Cheapest rabies vaccine

[pawtasticbananas]

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So I scheduled my appointment for my first rabies vaccine an hour away because it was cheaper, but I just started getting cold symptoms (stuffy nose, sore throat, headache), can I still get the first rabies shot while slightly under the weather? Of course the health department is closed for the weekend and my appointment is first thing in the morning. [emoji19]


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[Awapi]

@pawtasticbananas it depends on the severity of your illness and the clinic's individual policies, but if your illness is mild then it should be fine. The CDC rabies vaccine statement specifically says it's ok to vaccinate mildly ill persons but that moderate to severely ill persons should wait if they are only receiving routine vaccine (i.e. pre-exposure as opposed to post-exposure). The clinic's policy may come in to play on what they consider "mild" vs. "moderate" illness.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/rabies.pdf

 

[pawtasticbananas]

@pawtasticbananas it depends on the severity of your illness and the clinic's individual policies, but if your illness is mild then it should be fine. The CDC rabies vaccine statement specifically says it's ok to vaccinate mildly ill persons but that moderate to severely ill persons should wait if they are only receiving routine vaccine (i.e. pre-exposure as opposed to post-exposure). The clinic's policy may come in to play on what they consider "mild" vs. "moderate" illness.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/rabies.pdf

Thank you Awapi! I saw that and hope a cold is considered mild.

 

[staff_wielder]

Ever since the rabies vaccines I've reacted worse to any vaccine. I had just about every side effect to the rabies vaccine except for anaphylaxis/death. I passed out, had fever, lethargy, nausea, muscle soreness, redness, heat, rash at injection site, joint pain all over my body, a rash over my chest...all of which got worse with each shot. I was out of work for 4 or 5 days after the 3rd shot. Luckily my titers were plenty high to start clinics.

Not so concerned with price as much as what should I be aware of during the 3 weeks it takes to complete the series. Listed side effects look comparable to getting most other vaccines, but apparently those who do get side effects get them more severely. What's the general consensus on here? Did a lot of you have negative side effects, and if so, what did you have?

 

[eeeee723]

Not so concerned with price as much as what should I be aware of during the 3 weeks it takes to complete the series. Listed side effects look comparable to getting most other vaccines, but apparently those who do get side effects get them more severely. What's the general consensus on here? Did a lot of you have negative side effects, and if so, what did you have?

I had absolutely no side effects for any of mine! Just the typical slightly sore arm, but other than that all was good. I have heard some horror stories though so I was definitely nervous going in.

 

[deleted676737]

Not so concerned with price as much as what should I be aware of during the 3 weeks it takes to complete the series. Listed side effects look comparable to getting most other vaccines, but apparently those who do get side effects get them more severely. What's the general consensus on here? Did a lot of you have negative side effects, and if so, what did you have?

I had almost no side effects with shots 1 and 3, just a standard soreness in the arm that was poked. Shot 2 was definitely the worst for me; for the first couple of hours following it, I was fine, but soon after I developed a fever, full body soreness, joint pain, lethargy, and pretty severe nausea. The closest thing that I can compare it to is the hit-by-train feeling from the flu. Thankfully, I had scheduled my series in such a way that I was getting the vaccines on Friday afternoons/evenings after class during first semester of first year, so I was able to just sleep it off and was fine after that weekend.

From what I have gathered from classmates and others on SDN, shot 2 tends to be the worst one for most people who do have side effects. I do have a friend who ended up having to visit urgent care because of more severe side effects, including hives and a rash, after shots 2 and 3.

As for other vaccines after getting the series, it doesn't seem to have made side effects of those any worse, but I've only gotten annual flu shots since then.

 

[JustPaws]

Not so concerned with price as much as what should I be aware of during the 3 weeks it takes to complete the series. Listed side effects look comparable to getting most other vaccines, but apparently those who do get side effects get them more severely. What's the general consensus on here? Did a lot of you have negative side effects, and if so, what did you have?

Only had very mild muscle pain, no Tylenol needed.

 

[staff_wielder]

Only had very mild muscle pain, no Tylenol needed.

Got it; thanks all! Sorry to hear about shot 2 @Elkhart -- hopefully my shots go smoothly...

