Hello ladies, I was wondering if anyone on Ibrance tablets have ever taken them out of the bubble package and put it in a pill box when going out instead of taking the whole bubble package. Thank you
Ibrance tablets: Hello ladies, I was... - SHARE Metastatic ...
Ibrance tablets
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Gmaoftriplets
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Good question! Going to San Diego from Idaho in November and wondered the same thing.....at approx. $5,000 a pill, pretty expensive pill box🤣🤣🤣
Wow, is that the cost? (UK-based here).
Yes, really obscene cost in Idaho, USA. I got a program through my cancer center and only pay $200 a month co pay, but with insurance my copay was $5089 a month!!
Oh my goodness. Even *with* insurance. Wow.
Between Ibrance and my Fasolax injections the monthly costs is $19,000+ a month. Sad. I do take the Ibrance capsules not tablets. Thank goodness I dont have to pay that monthly, because I couldn't!!
Thank God you have that cancer centre option, then. All the very best to you x
Hi good morning. I hope all is ok. The cost ibrance 💊 is diferent of tablets ? They change to my and no said nothing 😳
“Without” insurance it was $5089.?
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe 'co-pay' would be like the excess.
With Insurance my co pay for both Ibrance and Fasolax would have been $5,089 a month. I applied for a program with my cancer center and reduced it to $200 mo. It just seems so wrong that the cost can vary so much depending on where you live?
I am fortunate that both my Ibrance (14k per month) and Verzenio (11k per month) were covered on MediCal. There is no way on God’s green earth (my Mother’s saying. Probably was HER Mother’s saying too!)i would I be able to afford them otherwise.
Best,
Colleen
Like I said before, obscene prices and not many could afford that!! The pharmaceutical companies are holding our lives in their hands. Just wrong!
Wow $275,000 a year Wow Thank GOD you pay a fraction of that cost 😇
In the UK the cost per cycle is £2950. So an average of £140 per tablet. It's eye watering isn't it.
$190 NZ$ per tablet in NZ. Thank goodness it's funding was approved by our government public health in time for when I needed it!
Same! What a relief - and many thanks to the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ for their work on that!
Very thankful for nz funding it too! It was $7k/ month - price the govt paid to pfizer… now I’m in the USA snd the price pfizer gets from insurance is $12k/ month!
in reply to Misspositiveattitude
Where did you get this info? I have researched and never seen this $ ... it seems exorbitant! Please inform..
Red1246 in reply to
Before Medicare and my insurance (with Kaiser) kick in, the price is $12,000+ per month. My co-pay is $2600. I live in California and it seems cost is incredibly varied and according to where one lives.While it’s worth every cent to me, it shouldn’t be this costly.
Yes, when I looked up the cost, Ibrance was $9,000-13,000 per month! Unbelievable.
Misspositiveattitude in reply to
My Insurance Company. I have Medicare and my supplement is with Regence.
I take Verzenio which I understand to be similar and I put them in my twice daily pill box a week at a time. I did ask my pharmacy first and they told me it was okay. But maybe check with your pharmacist to confirm? I also have the pill box from Target in which each full day can be popped out to take with you separately so you don't have to carry the full pill box if you know you'll be out and about when the time comes. It's much more convenient!
When on Ibrance, I used a pill box because my memory is like a sieve! However I never took them out of packaging… what I did at the start of the weekly cycle I would cut them up and pop into the pill box and would open one at a time. It’s fiddly but I don’t think it’s a good idea to pop them out before you need to take.
I am on Verzenio now, but when I was on Ibrance, they were in a bottle. Each month was in it’s own bottle.
They aren’t in capsules anymore, but a pill that can absorb moisture. It’s in a new packaging that has days of week to help, but when I’m in a rush and pop out the wrong day and I get frustrated with myself for doing that! Now on Faslodex, it’s literally ‘jabs & good go’ for the whole month.
So you are no longer on Ibrance just faslodex? Can I ask why? I currently am on both but wonder if one day I could be on faslodex only too.
