Cheapest rabies vaccine

Started by hygebeorht
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I've seen a lot of prices of rabies vaccines on multiple threads, but if someone doesn't mind posting what they paid as a lot of people have, but also include whether or not that was with insurance? I've been having a hard time deciphering if most people actually pay the full price, and what is a good price. I'm in a college town so I'm thinking I'll have more options at home in a big city.
 
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I will be starting school this Fall and I am looking around for the best deal on the rabies vaccine. A wildlife clinic near my home that is associated with Penn State is doing a clinic, however they are giving the shots intradermal vs intramuscular. I was wondering if anyone knows more about this method? The price is way cheaper, but I see no reason to waste the money if it won't be adequate. They say that the doctors split a 1 ml vial among 10 people by giving 0.1 cc ID (intradermal) instead of 1 cc IM (intramuscular) injection. The clinic is reputable, but I am curious about this?
 
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LivesintheLibrary said:
I've seen a lot of prices of rabies vaccines on multiple threads, but if someone doesn't mind posting what they paid as a lot of people have, but also include whether or not that was with insurance? I've been having a hard time deciphering if most people actually pay the full price, and what is a good price. I'm in a college town so I'm thinking I'll have more options at home in a big city.
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Mine was about $600 in full, I think. Here's what I was told about insurance:

My primary care physician said: "Get it done at school, and then insurance will cover it."
School says: "Get it done from your primary care physician, insurance will cover it." This, of course, I'm told after I move 2500 miles across the country and away from my GP. So, the pharmacy told me to just get it, otherwise I couldn't go to school, and then try to submit a claim later. Obviously, this claim was rejected.
Insurance said: "You needed to get a script from your GP, and then it doesn't matter where you go."
So, basically, make sure you harass your insurance company and know the ins and outs. One person in my class got it covered through insurance and the rest of us didn't because it's not a standard preventative measure... unless you're in vet med. Ask your doctor to script it out if necessary. Mine was cheaper at school because they carry the vaccine year-round. My GP was going to be cheaper because he doesn't routinely carry rabies vaccines.
 
WhtsThFrequency said:
Yep, it's legit. WHO approved and everything.
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So I am assuming that most schools would accept this? They recommend you do the titer 3 weeks later. Plus I figure it's association with Penn State would ensure its legit.


I still plan to call and harass my insurance, just because free is ideal for me (;
 
haley120892 said:
So I am assuming that most schools would accept this? They recommend you do the titer 3 weeks later. Plus I figure it's association with Penn State would ensure its legit.


I still plan to call and harass my insurance, just because free is ideal for me (;
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I meant legit in more of an immunologic sense...when it comes to schools and policy, I'm less sure. Intradermal rabies, while efficacious and generally approved of, is still considered off-label use (unless this has changed very recently) which might cause some problems. It might be something that varies by institution.
 
WhtsThFrequency said:
I meant legit in more of an immunologic sense...when it comes to schools and policy, I'm less sure. Intradermal rabies, while efficacious and generally approved of, is still considered off-label use (unless this has changed very recently) which might cause some problems. It might be something that varies by institution.
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I got ya, thank you! I plan on contacting my school tomorrow and seeing if they will find it acceptable.


The price is to good to pass up, but I would rather be safe than sorry!
 
Skimble said:
My rabies vaccines were done almost 10 years ago, so I just had titers done and I was planning on just submitting that as proof. Hopefully that is acceptable.
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So your titer levels were high enough to still confer protection 10 years later? My series was done 8 years ago and I'm hoping I'm still good. I had read older threads about people needing boosters after only a few years!
 
GoldenGirl28 said:
So your titer levels were high enough to still confer protection 10 years later? My series was done 8 years ago and I'm hoping I'm still good. I had read older threads about people needing boosters after only a few years!
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One of the Dr's I work with now was vaccinated over 20 years ago, and her titers still come up good. I've never actually heard of anyone needing boosters, granted I don't know that many people who regularly check their titers.
 
My insurance paid for the whole series. I just had to submit a letter from my employer stating that it was for my job.
 
GoldenGirl28 said:
So your titer levels were high enough to still confer protection 10 years later? My series was done 8 years ago and I'm hoping I'm still good. I had read older threads about people needing boosters after only a few years!
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7 years and I needed a booster 🙁 My titer last year was adequate, but this years was low. Only checked again to get on the same schedule as the other vets in the clinic.

Immune system fail.
 
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My rabies series was covered by the school, but we weren't told until like the third day of classes (hadn't been covered before but the school switched insurance companies). A few proactive students had it done over the summer and paid out of pocket. You might call and ask what your school usually does.
 