 

[Vombatidae]

Barely sore for mine. Get my last one on the 9th. For me it was the TDAP that is always a monster. Hurts for days.

I ended up driving to College Station to go directly to the school for them. $284 vs $350 in Houston at Walgreens, or worse, $500 at a private doctor. And that's per shot. I'm so happy I can skip the hepatitis vaccines since I had them as a kid.

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[deleted676737]

Got it; thanks all! Sorry to hear about shot 2 @Elkhart -- hopefully my shots go smoothly...

It was just a little surprising because I'd never had any reaction to a vaccine beyond very mild fever and soreness at the injection site, and it was only shot #2 that made me feel sick---the others were fine.

There's no real way to know ahead of time, unfortunately, unless you have had reactions to other vaccines before. But severe reactions are rare, so chances are good that yours will go smoothly and you'll be just fine. 🙂 If you're worried about it, you could always try to schedule the series so that you get the shots on off days in case you do end up feeling ill afterward.

 

[staff_wielder]

Barely sore for mine. Get my last one on the 9th. For me it was the TDAP that is always a monster. Hurts for days.

I ended up driving to College Station to go directly to the school for them. $284 vs $350 in Houston at Walgreens, or worse, $500 at a private doctor. And that's per shot. I'm so happy I can skip the hepatitis vaccines since I had them as a kid.

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Yeah $349/shot in the DC area... grrrr!

It was just a little surprising because I'd never had any reaction to a vaccine beyond very mild fever and soreness at the injection site, and it was only shot #2 that made me feel sick---the others were fine.

There's no real way to know ahead of time, unfortunately, unless you have had reactions to other vaccines before. But severe reactions are rare, so chances are good that yours will go smoothly and you'll be just fine. 🙂 If you're worried about it, you could always try to schedule the series so that you get the shots on off days in case you do end up feeling ill afterward.

Scheduling for Fridays just in case and while still working and government is giving me good health insurance in case something goes sideways! 😱

 

[JaynaAli]

First one had no effects for me. The second one I had a really sore arm, a raised red hot area about 3-4 inches across at the injection site, and a moderate fever. Third one I had a mild fever but it was better overall.

 

[Mattcj]

If you guys reach out to your insurance they may cover the rabies vaccine since it is an occupational hazard thing. My insurance completely covered all three Imovax IM injections

 

[staff_wielder]

If you guys reach out to your insurance they may cover the rabies vaccine since it is an occupational hazard thing. My insurance completely covered all three Imovax IM injections

Trust me I researched everything befor posting, for fear of the SDNers all coming down on my head. Insurance will only cover the rabies vaccine and treatment AFTER exposure to rabies. I also work for the government (with animals in research) and rabies is not required and will not be covered by my department. My insurance, as well, will not cover the vaccine if billed as a preventative. I called my docs office and they have no problem using the CPT (procedure code) that codes for “rabies treatment” for the 3 vaccine doses, so theoretically, the insurance should just read that code, and it will pop up and walla! Covered! ...again, theoretically. I mean, what’s the worse... only $1000 We shall see; I will report back.

 

[Vombatidae]

Same, mine is covered as the post-exposure but they also told me if can only be done at the ER. In which case, paying ER bills is a far worse alternative.

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[Mattcj]

Trust me I researched everything befor posting, for fear of the SDNers all coming down on my head. Insurance will only cover the rabies vaccine and treatment AFTER exposure to rabies. I also work for the government (with animals in research) and rabies is not required and will not be covered by my department. My insurance, as well, will not cover the vaccine if billed as a preventative. I called my docs office and they have no problem using the CPT (procedure code) that codes for “rabies treatment” for the 3 vaccine doses, so theoretically, the insurance should just read that code, and it will pop up and walla! Covered! ...again, theoretically. I mean, what’s the worse... only $1000 We shall see; I will report back.

The caveat to that is that "rabies treatment" would then be considered post-exposure and you need 4 vaccines, not 3. But anyways, that is unfortunate. I guess I am lucky my Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage is dope! I don't know what other states are like but Vermont Vet Tech Association does a rabies clinic every year and you pay like $150 for each vaccine instead of the full $349.99; you also dont have to be a member!

