I'm trying to find information, on the costs of the different medications/injections/patches.  I'm paying for everything OOP, and id like to have an idea so i can budget it all in.  Endo costs,(i can just call my endo for their price) so i dont need to know about that.

I'm getting my testosterone tested via health dept since its 30 bucks(and im a little curious anyways), but the majority of blood tests are also pretty expensive, will those be required?  To get my hormones tested is 750 via labcorp, but test is 320, with that covered for 30, id only need 450ish for the rest.   I'd like to have everything i could possibly need in order before i go to the endo, including any bloodwork i might need!   My endo is 6 hours away!  Multiple trips a month would be a nightmare.  Unless someone has a closer endo suggestion to the OBX, NC or Norfolk, VA.

Is there somewhere i can get help for these costs?  I really dont know if i can even afford the cheapest meds monthly, and id like to be on injections/patches if possible to avoid stressing my liver.

Thankfully my medical insurance covers everything so I only pay co pays for everything which is $10-15 for everything, my lab tests for full blood work were free. My meds were covered as well so I can't give great advice but spiro and e pills seem really inexpensive I have seen them for $10-20 for 90 day supply from most people who talk about them. I use elestrin gel and each bottle has a coupon that let's you pay $25 per prescription for a year worth of prescriptions without insurance. I'm not familiar with the patches but I know they are expensive. Elestrin gel has the same lower risk for dvt and bypasses the liver first pass just as the patches. You should ask about that coupon or go to the websites to check for coupons for people without insurance. I'm not sure about anti androgens though. I feel for you I know it's ->-bleeped-<-ty to have to pay for everything out of pocket I was overwhelmed when I thought I had to. Hope I helped somewhat.

I'm told that estrogen "only" costs $50 a month off insurance by my GP/endo. I'm still unsure whether my insurance will cover it under the prescription plan, or if they will look past the "deception" and drop me.

I won't tell you what to look for, but this site seems pretty accurate in their price comparisons (hope I'm allowed to link it). http://www.goodrx.com/

Personally, I'm not paying all that much. About $60 total per month for E, P, and Spiro. Hope to get it down to around $40 next time. And I'm paying out of pocket too.

Quote from: Ashey on December 02, 2013, 05:59:43 PM
I won't tell you what to look for, but this site seems pretty accurate in their price comparisons (hope I'm allowed to link it). http://www.goodrx.com/

Personally, I'm not paying all that much. About $60 total per month for E, P, and Spiro. Hope to get it down to around $40 next time. And I'm paying out of pocket too.

Yeah overall i understand which drugs are usually used.  I'm not a self medicator, too dangerous.   I just need to figure on how much money i would need to get started and then monthly costs.  I'd love to be on injections and patches ect.  But im pretty sure, at least in the beginning, itll be whatever is cheap.


Also, that doesnt show injections either.(something i could never do myself either.)

My biggest suggestion is to be careful with blood work.  I have to go once every 3 months because my endo wills it.  It wouldn't be an issue, but some places really overcharge you.  I recieved a 3,000 dollar blood work bill that I had to fight against. Luckily, the cost was reduced and they accepted the small amount that my insurance company covered (huge deductible).   Another bill came close to 800 dollars and my insurance denied me.   Now I have insurance and I know what places to avoid.  Avoid hospitals as they are usually the worst offenders of inflated bills.  My endo visits aren't too costly.  Without insurance, they are probably between 200 -400 dollars a visit, but I've always been covered.  And I only see my endo once every 3 months, so that is bearable even if I had to pay out of pocket.  Hormones can be expensive without any insurance.  I once spent somewhere around 70 or 80 dollars just for my spiro prescription.  Apparently, there are much cheaper alternatives at places like walmart, but I didn't try that. 

If you can get insurance, I recommend that you do so.  And if you do, be sure to make sure that everything is coded properly or that the policy doesn't exlcude trans care.  My endo will only treat me for gender dysphoria and it screwed me over with my old insurance because they denied everything.

Good luck with everything!

The blood tests shouldn't cost more than even 250 (counting lab fee and delivery fee). Taking total and free testosterone out of the cost mix it should cost about $100 assuming estradiol is measured (which unless an estrogen is prescribed it shouldn't need to be).

The cost of meds depends on what is prescribed with oral meds being cheapest (spiro likely the most costly medication).

Quote from: Flan on December 02, 2013, 07:17:01 PM
The blood tests shouldn't cost more than even 250 (counting lab fee and delivery fee). Taking total and free testosterone out of the cost mix it should cost about $100 assuming estradiol is measured (which unless an estrogen is prescribed it shouldn't need to be).

The cost of meds depends on what is prescribed with oral meds being cheapest (spiro likely the most costly medication).

I've gone to three different reputable labs, all of them were at least more than twice the minimum cost you stated.  Perhaps it has something to do with location as well?  If not, maybe there are other factors?  I don't know why my bloodwork has been so expensive, but it has.  I know my endo likes to test multiple things besides t and e, so maybe she is going overboard?  I'm okay now that I have insurance without copay, but it made things painful in the past. 

Just a warning for anyone without insurance.  Be careful with bloodwork. 

Quote from: learningtolive on December 02, 2013, 07:23:25 PM
Perhaps it has something to do with location as well?  If not, maybe there are other factors?

I'm guessing it might have to do with who does the labs. The prices I'm aware of are from Mayo Medical Laboratories (of Mayo Clinic fame) and some in-house from the clinic I go to (for time sensitive testing but doesn't require specialized equipment; CBC and the like).

Yeah I think it depends on the lab itself and maybe who they're affiliated with. I tried Quest Diagnostics and the price they gave me for my last blood test (which I think was just thyroid) was over $300. The woman I talked to actually told me about another place nearby that would charge half that. So I went there and it wasn't even that much, only $60! But that one was a small family-owned place and they actually try to keep their costs low.

Quote from: Ashey on December 02, 2013, 08:03:04 PM
Yeah I think it depends on the lab itself and maybe who they're affiliated with. I tried Quest Diagnostics and the price they gave me for my last blood test (which I think was just thyroid) was over $300. The woman I talked to actually told me about another place nearby that would charge half that. So I went there and it wasn't even that much, only $60! But that one was a small family-owned place and they actually try to keep their costs low.

The total cost via Labcorp is about 750 for

Testosterone
estradiol
fsh-lh
prolactin dx

My real concern is, should i have the blood work ready to go before i visit the endo? 6 hour drive ea way to visit her.  Dr. Holt in Raliegh if anyone is familiar? I really dont want to have to make a preliminary visit and have it be a 6hour drive ea way for almost nothing.  I want to have everything in order before i get there.  I'm getting T tested at the health dept. for 30 bucks as opposed to the 300+ everywhere else.  They dont test the other 3 though for some reason.