Hi SunshineBossAfter progression on ibrance, letrozole and zoladex, I was put on Faslodex only.
My understanding is that in the UK under NHS once there is progression with a CDK you cannot continue with it or go back on it. I was hoping at the time to remain on ibrance and include Faslodex.
Now I’m hoping scan in December shows ‘stable’ at least as I don’t want oral chemo anytime soon (this is next in pipeline). My BC nurse said it’s a good treatment for me and so far I’ve tolerated it very well.
How long have you been on ibrance & faslodex? Is it your first line of treatment?
N x
Yes it’s been my first line of treatment. I’ve been on both since may of 2019.
I’m on Ibrance + Faslodex as my first line of treatment too, since Dec 2020. Hoping to stay on this combo as long as possible as side effects are minimal 🙏🏼
🙏❤️
I am on Ibrance and was told the pills must be stored in the blister pack.
My Ibrance has never come in a bubble pack ? Just an ordinary pill container. I'm taking capsules not the pills. Maybe that makes a difference?
The same here. My Ibrance was not in a blister pack either. I believe the medication comes in pill form now, and is in a blister pack. When I took it, it was in a bottle.
My Ibrance is a capsule and comes in a pill bottle, not a blister pack.
Don't actually know, but have always thought that pills in a no see through bottle should be kept out of the light and that pills in a blister pack were packaged that way for a reason. Maybe to keep out of light and air. Have you thought about calling Pfizer? Let us know if you find out for sure. Best wishes! Blessings, Hannah
I'm going to give Pfizer a call. Thank you
I did but the latest ones say all over the packaging not to do that as they quickly absorbing moisture and they start to degrade so I now leave them in the bubble pack ~ unless popping out for tea (I take mine of an evening) and then I pop in my pill pot just for that night
My Ibrance comes in a blister pack with the days labeled. Is this just Ibrance in Germany? In any case, it's three packs per 21-day supply, each in a floral pattern (each day is in petal position) so I'm able to keep track easily.
Mine come this way now too, having begun with capsules in a bottle. I preferred those but as they both seem to work, I’m not too bothered.
Mine are like that too...Canada
No I’ve never done that and you may wave to ask your oncology nurse if it’s ok. When I first got them, I was told to handle them with utmost care and not put them in a pill box. Things have changed in the two years I’ve been on it so worth asking someone who will know definitively. Take care, Kathleen
My pills are labelled by the day and because of the warnings on the box about handling them, I leave them in the packet. I think I'd be more likely to lose them in a pil box.x
i think I read somewhere (maybe in the accompanying leaflet from the manufacturers?) that it was not recommended taking them out of the package as you describe.
Hi Gmaoftriplets
I have just started putting all my medication including Ibrance in a pill box for the past week and find it a lot easier for me. With the pill box having the days of the week printed on, it is difficult to forget to take your tablets. Take care and all the best.
Good morning
I really don't think it matters. Just the company s packaging. I have a weekly pill box and have all my pills except that one in the box. I do not want to lose the Ibrance like you other fabulous ladies that pill is rediculas ly expensive $5000. I get it paid in full by m Provincial health care Pharmacare and Pfizer subsidy program. So grateful for that ❤🙏. I love the Pfizer box, I just date the bubble packs.
I was glad for this question and for all the replies. When I started I had them in a bottle, then they switched up to blister pack with days labeled. I'm in my 46th cycle of Ibrance /Fulvestrant combination and am doing very well. I'm in the US, Ibrance and Fulvestrant each run around $12,000 per month give or take a couple of hundred dollars. so roughly between $24,000 and $25,000 per month. I have a medicare advantage program and while it is not a "cadillac" plan it is darn close. I meet my max out of pocket for the year after just a couple of months. I am so blessed to have this plan. I know there are also support/aid programs out there to help those who need help. For anyone who needs help please search online to see if you can't get help. I use my google calendar to "schedule" my meds and I "number" my ibrance, like today was 46.19, so 19th day in the 46th cycle. I do the same for Fulvestrant shots...next ones will be #47 and Zometa infusion will be #15. That way I always know exactly how long I've been on each of these. I also use the "bearable app" to track this also. Blessings to all
Hi. I see you are on Medicare Advantage may I ask which one you selected? I was told not to use the Advantage plan because they would change their programs midstream and not pay for my Ibrance at some point. So I ended up selecting the other Medicare plus plan D. But it’s so expensive. So any I input from how your plan is going would be very helpful. Thank you and sending you hugs 🤗😁🌟
Sorry, I should have added that information. It is Aetna Medicare, but my understanding is there are variations of that. Mine is what I could select through my state teachers retirement plan. I could have chosen other plans but I chose Aetna Medicare. But like I said, I believe there are different Aetna plans.
