Nationwide PIO shortage?

sarcasticowl · December 2017

Anyone else coming up against this? My out of pocket maximum was met many months ago and although we aren't starting another FET cycle until the new year, I wanted to get my meds ordered and lined up while they cost me nothing, and there is STILL, after how many months?, a shortage of PIO. I've heard PIO isn't used as much in Europe/Australia - they use suppositories - but I've been prescribed both the injectible AND the suppositories. GAH, as if this crap isn't hard enough!!

cseley321 · December 2017

Yeah i am having to pay 50.00 more per vial, and on top of that they recently upped my dosage. I am pretty bitter!

sarcasticowl · December 2017

@Crystal321 They're charging MORE too?? That feels semi-illegal. Like, paying more isn't going to create more product, so what is the rationale for that?

cseley321 · December 2017

This company makes them on demand and ships overnight. It makes no sense to me tbh

sarcasticowl · December 2017

@Crystal321 Unreal

baseballhoney · December 2017

I have to have it in ethyl olate (I think this spelling is correct) and it costs like $50 more a vial that just in sesame seed oil. But that's all anyone I call has in stock.

AlohaKumu · December 2017

Yes, we are experiencing the PIO shortage here, too. Normally the pharmacy here has everything plus the kitchen sink, but they had to do a referral for me through Freedom. (The lady on the phone said they will probably be the only company to have it until January.) Luckily it was just a $10 co-pay with my insurance, but that's shady that anyone would jack up their prices. I also have the suppositories waiting for me, so I'll be having all sorts of fun with progesterone in the coming days.

bethann1022 · December 2017

Yes, I dealt with it today too, I used to deal with Freedom, but my insurance now requires me to go through Caremark for everything normally. My nurse called me today and said she was going to have to call it into a small pharmacy that she thought might be able to give me a small quantity, and I convinced her to send the script to Freedom since I used them in the past. I called Freedom and the woman told me "We don't have any, there's a national shortage." I said "hmm that's weird, my nurse said since I used you in the past you would be able to help me." She explained they aren't able to fill new prescriptions, only refills on existing prescriptions. So crazy, she did say they believe the shortage should be ending soon, and I am really keeping my fingers crossed, because I am only getting enough to get me through to beta and I had the ERA so we know that I require 6 days of high dose PIO before FET and then to remain on 2ml daily for awhile.

prudence9-2 · December 2017

I ordered some with freedom and will get it tomorrow. Price seemed to stay the same.

sarcasticowl · December 2017

My office called the script into Cornerstone in Pennsylvania today. Not sure why they have some and no one else does!

LadyDouce · December 2017

Hii All, my RE just ordered the meds for my FET and the specialty pharmacy called me saying there's a PIO shortage. The manufacturer advised that PIO is on backorder until late 2018. I was shocked, to say the least. Thankfully, the insurance company allowed me to find another pharmacy who has it and that they'd approve an override to pay for it. My RE ordered from Cornerstone in Ohio for me. @sarcasticowl my RE said Cornerstone is one of the most frequently restocked mail-order pharmacies. Now seeing that they are in multiple states, they can probably leverage PIO quantities elsewhere to get them out to patients quicker.

Me (33) & DH (29)
DS (13) DS (11)

TTC#3 since '10 (PCOS)
2 IUIs 2013 (1 canceled and 1 BFN)
Ready to try again 2017:

IUI converted to IVF Dec'17
ER 12/11, 20 eggs retrieved/15 mature, 12 eggs fertilized and 5 day5 blasts frozen
FET set for January 2018

PNW12RN · December 2017

Hmm....I am using New Era out of Oregon. They told me there is a shortage, so I'm only getting 1 vial of PIO sent to me, not the 3 that were prescribed. They'll send me another vial once I am close to actually needing it. They have the meds and are just carefully doling them out so more people can get them, rather than a few people having a full supply and a bunch of others being told they get none.

Nationwide PIO shortage?

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