Is it impossible to get 10ml vials anymore?

[BigTex]

I went through the whole approval process with insurance (again) to get a 10ml vial of test cyp and opened up the box, it was a 1ml vial. That is good for 20 days (8mg/day) So before running out completely I went to the doctor to get a new script and complained. My doctor said he made it clear to CVS that he wanted me to have a 10ml vial. After two weeks of waiting I am out of the last 1ml vials they sent and getting kind of panicked since I ran out yesterday. CVS notified me last night that the prescription was filled. So I jumped in the car today in shorts and a t-shit with the wind blowing and temperatures right at 25 degrees and paid $50 for the prescription at CVS. Got home and found 10, 1ml vials. Do we not have 10ml vials anymore. I can hardly hold these small vials and finding the center to put the needle in is almost impossible. Plus, $50 for 10ml of test cyp is ridiculous. Guess I am going back to buying UG products, it cheaper and no one would ever sell a 1ml vile. Insurance and CVS are making as hard as they can for me to do TRT. Anyone else having this issue?

In the time it took me to get a doctor appointment, get the prescription approved by insurance and filled by CVS, I had already ordered UG products and had them delivered the day before CVS finally got my order filled. Honestly, it been quite a few years since I had to pay that much for test cyp.

 

[testiculus]

Sort of. The FDA came out with a directive that vials shouldn't be used past 30 days after the initial puncture. So all the big pharmacy chains made it policy to replace 10ml vials with 1ml if the Rx as written would result in the 10ml vial lasting more than 30 days. Of course to use a 10ml vial in 30 days means the Rx would have to be written for 500mg/week which the pharmacy would then refuse to fill as excessive under controlled substances guidelines. So no 10ml vials from the big chain pharmacies.

You can still get 5 or 10ml vials from compounding pharmacies.

 

[USMC]

Yep.. I use 80mg / week (inject 40mg Mon. & Thur). So I get 8 1ml vials per month and the pharmacist tells me to inject 40mg and throw that vial away as they are a SDV. He said it is a huge waste, but that is what they require him to do. I dunno.. it seems stupid! My insurance covers it so the waste is on them

 

[kjcmjc]

It depends on the store and pharmacist. My Dr writes for 10ml / 2,000mg vile. I take 100mg a week. I tried to get Amazon Pharmacy to fill this, but they said what testiculus said, they cannot and will not fill a 10 ml vial because it has to be used up within 30 days. They tried to sell me 1ml syringes. I refused to take them. I then tried my local Rite Aid, with a Good Rx coupon I get a 10ml vial for $28.00 thru $60 it fluctuates. Now a few weeks ago I went to pick up my prescription from Rite Aid and the bill was $154.00. I said is this through Good Rx, they said yes but it was for 1ml syringes. I was in the drive thru and went in to talk to the pharmacist. I asked was the prescription written for 1ml syringes. She said let me look and have a seat. I said I have been coming here for years and always get a 10ml vial. She finally filled the 10ml vial with Good Rx for $28. Now they are really strict on my refills, one time I went 2 weeks early before my refill due date and they made me wait the full 2 weeks until they refilled the prescription.
My Walgreens around me will not take a Good Rx coupon because testosterone is a controlled drug. CVS also gave me problems once. Call around and ask if they will accept Good Rx for a 10ml vial. If they will, Good Rx is most of the time cheaper than insurance. And has less restrictions than insurance.
Now I can go to Rite Aid on my next refill and all of this can change. Then I will call around again, or go compound. Good Luck

 

[52hoosier]

Yes. My last 2 refills at CVS were 10ml vials. I couldn't believe it. The last one, the pharmacist founds some discounts and I paid a little over $6.00 for it

 

[BigTex]

Yes, I have been using this CVS for almost 20 years and they asked me for my ID. Too much.