I’m coming up time for picking Medicare.. what was the name of your Medicare gap care? Sounds good snd so hard to choose.
It is through my employer retirement plan - Aetna Medicare, an advantage plan.
I keep mine in the blister package, but if I'm going out for the evening, I put it with my other pills in a pill box so I can take it with a meal. I know they are supposed to be sensitive to moisture, but I don't think they would degrade too much in a couple of hours.
Thank you, that's what I want to do is just take the one for the evening when I'm out to dinner so I don't have to take the entire package.
I got a drop of water in my pill box and it destroyed a $700 pill( my Ibrance says it’s $12k / month but no co pay for me- but again my insurance cost is high… but then again so worth it! I will never take out of the blister again because of that distruction.
when the tablets first came out, i emailed my pharmacy, spoke with the pharmacist, who insisted i NEVER take them out of the pack until i was ready to take them, spoke with my onc, and even had email conversaions with pfizer about the tablet. i was advised not to take them out of the pack ahead of time because their efficiency will break down. i told them this was terrible inconvenient because i couldn't put them in my pill holder with my other pills, and also because the tablets are difficult to push out of the pack due to my arthritis. at the time, they promised to look into it. i never heard from them again. so, i continute to struggle to get them out of the pack, and have to take that pack with me anytime i travel. my other pills sit nicely in my plastic pill pack, so i have to remember to grab my ibrance separately. it's not the end of the world, but it's one more inconvenience we don't need.
Hi. I do not take them out of the blister pack but I do tear off the long useless portions of the package (you will see they are perforated to tear off) Then I cut around the outside of the pills in a circle being careful not to cut open the pill enclosure. It ends up looking like a flower. That circle of just the pills in their sealed compartments fits perfectly inside my pill case. See image of pill case below. Pill case by Verra Bradley. So my other pills go inside the dated clear compartments and Ibrance sits on too in the bluster pack cut down to fit inside case. Hope that helps.
Pill case
Hi! The Ibrance tablet packaging is a source of irritation for me. What a ridiculous amount of waste. I use the weekly pill cases as well, and fill them four weeks in advance. They are labeled 1,2,3,4 now so that I manage the Ibrance week off appropriately. Anyway 🙄 when my pills arrive each month, I pull all the carboard off each weekly package until I get down to the foil sleeve. I then cut around each pill in the sleeve (careful not to break the seal) and put them in my pill cases 🥳
I noticed all the comments about price. I am in the U.S. and my insurance company is billed over $15,000 a month for those 21 little pills. Thankfully my plan covers it in full.
😊
Take care
🌸
I do not think you are supposed to take them out of the protective packaging and put them in a pill box. I believe I read that somewhere. Sometimes if I need to take one with me when I am not going to be home to take it, I cut around the blister pack for an individual tablet and take that with me.
Hi. I have been taking Ibrance 125 since February along with Faslodex injections. I was told a pillbox would be fine but not to mix the Ibrance with other pills.
After the first month, I started getting the Ibrance directly from Pfizer and they sent ne a pillbox which holds all 21 pills, has a week for the off week, and has a chart with the start date of each week.
I couldnt figure out how to post two pictures at once, so above you see the closed pillbox. Will post another picture of the open pillbox next ( if the tech gods allow).
Ibrance pillbox from Pfizer
Hope this works! I started my off week onnFriday.
Open Pfizer pillbox
Nice pill box!
Absolutely. I have arthritis in my thumbs and popping those pills out of that armor-plated packaging is impossible for me. When I get the meds, I sit at my kitchen table with a box cutter, remove all the pills and put them in an old plastic prescription bill bottle. What Pfizer was thinking with that expensive, excess packaging is beyond me. Four boxes and three shrink wraps with 7 pills each is just ridiculous and terribly wasteful. I guess we're just too stupid to figure out how to take one pill 21 days in a row and then stop for 7 days. Doesn't do me any good anyway because I take Ibrance on a 5/2 schedule.
I also was warned not to take them out of the blister pack. I think it is a very bad idea to mix them with other pills. The surface of Ibrance could be damaged when they are rubbing against other tablets or capsules. Just my thought. Cutting them up seems like a very good idea and that is what I did when I was on Ibrance when needed.
Cheers, June S.
I have a weekly pill box and also struggle with the ridiculous packaging of the Ibrance tablets, so asked my oncology pharmacist if I can take them out ahead if time and put then in my pill container. She said it was no problem at all, so I’ve been doing that for several months. I know it has not degraded the med because my ANC continues to drop too low and have had to continually lower my dosage. Not that that is a good thing, just proof that the tablets do not degrade quickly once out of the packaging. The pill organizer is somewhat airtight and in a drawer so the air and light exposure is minimal.
I take them out all the time and put them in my pill box. I never thought that might be an issue. I will ask my pharmacist next time I see her..
Careful - I got a drop of water on one snd it exploded snd half dissolved!
I pop them out a week at a time when I put them in my pill minder, but I think if you take them out all at one time and put them one of your old pill containers they would be fine. We take them within three weeks and I doubt they would degrade sitting in a closed pill bottle. I sure would like going back to the capsules, though.
I did. I received the tablets after 2 months of getting the capsules with no explanation from the pharmacy. I popped them out and put them into the caddy they had previously sent me. It took a couple of months, but I started to feel awful. I was always exhausted, had no appetite, lost weight and generally felt like crap. I did some Googling and found something that said di NOT take the tablets out of the blister packs. I stopped and I gradually felt better. It took another couple of months. I haven't been able to confirm that what I experienced was due to removing the tablets, but I feel it was the reason. I would not suggest that you do it.
Good luck.
I was told by the specialty pharmacy that they were absolutely not to be taken out of the bubble pack until ready to take it. Commingling with other pills, exposure to light, moisture, etc, can change their effectiveness. Particularly because of how expensive they are, I treat them like I’m handling plutonium!!! I don’t even touch the pill. I pop it right from the bubble into my mouth. Definitely leave them in the package they come in.
It seems like Ibrance has blister packs for a reason. If we think about it, a manufacturer would just send the pharmacy a huge bottle and let the pharmacy fill it with their bottles like is done with most drugs. Special packaging must be needed for some drugs. Best wishes and blessings to all. Hannah
I've been told by a Pfizer rep that you don't ever want to remove pills from blister pack (until ready to use) as they are affected by humidity.
When I was on Ibrance, I punched out 7 days worth and put them into a separate pill reminder box
Hi, I’m a lone voice who likes the Ibrance packaging 
it makes it super easy to stay on the right cycle. I put my vitamins/supplements in a weekly pill organizer.I’m in the US and a month’s supply costs about $13K for the 21 pills. My employer-sponsored insurance pays about $9K of that, and a Pfizer-provided Copay Assistance program covers the rest, so my copay is zero. I’m also on Faslodex which is fully covered by insurance.
I was just put on Ibrance and I only have Medicare part A and B, so I need to get part D. My question is what part D plan you are on that covers Ibrance.
I am grateful for patient assistance programs. My oncologist said to leave Ibrance and now Verzenio in the blister pack.
I recently had to think about that choice...I think I would have taken the whole packet with me..because it's large , it's also visible.
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