cheapest way to get a cortisone shot?

[ZippyDan]

well this might be a reckless question.

background:

years ago i twisted my back the wrong way playing tennis and herniated a spinal disc which than impinged a nerve running down my leg. i was in terrible pain for 3 months, unable to sleep, popping vicodin pills and walking around with a cain and a bad attitude like Dr. House. thanks to insurance policies it took weeks to solve the problem:

1. get appointment with general practitioner who referred me to get an xray,
2. get appointment to get an xray,
3. get xray results which were inconclusive so had to get appointment to get MRI,
4. MRI showed nerve impingement, now referred to Physiatrist and Neurosurgeon
5. Seeing a chiropractor the entire time, which provided some limited relief
6. After several weeks of visits to Physiatrist doing physical therapy and electro-stimulation which also helped a bit, finally got a prescription/referral to get a Cortisone shot to the irritated nerve
7. Within a week of getting the shot I was experiencing half the pain and able to sleep, walk without limping, and get off the pills. Within 3 weeks I was pretty much where I am now which is about 99% normal (i still have a tiny pain sensation if i focus on my foot)

the good part about the insurance is that i probably only paid about $500 for all of that when it probably would have cost me closer to $10000 or more for all the visits, test, and the final cortisone procedure.

current problem:

now i have a friend who finds himself in almost the exact same condition, in terrible pain, barely able to work, except he has no insurance. can anyone give me any advice for him on what would be the cheapest/quickest way for him to get to a solution? im guessing he will probably need an MRI at the very least as he is unlikely to get any shot without some kind of proof, so i'm thinking he needs a cheap place to get an MRI, a cheap place to see a Physiatrist, and a cheap place to get a shot.

i feel stupid asking this because it almost seems like i'm playing doctor, but hopefully the MRI will show what needs to be done. and the reality of his situation is that he doesn't have the time or money to go down the same protracted route i went down

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: ZippyDan

now i have a friend who finds himself in almost the exact same condition, in terrible pain, barely able to work, except he has no insurance. can anyone give me any advice for him on what would be the cheapest/quickest way for him to get to a solution? im guessing he will probably need an MRI at the very least as he is unlikely to get any shot without some kind of proof, so i'm thinking he needs a cheap place to get an MRI, a cheap place to see a Physiatrist, and a cheap place to get a shot.

If he is indigent or making less than $30k he might qualify to get on your county's subsidized healthcare program. But they may or may not authorize the treatment you both desire.

 

[Locut0s]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYS732zyYfU

 

[summit]

cheap and mri do not belong together in the same sentence.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: Summit
cheap and mri do not belong together in the same sentence.

Yeah....plus MRIs are usually overkill anyhow.

Rather than a shot, I suggest having him go to a Doc in a box (walk-in clinic) and tell the doc that he's hurt and ask him for a Z pack with a refill if they can't do the shot right there. A Z pack contains oral steroid tablets. He can take it for 5 days, see if it clears up...then start over if it's not better in a week. Oral steroids don't have street value like muscle relaxers or pain killers...so he shouldn't have problems getting them easily.

The reason docs do the MRIs more than they need to is strictly because of liability. They don't want a patient with a serious injury to walk out the door if there's a chance they might have a deeper problem given the history and physical. Tell your friend to be honest and give the best info about the injury to see if he can get what he needs from the walk-in.

 

[dude8604]

No, a Z Pack is a 5 day course of the antibiotic azithromycin, unless there's some other kind of Z Pack.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'm guessing that a walk-in clinic might be able to get him some methylprednisolone tablets. They're the pack which has six pills for the first day, five for the second, etc. I got a cortizone shot at my ENT doctor for my sinuses.

 

[guyver01]

Originally posted by: ZippyDan
i'm thinking he needs a cheap place to get an MRI, a cheap place to see a Physiatrist, and a cheap place to get a shot.

is he eligible for medicaid?

 

[Slew Foot]

Originally posted by: dude8604
No, a Z Pack is a 5 day course of the antibiotic azithromycin, unless there's some other kind of Z Pack.

Yeah no kidding, this is why you shouldnt trust a random idiot on the internet for medical advice. Yeesh.

 

[guyver01]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
A Z pack contains oral steroid tablets. He can take it for 5 days, see if it clears up...then start over if it's not better in a week. Oral steroids don't have street value like muscle relaxers or pain killers...so he shouldn't have problems getting them easily..

Azithromycin is commonly administered in tablet in 250 mg and 500 mg doses.
The 250 mg tablets are often dispensed in packages of six and commonly referred to as a "Z-Pak," whereas the 500 mg tablets are commonly available commercially in a pack of three tablets, or "Tri-Pak," intended as a three-day treatment.