Stupid is right......all of the sudden the FDA thinks we need to toss any vial open more than 30 days? Toss it in the garbage? It doesn't go bad and has <2% benzyl alcohol in it as a bacteriostatic preservative. Well, I know where I will order from here on out. I'll just tell my doctor to keep the script on file. When they are selling 10, 1ml vials for $50, I'm not too sure how much insurance is really paying for.

Looks like the United States Pharmacopeia may have instigated this nonsense:

5. When should multi-dose vials be discarded?
Medication vials should always be discarded whenever sterility is compromised or cannot be confirmed. In addition, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapter 797 [16] recommends the following for multi-dose vials of sterile pharmaceuticals:

• If a multi-dose has been opened or accessed (e.g., needle-punctured) the vial should be dated and discarded within 28 days unless the manufacturer specifies a different (shorter or longer) date for that opened vial.

Questions about Multi-dose vials | Injection Safety | CDC

Can multi-dose vials be used for more than one patient? And other questions about the use of multi-dose medication vials.

www.cdc.gov

 

[GreenMachineX]

I went through the whole approval process with insurance (again) to get a 10ml vial of test cyp and opened up the box, it was a 1ml vial. That is good for 20 days (8mg/day) So before running out completely I went to the doctor to get a new script and complained. My doctor said he made it clear to CVS that he wanted me to have a 10ml vial. After two weeks of waiting I am out of the last 1ml vials they sent and getting kind of panicked since I ran out yesterday. CVS notified me last night that the prescription was filled. So I jumped in the car today in shorts and a t-shit with the wind blowing and temperatures right at 25 degrees and paid $50 for the prescription at CVS. Got home and found 10, 1ml vials. Do we not have 10ml vials anymore. I can hardly hold these small vials and finding the center to put the needle in is almost impossible. Plus, $50 for 10ml of test cyp is ridiculous. Guess I am going back to buying UG products, it cheaper and no one would ever sell a 1ml vile. Insurance and CVS are making as hard as they can for me to do TRT. Anyone else having this issue?

In the time it took me to get a doctor appointment, get the prescription approved by insurance and filled by CVS, I had already ordered UG products and had them delivered the day before CVS finally got my order filled. Honestly, it been quite a few years since I had to pay that much for test cyp.

Sorry about the frustration, but I was trying to get the 1mL vials and twice now they've given me 10mL vials. I'm also doing 8mg daily, but would prefer only puncturing a vial about 10 times rather than 100 with the 10mL vial. That doesn't concern you?

 

[BigTex]

How about we trade? No that doesn't concern me in the least. I use to have 30ml vials of TU, took me about 2 years to use it all. Never had a problem.

Hey, how are your bloods going daily injections? Never done it before and will test Friday.

 

[GreenMachineX]

How about we trade? No that doesn't concern me in the least. I use to have 30ml vials of TU, took me about 2 years to use it all. Never had a problem.

Hey, how are your bloods going daily injections? Never done it before and will test Friday.

Thanks. I'll always use sterile injection technique, but had a mild concern about contamination from so many punctures.

Otherwise, 8mg daily gets me significantly higher free T than 50mg twice per week, or 25mg EOD.

8mg daily: 167
50mg twice per week: 105
15mg EOD: 117

Range for all 35-155
I think units were in ng/dL, but it was the right one from Quest.

But, that dose also brings side effects for me, so I'll be dropping back to 7mg daily most likely.

 

[testiculus]

This is just a nonsense regulation promulgated by the government that does more harm (higher cost) than good. 10 ml vials being used for months/years was standard practice for decades without any problems. My guess is that pharma companies used the theoretical risk of contamination of some hypothetical preparation to push for the regulation in order to increase profits on low margin injectable drugs.

 

[Mastodont]

As a sidenote, seems you @BigTex switched TU to daily cypionate, are you doing this im or subq? Why not get an empty 10ml vial and draw all the 1ml vials in there in one session?