Swongy said:
Did any of you guys have adverse reactions to the vaccines?
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I didn't, and I thought I might because flu vaccines and others tend to knock me out/make me really sore. All I had was a little arm soreness and was tired after the 1st or 2nd one. I honestly feel like my recent tetanus one hurt more...but I also got a typhoid vaccine in the same arm a few days later, so it was probably a combo of the two. A classmate of mine had a pretty severe reaction though (like beyond the fever, headache, soreness, etc) but she still ended up being able to complete the series.
 
WhtsThFrequency said:
I did, but not until after the second and third one, as is common with vaccination. Fever, nausea, severe arm pain, etc. A good number of people in my class got one of the above too. Don't get the rest of the series done during times when you have stuff to do, just to be safe.
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I had this, too.

Flu like symptoms after the 2nd vaccine.

Fingers crossed my rabies titer is still protective. Just got blood pulled for it today.
 
Just spoke with Naval hospital they told me if I provide a letter from my work or school stating I have to have the vaccination then they will provide it free of cost to me. Contacted my school and they said I should be able to get that no problem. Will keep you posted if it all works out. My husband is in the military and I have tricare.
 
Uhhhh, I had an appointment at a travel clinic. I got my 1st rabies vaccine on day zero, then they scheduled my second one on day 11 (??). I got that one as scheduled, without realizing it wasn't day 7 or questioning it because hey - they're the experts, right? Day 21 for me is tomorrow (so I'm getting my 3rd vaccine at a Walgreens) because the travel clinic set my appointment for day 35???? They really messed up what days rabies pre-exposure is given. I'm pretty upset and called them - they were highly confused but said it was fine.

tl;dr I got my rabies vaccines on day 0, 11, and 21.. hoping this will be OK for school... I guess I should've paid more attention but I just listened to what their nurses said for scheduling but I took them to know what they were talking about..
 
neocia said:
Uhhhh, I had an appointment at a travel clinic. I got my 1st rabies vaccine on day zero, then they scheduled my second one on day 11 (??). I got that one as scheduled, without realizing it wasn't day 7 or questioning it because hey - they're the experts, right? Day 21 for me is tomorrow (so I'm getting my 3rd vaccine at a Walgreens) because the travel clinic set my appointment for day 35???? They really messed up what days rabies pre-exposure is given. I'm pretty upset and called them - they were highly confused but said it was fine.

tl;dr I got my rabies vaccines on day 0, 11, and 21.. hoping this will be OK for school... I guess I should've paid more attention but I just listened to what their nurses said for scheduling but I took them to know what they were talking about..
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It will be fine. It's not important that it be that accurate.
 
neocia said:
Uhhhh, I had an appointment at a travel clinic. I got my 1st rabies vaccine on day zero, then they scheduled my second one on day 11 (??). I got that one as scheduled, without realizing it wasn't day 7 or questioning it because hey - they're the experts, right? Day 21 for me is tomorrow (so I'm getting my 3rd vaccine at a Walgreens) because the travel clinic set my appointment for day 35???? They really messed up what days rabies pre-exposure is given. I'm pretty upset and called them - they were highly confused but said it was fine.

tl;dr I got my rabies vaccines on day 0, 11, and 21.. hoping this will be OK for school... I guess I should've paid more attention but I just listened to what their nurses said for scheduling but I took them to know what they were talking about..
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For what it's worth, I had a question about the scheduling of my rabies series because day 7 fell on a Sunday and I was told its ok to be later than the recommended schedule, but it's not a good idea to be earlier. And my third Hep A&B shot was an entire year late and schools haven't had a problem with that (although I've never had a Hep A or B titer). IMO, a 4 day delay shouldn't be a problem.
 
rushy said:
Just spoke with Naval hospital they told me if I provide a letter from my work or school stating I have to have the vaccination then they will provide it free of cost to me. Contacted my school and they said I should be able to get that no problem. Will keep you posted if it all works out. My husband is in the military and I have tricare.
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Ooo that's awesome, definitely keep us updated. I have Tricare Prime and will be getting mine done at the naval hospital back home over the summer, not having to worry about the cost would be fantastic.
 
