Insurance and Androgel


Hello all,

I need some input from the experienced.

My insurance will NOT cover Androgel, cost for 5 and 2.5 packets over $300 a month, for a 7.5 pump over $600 a month WTF ??

What can I do ?

Must I go back to those damn patches ?

Is my life over ? lol

Im just all bumed out about this …

Having used Androgel for many months, and Testim, I’d say: see if the insurance will pay for shots. They don’t hurt as you get poked in a place near your hip with few nerve endings.

Hell, its so easy, I inject myself in my leg. My kids, btw, are fascinated, watching daddy inject himself with that needle.

If married, you can get your wife to poke you. It really is so easy its almost a joke.

HH

Even if insurance won’t cover shots your doctor could prescibe a bottle of cyp and it would be a heck of a lot cheaper than the Androgel.

You can also look into compounding pharmacies. I use Androgel - but will readily admit it’s too expensive.

Fortunately, my insurance covers it.

CJ

My insurance would cover Androgel for a $30/month copay, but they don’t cover my T-cyp which is $106 per 10ml vial.

At 100 mg of week of T-cyp, it’s actually a little cheaper than the Androgel copay.

See if your doc will switch you to the injections; you’ll be happier overall and a lot less poor.

If you go to shots, there’s lots of good info throughout here. Some of the best tips I’ve gotten are:

  1. Heat the fully-loaded syringe on a heating pad for half an hour before injecting (props to Rainjack!).

  2. Take a hot bath first.

  3. Put a topical anesthetic on the injection site 3 hours before injecting. What didn’t hurt much, now won’t hurt at all.

HH

I’m 38 and have been lifting on and off for the past 20+ yrs. After reading this site for a while I decided to get my T checked. Came back at 376. Is this low enough to warrant some T supplimentation or do you think I will have a hard time?

[quote]matt88 wrote:
I’m 38 and have been lifting on and off for the past 20+ yrs. After reading this site for a while I decided to get my T checked. Came back at 376. Is this low enough to warrant some T supplimentation or do you think I will have a hard time?[/quote]

On most reference ranges I’ve seen, you’re on the low end of normal and probably aren’t a candidate for HRT yet unless you’ve got a very cooperative doc to work with. Don’t be in a rush to get on HRT, it’s a lifetime committment and no matter how much I sing the praises of it I’d rather not have to be on it myself. You could try some of the T-boosting supplements offered on this website as some of them seem to boost guys about 100 ng/dl additional which will get you closer to midrange.

If you’re “lucky”, you might be on the start of an inevitable decline and in a couple more years drop off the bottom end of the scale and truly qualify for HRT. I’m certain that I was on a long decline for years and once was naturally mid-high T and fell off the bottom of the scale before I got tested.

If you’re really committed do doing HRT, then I’d emphasis to your doc that you’ve got all the classical symptoms; low libido, some ED issues, mental fog, fatigue, minor depression etc. and see what he’ll do. Anti-depressants and Viagra aren’t the answer, T supplementation is.

Good luck!

Have your physician start writing letters describing the medical necessity of the gel to the insurance company.

Mine refused to pay for my copaxone because “we don’t pay for injectables”. Enough letters and I got them to pay for it.

Same with the test 250 injections - they came up with the same “we don’t pay for injectables” BS. I had to get them at the office for a while - it was costing the insurance too much money - enough letters describing the severe medical necessity of it and they came around.

Good luck.

After reading some of these responses, I will NEVER bitch about my insurance plan again. $5 co-pay on ANY prescription med, no co-pay on surgery or ER visits, 10% on doctor visits, no cost for physicals, all blood work covered completely. I simply, most of the time, walk out of offices saying, “See you next time!” Teaching may suck and the pay is low, but at least the insurance is good (one reason the pay is low).

HH

I recently found out I have low test levels, so my doctor prescribed androgel. I am taking 5mg a day of the cream.

Now, I am wondering if this is going to help build more muscle? In other words, is there some sorta of “steroid” effect or am I just dreaming??

Sorry to hog the thread, but I didn’t think this Q warranted a new thread.

Thanks.

Steve8867, see if your doctor will prescribe for you a compounded testosterone cream that you can get rather cheaply from a compounding pharmacy (I pay $30 for 1 month’s supply). The advantages are cost and less area needed to be covered by the cream (reduces aromatization).

[quote]RipStone wrote:
I recently found out I have low test levels, so my doctor prescribed androgel. I am taking 5mg a day of the cream.

Now, I am wondering if this is going to help build more muscle? In other words, is there some sorta of “steroid” effect or am I just dreaming??

Sorry to hog the thread, but I didn’t think this Q warranted a new thread.

Thanks.[/quote]

Androgel is too weak to have a steroidal effect, unless its put on a woman or a child (which the package insert warns you about). I suppose if you put 4 packets per day of gel you might get an effect, if you want to try that. Have someone put the gel on your back, put it on your legs and torso. Cover as much skin as possible.

Its probably better to inject some Test Cyp once every 8 days. See the thread about Shots Not Working.

Good luck, man. I hope Androgel works for you, as it does for most.

Headhunter

Thanks for the info. I did not expect AndroGel to have a big steroid like effect. However, I reckon the higher someone tests levels the easier it is to build muscle. So, if my test levels increase from AndroGel, then I should gain muscle mass easier. Is this an effect others have noticed?

[quote]Chushin wrote:
RipStone wrote:
Thanks for the info. I did not expect AndroGel to have a big steroid like effect. However, I reckon the higher someone tests levels the easier it is to build muscle. So, if my test levels increase from AndroGel, then I should gain muscle mass easier. Is this an effect others have noticed?

Yes.[/quote]

Cool, thanks.

BTW sorry for hoggig the thread :slight_smile: