Rx Games

Drug companies are E V I L. I swear, they are going to be the downfall of our culture, our economy and morality in general.

Case-in-point: In a valiant effort to quit the nicotine habit once and for all, I was prescribed Zyban by my doc to help ease me off the tar tubes. I headed on over to the CVS with my Rx in hand, prepared to hand that baby in and pay $5 for my monthly supply of white warrior pills. I was told to HALT at the Rx counter, as the nimble pharmacist told me it would be ready in 20 minutes, and would be $295. Yes, you heard me correctly. Two hundred and ninety five dollars. Just a SLIGH T cost difference from the $5.00 copay my insurance company has me paying.

After a momentary freak-out, I managed to eke an explanation out of the pharmacist. "Your insurance company won't pay for a smoking cessasion drug. And this drug, marketed as ZYBAN, is just that."

Now hear me out. Zyban is EXACTLY the same thing as Wellbutrin. They have given the drug different names so that the crazy depressed folk don't feel like they are taking an anti-smoking drug and the smokers trying to quit don't feel like they are crazies (even though everyone knows smokers are depressed...or repressed...I can't quite remember). So I asked Mr. Pharmacist, if the Rx was written out for Wellbutrin would my insurance cover it? A big fat YUP.

So, three days and a secondary visit to my lady Doc friend and my little slip of paper has been re-zoned as Wellbutrin. Yes, she realized at second glance I must be depressed. And $5.00 later, I am the proud owner of a month's supply. Go figure. So thank you, Glaxo Smith Kline, for helping me not be depressed. Not for helping me quit smoking, which makes me healthier in the long run and reduces my risk for cancer, which down the road could cost you, insurance giant, $50k+ in reimbursed medical fees.