across the street from each other. It made it pretty easy when filling my prescription and getting my syringes cause Walgreens had the T but not both sets of syringes I needed.

[ryanjoseph]

yeah i had to get brand name T after going to three different CVS stores (and it cost me about $75 per bottle, with a discount  )
i probably won't need a refill until like February and idk what to do
not to derail, but i can only seem to get my prescription filled at this one particular CVS. i went to one and to a target and they both said they were out of name brand and off brand T and that they wouldn't order it for me. I also had Walmart straight up refuse to fill my prescription (they thought my prescription was fake because "women don't use testosterone for legal purposes." i'm still really mad about that). I feel like CVS is generally the least transphobic about it and they actively try not to misgender me when I go in. I wonder if they're trained for that.

[bambam]

yeah i had to get brand name T after going to three different CVS stores (and it cost me about $75 per bottle, with a discount  )
i probably won't need a refill until like February and idk what to do
not to derail, but i can only seem to get my prescription filled at this one particular CVS. i went to one and to a target and they both said they were out of name brand and off brand T and that they wouldn't order it for me. I also had Walmart straight up refuse to fill my prescription (they thought my prescription was fake because "women don't use testosterone for legal purposes." i'm still really mad about that). I feel like CVS is generally the least transphobic about it and they actively try not to misgender me when I go in. I wonder if they're trained for that.

That sucks about the run around man :/ But I actually feel the opposite where I live, I feel like Walgreens is the least transphobic and in CVS I get weird looks any time I try to get anything lol At Walgreens all the pharmacist said to me was that she wanted to advise me if I was pregnant or planning to be not to use the T. Haha I thought it was actually sweet because she was like a little old lady. But I told her I knew and thanked her anyway

[Tysilio]

I also had Walmart straight up refuse to fill my prescription (they thought my prescription was fake because "women don't use testosterone for legal purposes." i'm still really mad about that). I feel like CVS is generally the least transphobic about it and they actively try not to misgender me when I go in. I wonder if they're trained for that.

There are many excellent reasons not to shop for anything at Walmart -- that's certainly one more.

That's interesting about CVS -- when I was in there a couple of weeks ago, I had the impression that the (youngish, male) clerk was making a point of getting my gender right -- after looking up my insurance and getting the Rx, both with my unmistakably-female birth name on them.  I appreciated that, but I couldn't think of a way to thank him that wouldn't have been very awkward.

[Wolfy]

Seeing this, I'm actually glad I got my name changed at the clinic in ny, and they changed my gender as well because new york has a law for that I think? and New Jersey doesn't. So when I come to New Jersey I just say I don't have insurance and my prescription has my legal name and my corrected gender.
Maybe you guys can look into that with medical records at your clinic/etc? I mean it's not really a big deal.

One thing I did learn is that you can have your prescription match your legal name. Like say your insurance or your prescription doesn't say your legal name, and it has your birth name, you can bring in your court order and ask them to use that name.