 

[eeeee723]

Luckily the place I work at as a vet assistant requires the rabies vaccines and completely paid for all of them when I started! It was a huge perk I didn't even know was available and it saved me a bunch of money!

 

[Georgethecat]

Agree that Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage is awesome. Covered it 100%. Will say that calling BCBS beforehand was incredibly aggravating. The service rep could not grasp why a pre exposure vaccine was needed and kept saying it wouldn’t be covered and to go the ER...... Fortunately a class of 2019 person assured me that hers was fully covered by BCBS and to get it done at Walgreens.

 

[hygebeorht]

Wild to see a thread I started five years ago rise up again. For those heading into NC, to my knowledge your immunizations are covered 100% if you get the student BCBS plan. That was the case last I checked.

 

[Caiter92]

Damn, I didn’t think my insurance would have covered it. I have BCBS federal employee plan and I was told no. But maybe because my school doesn’t require it? I’ll have to call and harass more to see if I can get it covered so I can try to get it covered before I can’t be on my parents insurance

 

[Mattcj]

Damn, I didn’t think my insurance would have covered it. I have BCBS federal employee plan and I was told no. But maybe because my school doesn’t require it? I’ll have to call and harass more to see if I can get it covered so I can try to get it covered before I can’t be on my parents insurance

That is the exact insurance plan I have. If you have your doctor prescribe the vaccine, you can get it special ordered at a pharmacy and then you pick it up and bring it to your doctor's office for injection. That's how BCBS made me do it

 

[Caiter92]

That is the exact insurance plan I have. If you have your doctor prescribe the vaccine, you can get it special ordered at a pharmacy and then you pick it up and bring it to your doctor's office for injection. That's how BCBS made me do it

Thank you! I will try to see if my PCP will do that. I was going to wait till i had graduated and had an income to get it, but if my insurance will cover it I'll do it now.

 

[staff_wielder]

The caveat to that is that "rabies treatment" would then be considered post-exposure and you need 4 vaccines, not 3. But anyways, that is unfortunate. I guess I am lucky my Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage is dope! I don't know what other states are like but Vermont Vet Tech Association does a rabies clinic every year and you pay like $150 for each vaccine instead of the full $349.99; you also dont have to be a member!

That's nice! Not worth it for me to drive to Vermont 🙂

 

[Mattcj]

Thank you! I will try to see if my PCP will do that. I was going to wait till i had graduated and had an income to get it, but if my insurance will cover it I'll do it now.

Hopefully it'll work out for you!

 

[LyraGardenia]

Not so concerned with price as much as what should I be aware of during the 3 weeks it takes to complete the series. Listed side effects look comparable to getting most other vaccines, but apparently those who do get side effects get them more severely. What's the general consensus on here? Did a lot of you have negative side effects, and if so, what did you have?

I had a mild fever the night after the first shot, but I was better the next morning. With shots 2 and 3 I just had a bit of arm soreness! I've never had a reaction to any other vaccine.

 

[youngkal]

The clinic is on campus that does it during the year also does it at their clinic and that was the cheapest i found. I’m not sure what it will cost if i wait but they were cheaper than the health department by me as well.

 

[SkiOtter]

The clinic is on campus that does it during the year also does it at their clinic and that was the cheapest i found. I’m not sure what it will cost if i wait but they were cheaper than the health department by me as well.

Try contacting the school and seeing if they can give you what it costs to do through them when school starts. If it’s the same as doing them now through the clinic, you could just get it over with now if you wanted and had the ability to

 

[Coopah]

My school insurance covered EVERYTHING of mine!! Was not expecting that, in fact I still check occasionally to see if I have a bill I'm not aware of sitting there...

 

[hygebeorht]

NC State has a special rabies immunization clinic every year at the school. You don't have to arrange for things yourself - just reply to the email. You can get flu shots as well at the clinic, and if you're due for anything (like tetanus) they can bring it if you ask ahead of time.

 

[SoFloGryffindor]

Hey guys, does anyone know where would be the cheapest place to get vaccinated for rabies?

 

[Mattcj]

Not so concerned with price as much as what should I be aware of during the 3 weeks it takes to complete the series. Listed side effects look comparable to getting most other vaccines, but apparently those who do get side effects get them more severely. What's the general consensus on here? Did a lot of you have negative side effects, and if so, what did you have?