 

[BigTex]

As a sidenote, seems you @BigTex switched TU to daily cypionate, are you doing this im or subq? Why not get an empty 10ml vial and draw all the 1ml vials in there in one session?

Yea, long story......someone almost got punched in the face over a 10ml vial of TU I was using. Anyway, I tossed it all (8ml) in the trash and had nothing left but what I thought was 10ml of test cyp, only to find out it was 1ml. So I had to very quickly get more. Since I had cyp, I decided to go daily instead of every 5 days which had sent my bloods out of control. I am doing 8mg sub-q. I have more TU coming and most likely will switch back once it arrives and just keep these little 1ml vials as a back up. This damn winter storm has created a mess with mail delivery.

I am lazy and have no intention of putting all of it in 1, 10ml vial. Not going to spend more money ordering a sterile vial I expected after my visit to the doctor, CVS and/my insurance could have followed my doctor's request and gotten me the 10ml vial like he asked them to do. This is the 2nd time I have discovered my insurance company/pharmacy were doing what they want approving prescriptions, despite what doctor prescribed. My ortho prescribed an injection for my knee and when it was approved the medicine was not what they ortho ordered. Their choice in medication sucked and didn't work well. Insurance companies and pharmacies are try to second guess doctors. This seems to be the new trend in medicine where the pharmacy and insurance company do what they want despite what doctors are trying to do. Hell, I can't even get insurance to approve TU because it has to go with the doctor and has to be administered in his office. I am a big boy and have been doing injections for 43 years. I'll get my own thanks and do it myself. Same with the 10ml vials. If the pharmacy and insurance company want to decide how much I am going to get, then I will just get it myself and for a much less money. I would much rather have TC in 10ml vials dosed at 250mg/ml (not 200)....less volume to inject. Same with the TU, instead of 200mg/ml, I would much rather have 300mg/mg and for much less money. Having to pay $50 for test cyp is ridiculous, especially using Medicare Advantage, how much is insurance even paying?. I can get a better product in the size vial I request for less than 1/2 the price and delivered to my PO Box usually in less time than it takes insurance to approve the medication and CVS to fill it.

Our medical system is in a mess and this managed health care where someone sitting an office who is not a doctor telling us what we get and don't get is ridiculous. Peptide vials are a little over 3 ml, so the test cyp vials are 1ml. I can't even hold these thing in my sausage fingers. Much less find the little target in the rubber stopper without a microscope. These vials are going to men, not little girls.

 

[Mastodont]

Yea, long story......someone almost got punched in the face over a 10ml vial of TU I was using. Anyway, I tossed it all (8ml) in the trash and had nothing left but what I thought was 10ml of test cyp, only to find out it was 1ml. So I had to very quickly get more. Since I had cyp, I decided to go daily instead of every 5 days which had sent my bloods out of control. I am doing 8mg sub-q. I have more TU coming and most likely will switch back once it arrives and just keep these little 1ml vials as a back up. This damn winter storm has created a mess with mail delivery.

I am lazy and have no intention of putting all of it in 1, 10ml vial. Not going to spend more money ordering a sterile vial I expected after my visit to the doctor, CVS and/my insurance could have followed my doctor's request and gotten me the 10ml vial like he asked them to do. This is the 2nd time I have discovered my insurance company/pharmacy were doing what they want approving prescriptions, despite what doctor prescribed. My ortho prescribed an injection for my knee and when it was approved the medicine was not what they ortho ordered. Their choice in medication sucked and didn't work well. Insurance companies and pharmacies are try to second guess doctors. This seems to be the new trend in medicine where the pharmacy and insurance company do what they want despite what doctors are trying to do. Hell, I can't even get insurance to approve TU because it has to go with the doctor and has to be administered in his office. I am a big boy and have been doing injections for 43 years. I'll get my own thanks and do it myself. Same with the 10ml vials. If the pharmacy and insurance company want to decide how much I am going to get, then I will just get it myself and for a much less money. I would much rather have TC in 10ml vials dosed at 250mg/ml (not 200)....less volume to inject. Same with the TU, instead of 200mg/ml, I would much rather have 300mg/mg and for much less money. Having to pay $50 for test cyp is ridiculous, especially using Medicare Advantage, how much is insurance even paying?. I can get a better product in the size vial I request for less than 1/2 the price and delivered to my PO Box usually in less time than it takes insurance to approve the medication and CVS to fill it.