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rushy said:
Just spoke with Naval hospital they told me if I provide a letter from my work or school stating I have to have the vaccination then they will provide it free of cost to me. Contacted my school and they said I should be able to get that no problem. Will keep you posted if it all works out. My husband is in the military and I have tricare.
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That's how I got mine done too.
 
orca2011 said:
I didn't, and I thought I might because flu vaccines and others tend to knock me out/make me really sore. All I had was a little arm soreness and was tired after the 1st or 2nd one. I honestly feel like my recent tetanus one hurt more...but I also got a typhoid vaccine in the same arm a few days later, so it was probably a combo of the two. A classmate of mine had a pretty severe reaction though (like beyond the fever, headache, soreness, etc) but she still ended up being able to complete the series.
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Yeah it seems to be not uncommon. I got a few vaccines fairly close together and didn't have an issue but I know some of my classmates felt a little sick from them. Yellow Fever hurt worse than any of the rabies shots tbh.
 
I just checked, and my GP doesn't give rabies...but the county public health office does. $319/shot plus a $15 appointment fee, so not the most expensive I've seen on here but here's hoping insurance covers it!
 
Update on Naval Hospital Rabies Vaccination. Went in today to show them the letter from the school stating that I need to have the series. They said it was just fine and asked when I would like to have the first vaccination. I scheduled for after classes are done in two weeks, just in case I have any reactions. I think they are really going to cover the series! I just don't want to get too stoked until the first shot is given. LOL! Will let you guys know. Yay Tricare!🙂
 
rushy said:
Update on Naval Hospital Rabies Vaccination. Went in today to show them the letter from the school stating that I need to have the series. They said it was just fine and asked when I would like to have the first vaccination. I scheduled for after classes are done in two weeks, just in case I have any reactions. I think they are really going to cover the series! I just don't want to get too stoked until the first shot is given. LOL! Will let you guys know. Yay Tricare!🙂
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Keep us posted! I will be thrilled if they cover it 🙂
 
rushy said:
Update on Naval Hospital Rabies Vaccination. Went in today to show them the letter from the school stating that I need to have the series. They said it was just fine and asked when I would like to have the first vaccination. I scheduled for after classes are done in two weeks, just in case I have any reactions. I think they are really going to cover the series! I just don't want to get too stoked until the first shot is given. LOL! Will let you guys know. Yay Tricare!🙂
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This is so exciting 😀
 
rushy said:
Update on Naval Hospital Rabies Vaccination. Went in today to show them the letter from the school stating that I need to have the series. They said it was just fine and asked when I would like to have the first vaccination. I scheduled for after classes are done in two weeks, just in case I have any reactions. I think they are really going to cover the series! I just don't want to get too stoked until the first shot is given. LOL! Will let you guys know. Yay Tricare!🙂
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Just to second this, I had Tricare cover my series as well.
 
Definitely exciting! Will save us military dependents and military people over $1000+... If they keep their word!🙂
 
Keeping their word isn't the problem so much as all the red tape and signatures to get approval in the first place. Just make sure not to miss the windows for shots two and three. Jumping through the hoops a second time is harder.
 
ResoluteMike said:
Keeping their word isn't the problem so much as all the red tape and signatures to get approval in the first place. Just make sure not to miss the windows for shots two and three. Jumping through the hoops a second time is harder.
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Once I get the first one I'll make sure to follow the recommended timeline for 2 and 3.
 
Ok just had the first vaccination. I'm not squeamish or sensitive to vaccinations or injections but holy moly that was a huge 2 inch needle![emoji37] Good news though, tricare covers it if its required for school or work at least through Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital. Have my appointment to come back for the 2nd shot in the series in 7 days.
 
If you have UMR (my dad works at a hospital), they cover it 100% as long as it is in-network. All school student health centers are considered in-network.
 
I just found out today that United Health Care will not cover my rabies vaccines. 🙁 Their website says they cover all immunizations that have current recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (which rabies does for high-risk individuals, such as veterinarians), but when I called to verify coverage, I was told that they have specific exclusions for vaccines required solely for travel, education, or career. Great! So now I am trying to find the cheapest place to get it done, and have so far only found 2 places that will even offer it... So frustrating!
 
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When I called my insurance, they said my dad's workplace covered it, but that I should get a prescription for it first, just in case. When you get it done at Walgreens, does the pharmacist actually write you a script, or do I need to go to a GP first?
 
pirateyoho said:
When I called my insurance, they said my dad's workplace covered it, but that I should get a prescription for it first, just in case. When you get it done at Walgreens, does the pharmacist actually write you a script, or do I need to go to a GP first?
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I'm pretty sure pharmacists can't write any prescriptions, so I would go to your doctor
 
Minnerbelle said:
Haha... The fact that it's illegal certainly doesn't stop many from doing it, but that's besides the point
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Most are pretty good but there are a couple pharmacies where I tell the owner to verify that the medicine they get matches what's in my discharge 100% because those PharmD's seem quite happy to modify what we call in. Frustrating. Ah well. And life goes on.
 
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