I was sore for the first shot then got really under the weather after my third shot

 

[7sunnydays]

Agree that Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage is awesome. Covered it 100%. Will say that calling BCBS beforehand was incredibly aggravating. The service rep could not grasp why a pre exposure vaccine was needed and kept saying it wouldn’t be covered and to go the ER...... Fortunately a class of 2019 person assured me that hers was fully covered by BCBS and to get it done at Walgreens.

Did you have BCBS PPO? I am under my mom's insurance plan and they keep telling me they won't cover it unless I was already bitten.

 

[Georgethecat]

Did you have BCBS PPO? I am under my mom's insurance plan and they keep telling me they won't cover it unless I was already bitten.

Yes, the insurance card says BlueCross BlueShield Healthcare Plan of Georgia and has PPO at the bottom. I called the 800 number on the back of the card and got the above mentioned customer service rep who clearly did not understand what a pre-exposure rabies vaccine was. The customer service rep was 100% certain it would not be covered, but it was 100% covered.

Our primary care doctor wrote a prescription and I took it to Wal Greens. I did confirm with the pharmacist when I went in for the first shot that it was covered and free before getting the shot.

Have you tried taking a prescription to a pharmacy to see if it is covered?

 

[7sunnydays]

Yes, the insurance card says BlueCross BlueShield Healthcare Plan of Georgia and has PPO at the bottom. I called the 800 number on the back of the card and got the above mentioned customer service rep who clearly did not understand what a pre-exposure rabies vaccine was. The customer service rep was 100% certain it would not be covered, but it was 100% covered.

Our primary care doctor wrote a prescription and I took it to Wal Greens. I did confirm with the pharmacist when I went in for the first shot that it was covered and free before getting the shot.

Have you tried taking a prescription to a pharmacy to see if it is covered?

Thanks for the info. I called the 800 number and the representative that I spoke to said that it will not cover the rabies vaccine for school, job, travel etc unless I was already bitten. She did say that maybe just maybe they would cover it if the doctor puts it in a certain way... she didn't say what though....so no I haven't tried getting a prescription yet but it's worth a try. It's a lot out of pocket.

 

[sem14]

I apologize, I know this is an old thread, but I am in the same argument now with BCBS. Has anyone found out what the "terminology" or codes are that my Dr needs to use so that it will be covered? I am getting mixed signals from BCBS.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

I apologize, I know this is an old thread, but I am in the same argument now with BCBS. Has anyone found out what the "terminology" or codes are that my Dr needs to use so that it will be covered? I am getting mixed signals from BCBS.

BCBS would always tell me they wouldn't cover it. I called 3 different times at 3 different points in my life. Went and got it anyway at the Dr no special codes. They paid for it 80/20 per my health plan. Not saying it will be covered but that was my experience.

 

[BigCats]

^ yep. BCBS swore up and down they wouldn't cover a penny of it, then a few months later we got a surprise check in the mail. I want to say we might've even had the whole thing covered. No magic words needed! YMMV but it sounds like a pretty common story.

 

[Testing 123]

Has anyone looked into medical tourism for this vaccine? Like as an American it could be cheaper for me to fly to Mexico or Europe, get the shot there, spend the weekend on vacation, and then fly back than it would be to pay out of pocket for the shot here.

 

[JaynaAli]

Has anyone looked into medical tourism for this? Like as an American it could be cheaper for me to fly to mexico or europe, get the shot there, spend the weekend on vacation, and then flying back.

...three times? In a pandemic? Preexposure rabies is a three shot series at least two weeks apart (maybe three, can’t remember and it’s been ten years since I was vaccinated) so you’d probably have to stay for six weeks or go back and forth three times. I mean if your school will accept a foreign vaccination then more power to you but it doesn’t seem that much cheaper to me and given the current global pandemic I wouldn’t really recommend it even if it was.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Has anyone looked into medical tourism for this vaccine? Like as an American it could be cheaper for me to fly to Mexico or Europe, get the shot there, spend the weekend on vacation, and then fly back than it would be to pay out of pocket for the shot here.

This sounds like it would require way more energy than I had in vet school. Plus three shots, so I dont see this plan being cheaper than the $1,050 I spent.