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[Davit]

I have been using the pelleted type for ever. I take it on an empty stomach. I certainly recommend it. The only ones I know are Wyeth and Lederle. I hear it is expensive, I don't Know. I'm in Canada. I do know that I take half what I did when I took generic. The choice is yours, some people do Ok on generic except for a tendency towards reflux.

Davit.

[Maz]

[user=1799]charli[/user] wrote:

In an earlier post under this topic, I asked Maz (not sure if you seen it, Maz) but, when I asked for the name brand minocin, they give me dynacin.  Has anyone heard of this kind?  Should I ask for the pellet kind?  This is a rectangular shaped tablet.

Charli, so sorry I missed this question. :blush:

Maria is right…Dynacin (made by Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp) is another brand name for minocycline, but instead of being a pelleted capsule, like Minocin, as Maria also described, it's a slow release pill. It could be you were given this brand because it's less expensive than Minocin, which is wildly over-priced here in the US, if insurance refuses coverage.

See how you go with Dynacin or at least finish up your current script…you may be perfectly fine on it and others here may be able to reassure you if they've used it for their scleroderma before. If you'd rather use Minocin and your insurance won't cover it, many folk here purchase their Stiefel brand Minocin from a Canadian online pharmacy, like http://www.buylowdrugs.com  It's $165 for 100 count of capsules (plus postage and packing), which isn't so bad for a life-saving medication. 😉 Stiefel brand Minocin is the same formulation as Triax brand Minocin, as Wyeth gave distribution rights to both pharmaceuticals. It's just a different colored cap (indigo and orange) and important to put, “Stiefel brand Minocin (pelleted) 100mg capsules” on the order form, as Stiefel also does a powdered variety, I believe. It takes a good 2 to 3 weeks to receive an order once made, so it's wise to place an order well before the previous script runs out.

All that said, some folk do just fine on generic minocycline, too. Teva and Watson generics seem to get the thumbs up around here…although, I must admit that I was so severe, I didn't want to wait to see if generics would work and just ordered my Stiefel Minocin from Canada.

Hope that helps?

Peace, Maz

[Maz]

[user=1539]Davit[/user] wrote:

The only ones I know are Wyeth and Lederle.

 

Hi Davit,

This may interest you…Lederle was the originator of brand name Minocin, but they sold ownership rights to Wyeth. There is some suspicion that Wyeth absolutely knew how effective Minocin was for rheumatic diseases (in direct competition with its new blockbuster drug, Enbrel) and quickly sold distribution rights to various other pharmaceuticals around the world in 2006. You can read a bit about this clever little profiteering move here:

https://www.roadback.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/aboutrbf.display/display_id/255.html

Triax, in the US, now distributes brand name Minocin in funky little zit packs (with “calming” skin lotions) for teens and raised the original cost by about 3 or 4 times (at the time of printing in the above article Minocin only cost $280 for a month's supply…now it is nearer the $1000 mark), making it pretty much out of reach for your average rheumatic, cost-wise, as most insurances won't cover the brand. Canada is one of those fortunate countries that has a ceiling on what pharmaceuticals can charge for drugs…not so here in the US, unfortunately. The irony in all this…who in heaven's name would pay that extortionate price for a brand name antibiotic for their kid's acne???

http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?NewsEntityId=32622

Now if that don't get yer goat, don't know what will. 😉

Peace (trying to be), Maz

 

[Davit]

The pharmacists get us by charging a high dispensing charge and trying to get the doctors to prescribe only a few pills at a time.

I did read your attatchment. Only in America!

You know I think that my pills do say wyeth on them. Actually I don't care as long as they rattle.

May you live in interesting times.

Davit.

[mschmidt]

Patti D,

You are such a doll–thank you so much for such kind words.  We're all angels to each other:D.  I'll take 20-something any day–thank you!! 

So, I must share with everyone how I played the “insurance game” (I used to be an insurance broker 5 years ago) with getting brand name Minocin.  I had been on the generic minocycline, on and off, for a few years for adult acne.  When I was diagnosed with SD, I read all the info on brand name vs. generic, and decided that I wanted to use the brand name.  My insurance company wasn't thrilled, of course, and denied it.  I think it was $800+ for 60 pills:shock:.  Then, it dawned on me that an insurance company can't deny a brand name prescription if a doctor deems it necessary for the patient.  So, I used my devastating “diagnosis” to my advantage–I told my doctor I had horrible reflux from the generic minocycline (because it's a powderized capsule), and since esophageal dysfunction and strictures can happen w/SD, I didn't want to aggravate this condition. (By the way, I had NO visible acne on my face whatsoever, and just said I did to get the Minocin)  My IM doctor agreed that the brand name “pellitized” version was easier on the throat than the generic version, and he wrote on my script “DNS”.  I have a higher co-pay ($55) but, it's certainly better than $800!!  Even the pharmacist agreed that the brand name is better for people who have reflux, and she told me that if I requested the brand name TO her, the insurance would deny it BUT, if my doctor requested it, they will approve.  (I guess the pharmacist puts in a code when running the insurance, and it asks if the patient or doctor is making the request–which is why it needs to come from your doctor)  I'm not one for encouraging dishonesty but, it seems appropriate in this case, and I don't feel bad about it AT ALL.  And, my doctor didn't even do an endoscopy or anything to see if I had damage to my throat–he took my word for it because all the literature out there on SD talks about the esphogeal complications associated with the disease.  The doctors know it, the pharmacists know it, and the insurance companies know it. 

I've had ZERO issues with my insurance company(and it's Humana) since then, and it's been over a year on the brand name Minocin.  And, I'm also on brand name meds for Lyme, although I'm reconsidering the neccesity of that.  I'm sure generic minocycline is fine for some people but, switching to the brand name made all the difference in the world for me–I felt the effects within 48 hours of taking the first pill.

You have nothing to lose trying to get it this way.  If your doctor doesn't agree, then you order from the nice people in Canada, who don't believe prescription drugs should bankrupt their people. (LOL)

Maria

[RickinCA]

Amazing story, Maria. Wow. 

[NikiG.]

Sing it with me:

 “O Cah-nah-daaaaa!
The place for chea-per druuuugs!!!!!”

LOL.

Maria,
 Nice crafty and effective little insurance-manipulation method you used! The Force certainly seems to be strong in you! Hehe!
 Too bad, though that one has to resort to such things just to get the proper meds we need to make us better. Sigh.
 Oh well, I guess when life throws up a roadblock and things get in your way, you just have to work to find a detour, and try to learn something from the scenery along the way.;)

Keep smiling and be well,
Niki

[Author]

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