Every so often I will mention the profit margins that some of the drug pushing companies get.. It goes past that. There are generic alternatives available but when you go to purchase them the pharmacy will have them marked up to the point that you think you are getting a good deal even though it is still outrageously priced. There is one place apparently where you can get them at good prices.. Costco.. So now the story.

Let’s hear it for Costco! (This is just mind-boggling!)

Make sure you read all the way past the list of the drugs. The woman that signed below is a Budget
Analyst out of federal Washington , DC offices.

Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the active ingredient in prescription medications? Some people think it must cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per tablet. We did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA. As we have revealed in past issues of Life Extension a significant percentage of drugs sold in the United States contain active ingredients made in other countries. In our independent investigation of how much profit drug companies really make, we obtained the actual price of active ingredients used in some of the most popular drugs sold in America .

Celebrex:100 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.60
Percent markup: 21,712%

Claritin:10 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
Percent markup: 30,306%

Keflex:250 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88
Percent markup: 8,372%

Lipitor:20 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
Percent markup: 4,696%

Norvasc:10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
Percent markup: 134,493%

Paxil:20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
Percent markup: 2,898%

Prevacid:30 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
Percent markup: 34,136%

Prilosec: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
Percent markup: 69,417%

Prozac:20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%

Tenormin:50 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.13
Percent markup: 80,362%

Vasotec:10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $0..20
Percent markup: 51,185%

Xanax:1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%

Zestril:20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
Percent markup: 2,809%

Zithromax:600 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,48219
Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
Percent markup: 7,892%


Zoloft:50 mg
Consumer price: $206.87
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.75
Percent markup: 11,821%

Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought everyone should know about this.

It pays to shop around! This helps to solve the mystery as to why they can afford to put a Walgreen’s on every corner. On Monday night, Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 News in Detroit , did a story on generic drug prices gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. So often we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs, and usually rightfully so. But in this case, the fault clearly lies with the pharmacies themselves. For example if you had to buy a prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for 100 pills.

The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent, they would only cost $80, making you think you are saving $20. What the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may have only cost him $10! At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson whether or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over their cost for the generic drugs.

I went to the Costco site, where you can look up any drug, and get its online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent with the online prices. I was appalled. Just to give you one example from my own experience I had to use the drug Compazine which helps prevent nausea in chemo patients.

I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS. I checked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for $19.89. For 145 of my pain pills, I paid $72.57. I could have got 150 at Costco for $28.08.

I would like to mention, that although Costco is a ‘membership’ type store, you do NOT have to be a member to buy prescriptions there as it is a federally regulated substance. You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy, and they will let you in..

I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter, and passing it into your own e-mail, and send it to everyone you know with an e-mail address.

Sharon L. Davis
Budget Analyst U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
E-mail Address:sdavis@doc.gov

When a drug company pushes its drugs like this.. I get worried.

Monash University research shows that testosterone treatment improves brain function in healthy postmenopausal women.

Professor Susan Davis and Dr Sonia Davison of the Monash University Women’s Health Program treated 10 women aged 45 to 60 years with a daily skin spray of testosterone for 6 months. The women showed improvements in visual and verbal learning and memory on sensitive computerised tests after treatment. They also underwent tests of brain function while undergoing an MRI scan.

The findings were presented at the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) meeting in San Diego this month.

"The tests of cognitive performance were completed with the same accuracy and speed by the women before and with treatment, but with testosterone treatment less of the brain areas involved with these tasks ‘lit up’. This indicates that that less brain activation was required for the women to complete the tasks with the same precision and accuracy when they were treated with testosterone," Professor Davis said.

Statistics show postmenopausal women suffer dementia and memory loss at twice the rate of men and researchers believe lower levels of testosterone in post menopausal women may be a contributing factor. The rate of dementia is expected to increase over the next decade, as the population of over-45 year old Australian women increases by a third to an estimated 5.5 million. (In 2004, there were approximately 3.8 million women aged over 45).

