— due_diligence: tCosts
- visit and queue up at SGH pharmacy or TTSH pharmacy
- claim from Cigna .. Perhaps Shenton clinic is cashless
— due_diligence: $Cost
Over the long term, cost is sure to become more important as we age. Insurance will eventually become “excluded”.
Spedra has no generics. Four 200mg doses cost $92 from Guardian. To get $80 from TTSH, you need polyclinic referral. At SGH pharmacy, you can get $71.56/4doses even with my Urohealth prescription. The lower dosage versions would presumably cost less.
generic-Viagra is the best example of low-cost, and good quality.
Guardian has generic-Viagra (no generic-Cialis) — 100mg 4 tabs for $44.4. Unity $70/4x100mg. Both pharmacists said the pill can split into two halves to achieve 50mg dosage… can store long-term in a tight container.
I think Viagra is the most used ED pill partly because it is the most time-tested, and most affordable. Spedra with fewer side effects, is 15-minute-fast, the newest and fanciest i.e. high-end.
generic-Cialis is “mid-high-end”. 20mg SGD 9.94/pill ($39.76/box) at SGH. The lower dosage versions would presumably cost less.
TTSH accepts Rx from subsidized clinics including polyclinics and SGH. For those non-subsidized prescriptions, I can warehouse for a year and use at SGH.
| ⮦single pill #generic UOS | SGH#any Rx | TTSH#subsidized Rx | Watson | Guardian [3] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sildenafil 100mg | 44c/tab,$1.77 /4doses |
60c/tab | 9.49/tab | $11.1/tab | |||||
| sildenafil 50mg | 40c/tab | NA | NA | ||||||
| tadalafil 20mg | $9.94/tab | no generics | |||||||
| Spedra 200mg #no generic | $17.9/tab | $20 | NA | $23.4 |
Q: will I ever buy at a _nearby_ pharmacy?
%%A: Yes for Spedra, the additional cost is minor. [3]At Guardian, you can pick up within a week, or you can buy on the spot at Takashimaya/Paragon/NovenaMtE
%%A: fastest 🙂 photocopy prescription reusable 🙂 … but higher cost when it comes to insurance claim
— (with t$cost implications) SGH digital prescription (no hardcopy needed) .. is valid within a year from consultation date. You can pick up medication via two routes:
1) HealthBuddy -> can retrieve the prescriptions (no need to keep paper copy :). You can order a specific quantity to be delivered to home, within a week. If inconvenient to wait at home, then collect from Guardian TPY #1-578.
In Sep 2023, my HealthBuddy can’t run. Hopefully wife can run it.
HealthHub is an APP for multiple hospitals. Also can order medication. Better log in by passcode (17xxxxxx) first, then singpass.
2) bring NRIC (can retrieve SGH prescriptions) to SGH pharmacy and wait for about an hour to pick up .. faster before 10am
👎 not as fast/convenient as TTSH or commercial pharmacies
🙂 no need to safe-keep paper prescriptions
🙂 with HealthBuddy, no need for a trip
— (with $cost implications) split and storage ..
My concerns would pressure me to consume that half quickly.. an unwanted pressure. Better go with the 50mg generic.
Some sildenafil pills are designed for 4-way split. Unused quarter an be kept in a tight box away from moist or sunlight, below 25 degree-C. I think fridge would prolong the shelf-life, provided no moisture goes in.
Spedra also can split. Minimum dosage 50mg. Better buy 100mg tabs, perhaps from SGH
Q: For 200mg, how do you split 4-way?
A: very hard, even if you are willing to discard debris.