Our medical system is in a mess and this managed health care where someone sitting an office who is not a doctor telling us what we get and don't get is ridiculous. Peptide vials are a little over 3 ml, so the test cyp vials are 1ml. I can't even hold these thing in my sausage fingers. Much less find the little target in the rubber stopper without a microscope. These vials are going to men, not little girls.

Well at least it's a vial, we have to deal with ampoules with pharma stuff in europe. Options are getting sterile empty vials or keeping the stuff in a syringe and backloading into slin pins.

 

[t_spacemonkey]

i think they all forcing us into UGL which is going to flourish. unless woman to men trannies start complaining we are screwed

 

[BigTex]

This is a great example of "managed healthcare." Doctors no longer have any say, rather an appointed person at your insurance company and your friendly pharmacist make all decisions on your health needs. The doctor thinks his patients need one medication, the insurance and pharmacy don't agree and give the patient what they see fit. Might as well just go to CVS and let them do it all. Heck, I don't even have a choice in what pharmacy I use any more unless I pay cash. If I am going to have to pay cash, might as well go UG. The prices ae cheaper and they fill your order much quicker.

 

[Mastodont]

i think they all forcing us into UGL which is going to flourish. unless woman to men trannies start complaining we are screwed

indeed you should harness their power, want something changed, just pose as a FTM in their space and make an uprising for decent vials or whatever

 

[Mastodont]

If I am going to have to pay cash, might as well go UG. The prices ae cheaper and they fill your order much quicker.

Who cares if occasionally you have to punch someone in the face

 

[BigTex]

So today I get a voice message from my insurance company about my recent prescription. They said they approved my prescription but a review board is going to determine if it is needed in the future and was sending me a letter. I guess they didn't like my reaction after I called them and asked why the hell do I need a doctor when the review board can just diagnose my health issues and prescribe what they see fit. They hung up on me,....hahahaa. Next time I will just pay cash or order UG. Don't need insurance or a review boards permission for anything. This is exactly what I thought it was, an attempt by the insurance company to discourage TRT use by making things inconvenient. They can go F themselves. I did TRT long before I had a doctor's prescription or insurance approval. Scares me to think about what happens when I need to use insurance for a life or death matter. Maybe the review board decides it isn't worth it.

 

[testiculus]

My insurance used to pay for T cyp. Then they decided to stop paying. In order to continue paying for T cyp my physician would need to appeal, write a letter, and submit multiple test results showing my testosterone is below 250. He said the review boards will rarely accept the hypogonadism diagnosis - despite the fact that it is coming from a world renowned expert on the condition. So I started cash pay for T cyp from a big chain pharmacy. At that time it was cheap, so not a big deal. But then everyone starting increasing their prices on T cyp, so that it's not so cheap any more. At that point I switched to using a compounding pharmacy as it is cheaper than cash pay at the big chain pharmacies.

Despite the laws that limit the practice of medicine to licensed physicians, pharmacists and insurance bureacrats regularly practice medicine. Of course our governement agencies that are supposed to be protecting their constituents are part of the medical cabal that largely pursues maximum revenue extraction instead.

 

[BigTex]

Agreed 100%. Like you, I will not play that game with TRT.....$38.74 at Wallgreens with GoodRX

https://www.goodrx.com/testosterone-cypionate?form=vial&dosage=10ml-of-200mg-ml&quantity=1&label_override=testosterone-cypionate

I would try a compounding pharmacy if I could find a decent price.