"Testosterone production in women declines with age so that levels in postmenopausal women are usually about half of those in younger women. There are no current treatments available to improve brain function or memory, and the results of this study support the hypothesis that testosterone may be a potential treatment to prevent the age-related decline in brain function," Professor Davis said.

"The brain is filled with testosterone receptors but no-one really understands the role of testosterone in the brain. We suspect there could be a strong correlation between low testosterone levels and a decline in female brain function, as has been observed in men, and our findings support the need for further research into the potential use of testosterone for prevention of deterioration in brain function and memory."

Dr Davison said the transdermal testosterone spray was a remarkable new development in itself because it was a novel and effective way of delivering hormone therapy and is quick and easy to apply. The spray creates a patch within the skin when applied and unlike hormonal patches, rarely causes any skin irritation.

"Understanding the impact of testosterone on learning and memory, is yet another step towards developing therapies to prevent cognitive decline which is a condition impacting on the lifestyles of tens of thousands of women across Australia," Dr Davison said.

Postmenopausal women who may be interested in participating in further studies of brain function and memory can contact the Women’s Health Program team located at the Alfred Hospital, on +61 3 9903 0827 or email omens.health@med.monash.edu.auThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The study was funded by NHMRC of Australia, a Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Research Fellowship and ACRUX Ltd Australia, manufacturers of the Testosterone MDTS.

Night Sweats, Menopause night sweats, sleeping hot, sleepless nights, or trying to save money on your air conditioning. The Bedfan ® cooling system is for you.

The Bedfan Cooling System is guaranteed. If the Bedfan cooling system is unable to help you to stop sleeping hot, sleep cooler at night and stop night sweats you need only return it to us for a no hassle refund. Instant cool relief from night sweats and menopause night sweats throughout the night!

If you are are sleeping hot, you are most likely suffering from night sweats as well. Night sweats can be due to menopause, medical conditions, medications or you may just be a naturally hot sleeper. Regardless of the reason the Bedfan ® will help you sleep cool and stop night sweats and menopause night sweats too. 

The Bedfan ® cooling system is designed to remove body heat that causes night sweats while you are sleeping. At the same time the Bedfan ® will help keep your body cool so that night sweats don’t have a chance to start and you will no longer be sleeping hot. The Bedfan ® will instantly cool you down for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Visit www.bedfan.com for more information

Q: My mother is 65 and she went through menopause nine years ago. For the last few years, she has been feeling extremely warm internally, even when the weather is cool. She is easily agitated but once the sweat breaks out, she experiences a sense of relief.

Is there any reason for this condition?

A: What you have described is suggestive of symptoms related to menopause which include hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes such as irritability, anxiety or depression, palpitations, insomnia, vaginal dryness and fatigue.

These symptoms may start a couple of years before cessation of the menses (the perimenopausal period), and may persist for a few years after menopause. Their likely cause is related to the reduction in the level of female hormones that accompany menopause.

The duration of these symptoms depends on the individual.

In the majority of cases, the symptoms usually last between two and five years. However, some women may experience symptoms for a longer time. A number will experience hot flushes into their 60s.

However, it is also important to be aware of other underlying medical conditions that may show similar symptoms. For example, thyroid disease may lead to sweating, palpitations and irritability.

Sometimes the mood changes may be due to underlying psychological problems like depression.

You may want to take your mother to a doctor to ensure that the symptoms are not due to other conditions.

If the symptoms are mild and tolerable, treatment may not be necessary. Simple measures such as lowering the ambient temperature may help.

Some exercises may also be beneficial. But if the symptoms are severe and affect her daily activities, medication may be needed.

There are different treatment options. Some of these remedies include black cohosh, red clover, evening primrose oil, dietary soya products and vitamin E supplements.

In some cases, the only effective treatment for menopausal symptoms would be hormone replacement therapy.

You should consult a doctor on the risks and benefits of the various treatment options.

Dr Watt Wing Fong

Dr. Jennifer Landa of BodyLogicMD Orlando explains male hormonal imbalances, testosterone deficiency and andropause/male menopause/manopause, the symptoms (memory loss, insomnia, low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, muscle loss, low stamina, and weight gain) and the treatment.