Azithromycinis one of the world's best-selling antibiotics.



antibiotic is NOT a steroid.

Perhaps you were thinking of something else?

 

[eits]

chiropractic + spinal stability exercises are the best

go to an evidence based chiropractor or a chiropractor and physical therapist if you can. if you can't, but have a gym membership, try a chiropractor and pilates.

 

[BoomerD]

Since your friend really doesn't know what's wrong...symptoms can be very similar with several different problems...he NEEDS to be properly evaluated before getting cortisone injections. X-rays, MRI's and evaluation by a good neurosurgeon are an important part of the process.

Eits MAY be right...chiropractic MAY help...it really all depends on what the underlying problem actually is.

Chiro kept me going for many years...till the back finally wore out.

I go in Wednesday for my next epidural injection. While it feels like that fucking needle is a foot long...the after-relief is worth it to me. PLUS, the pain management doc's "Cocktail" of "Happy Juice" is fun for a while. A mix of muscle relaxer and something similar to Demarol..."Hey Doc...Make it a double!"

I get 3-4 of them every year, and at least for me, they help quite a bit.

 

[mattpegher]

Theres a reason that someone who has spent 4 years in medical school, 3 years in residency and who knows how many in practice requires an MRI to make the diagnosis. So you just guess that since it seems the same to you that the same treatment is required.

Have you friend see a doctor. If he has several hundred to blow he can go directly to a neurosurgeon, in about 3 months, or he can see his primary. Sure a walk-in clinic can be a place to start but he may still need referral to a specialist.

Steroids (corticosteroids from your adrenal glands not testosterone) are usefull but misuse can lead to more problems.


Remember most medicines are "metered-dose poisons".

And never watch "House", (never, never, never) it total skews the laypersons perspective of how to diagnose and treat.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi

Originally posted by: Summit
cheap and mri do not belong together in the same sentence.

Yeah....plus MRIs are usually overkill anyhow.

Rather than a shot, I suggest having him go to a Doc in a box (walk-in clinic) and tell the doc that he's hurt and ask him for a Z pack with a refill if they can't do the shot right there. A Z pack contains oral steroid tablets. He can take it for 5 days, see if it clears up...then start over if it's not better in a week. Oral steroids don't have street value like muscle relaxers or pain killers...so he shouldn't have problems getting them easily.

The reason docs do the MRIs more than they need to is strictly because of liability. They don't want a patient with a serious injury to walk out the door if there's a chance they might have a deeper problem given the history and physical. Tell your friend to be honest and give the best info about the injury to see if he can get what he needs from the walk-in.

Did you seriously just recommend antibiotics for someone who wants a steroid injection? Wow.

Anyway, I've had a few cortisone shots, my foot, wrist and tailbone. The foot took two shots before the pain was totally gone, my wrist took 4 and the pain still comes back a little but is much more manageable. My tailbone was another story, that was the worst shot of my life, I actually cried out in pain during it and it didn't do much help unfortunately.

Each of the shots was billed out at around $50-$100 to the insurance, the appointments were around $120 each. Since were on a HSA, we get the bills directly and pay out of our HSA account.

 

[Liberator21]

I did the same thing, but I get them free because I'm 1/64th Chickasaw.

Anyhow, there's a pharmacy here in town that you can actually go in and get one. In and out in about 5 mins, I don't know the prerequisite or anything but they do it. I also don't see the big deal, they don't do anything for me.

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: eits
chiropractic + spinal stability exercises are the best

go to an evidence based chiropractor or a chiropractor and physical therapist if you can. if you can't, but have a gym membership, try a chiropractor and pilates.

A crock of sh*t coming from the crock of sh*t expert......

 

[Peelback79]

Walk into the ER and buy a cortisone shot? I did it a few years ago when I broke out in hives from a pesticide reaction. It's amazing what you can buy in a hospital.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Codewiz

Originally posted by: eits
chiropractic + spinal stability exercises are the best

go to an evidence based chiropractor or a chiropractor and physical therapist if you can. if you can't, but have a gym membership, try a chiropractor and pilates.

A crock of sh*t coming from the crock of sh*t expert......

yeah. you're right. there isn't any literature to support strengthening the core and/or chiropractic care directly improving the biomechanics of your spine and/or decreasing the likelihood of another disc injury.

you're obviously so well informed :roll:.

by the way, what did you go to school for again? i don't remember what it is that you do. meh, fuck it... i don't care who's toilet you plunge for a living. just go to pubmed and read up on stuff yourself before you go trolling and making yourself look like an idiot.

 

[DaTT]

Come to Canada, where its freeeeeeeeeee

 

[zerocool84]

Mexico