Fertility Tip: Only buy the amount of medication you need.
In your refrigerator, you probably have some fruits, vegetables, maybe a lasagna and a bunch of leftover fertility medication. For the love of infertility, why did you buy so much extra medication? Now you have over $500 worth of medication that will expire before you will even need it again.
When you first start fertility treatments, you want to do everything right and be very prepared. 1. Make sure you have all the necessary prescriptions ahead of time (Check). 2. Purchase all fertility medication at least a few weeks before your next cycle (check). 3. Buy a little extra, just in case (check). “I’ll just buy a couple extra boxes of Puregon, just to be on the safe side. Puregon costs over $100 a box but better to be safe than sorry!” Your (godly expensive) cycle is now over and the extra meds are sitting quietly in your fridge between the butter and a container of cubed pineapple.
And you won’t use this medication again. By the time you have your next treatment, you’re worried that the medication has expired. You contact your local drug pharmacist and although she tells you that the meds are still fine, you would rather not risk it. Why pay all this money for fertility treatments if the medication might be expired? Now, the medication sits in your fridge, and you’re not quite sure what to do with it. Should you throw it out? But what if you need some emergency, back-up medication? Most likely, this medication will remain in your house until you get pregnant and give birth.
You’ve even called the pharmacist to see if you could return the medication. “Yes. Mrs. Drug Pharmacist. I would like to return these extra vaginal suppositories. I promise, they haven’t been used.” Word of advice- the pharmacist will not accept medication returns, even if you beg them. And the more you need to purchase fertility medication, the more efficient you become. First fertility treatment- medication is purchased weeks before your period is due. You want to make sure you have all the drugs available. After you’ve cycled a few failed times, you end up buying medication the day before or even on the day of your period. If only you had not purchased that excess medication. You could have spent all that money on alcohol.
Hahaha. Love it! So very true! Not only do I have left over medication but I even have two puregon pens!
So says the extra Gonal-F (and Menopur and Progesterone and Ganirelix) in the fridge (and upstairs closet)! I’ll sell it to you for cheap (I’m serious)!
Can absolutely relate to this – for a slightly different reason. After 4 years of trying, much heart-ache and one cancelled IVF cycle, I finally completed a full cycle and was surprised (at the age of 42) to get a BFP!! But it’s early days yet, and anything could happen – so do I wait till the first ultrasound, or second, or … just in case I’m going to have to go back to the clinic and start all over again?? So, until then – or if I make it through the 9 months safely and give birth – I guess that little esky full of orgalutran and puregon (and the two puregon pens, two extra sharps containers and extra needles) will wait quietly in my tiny fridge and kitchen, taking up space…
It’s really rather telling of where I am in infertilityland that I got all excited when I read Amber’s comment. Cheap extra drugs! Need!!!
[...] #713 You Bought too much Fertility Medication [...]
LOL! Did you look in my fridge??? Because right beside the lasagna I made last night is 2 full boxes of left over Lupron!
LOL.
My leftover Synarela is still around, but the extra puregon foundt its way out some days ago..
Give it to your IVF clinic! (So says the girl who has a follistim pen laying around from 2 years ago.) I actually am the beneficiary of some lucky (I assume) preggo who gave up their excess meds to my clinic. Saved me hundreds this cycle. I fully intend to pay it forward if given the chance. No more hanging on to the follistim pen for me!
I agree with Stacey.i’ve already give all my puregon, gonal …to my clinic.someone might needed. and you don’t have any “leftovers” to reminds you all that, or to stress you that the expired date is near.think positive
This is so funny and true! How many boxes of less than neglible amounts of old Follistim am I going to fit next to the butter? I mean, it’s expensive I might be able to combine those drops. There are at least 4 boxes in the fridge now.
*negligible
I have meds for an entire fresh IVF cycle already…in case the FET that we’re doing next week doesn’t work…my butter “drawer” is ALLLL Follistim for the “next” (hopefully never needed) cycle and Lupron from this cycle and my bathroom counter has all my progesterone vials, and all the other stuff for the fresh cycle…only wish I got more than one Valium
My plan is to give the leftovers to my clinic if I don’t need it since (thank GOD!) insurance covered all but $200 of it…if insurance didn’t cover it, we wouldn’t be doing any of it anyway…
Been there! I have a box full of Crinone that expires early next year (if anyone needs it…)
Good tip Naomi!
It didn’t occur to me I could donate it to my RE’s office. I have a feeling they wouldn’t take it, though. They’ve certainly never said word one to me about helping to supply drugs if I couldn’t pay.
[...] #713 You Bought too much Fertility Medication [...]
Had my first appointment with IVF doctor this past week and she actually suggested that I get online and check fertility forums for anyone that might have leftover fertility meds to sell. So with that being said, I will gladly help you free up space in your refrigerator if you have any of the following meds I was told I will have to purchase.
4-6 Follistim
2 Ovidrel
5 Progesterone in Oil
Thanks
4-6 Follistim 900
Suggestion if you have to have future cycles – order in small increments as needed
I had my first egg retrieval today. I ordered Gonal-F from Freedom Fertility and Menopur and various other drugs from Apthorp Pharmacy. My first order was 6 days (in case I had a crazy reaction and was cancelled), then I did 3 days, then ordered in 1 day increments (unfortunately for a total of 12.5 days). It’s an inconvenience logistically, and an adult has to sign for the packages, but I didn’t end up with leftover drugs. Both of these pharmacies ship FREE day-of with overnight FedEx delivery, and none of the drugs seemed to have any discount for higher dose or quantity purchases, so this strategy didn’t cost extra. My doses were $394/day, so I really didn’t want to end up with a stash.
I hope everyone doesn’t mind the unsolicited advice
I have been struggling with infertility for 3yrs now and I have just started my first IVF cycle two days ago. insurance will not cover ANYTHING! My husband and I have purchased the Lupron and have paid the full IVF cycle in cash , but now we need to purchase the Follistim 300and 900 I believe it was 3of each. I wish I knew someone that had extra meeds. I will gladly purchase unopened meeds.
I just checked freegaragesale.com and there are a whole lot of people with leftover fertility meds. Might be worth a check
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TTC: 3 yrs. PCOS but left ovary responds to 100mg Chlomid and HmG. Been taking meds since a long time, first to take care of my thyroid, metformin, iron supplements, duphaston, HCG. Now have been asked to take Sildenafil to help thicken the endometrium lining. It’s my first experience with vaginal suppositories, so I was trying to be positive about it. So that’s one less med that I need to take into my tummy. Hmmppppff! :S