Is there a generic form of L-Methylfolate? Our insurance doesn't cover Deplin?
Question posted by PRBmom on 8 April 2011
Last updated on 12 September 2018
13 Answers
I fill my prescription for generic L-methyl folate at Costco every month and save hundreds of $$ from pharmacy quotes. Costco just bumped the price up 30% in one month and I'm still saving. Second time in a year. If they do it again I'll start pricing in Canada.
yes you can go to amazon or some other website and buy:
Methylfolate 15 - L-5-MTHF, (or (6S)-5-Methylfolate) calcium salt (15 mg per tablet) - [90 Chewable Tablets]- this is the same substance - no needed Rx
Yes it is called L-Methylfolate Forte and distributed by Breckinridge Pharmaceuticals, I will also tell you it is manufactured by the same company that manufactured Deplin. It is just not distributed through the band name company for Deplin which is Alfasigma USA
Hi all,
I am a doctor that happens to have MTHFR. I cannot believe that after all of these years nobody has realized that there is an official generic of Deplin. It's actually not really even a generic as it is manufactured by Deplin. It's a marketing thing. I can assure you it's the real generic and the exact same thing as Deplin. If you go to goodrx.com and serxh for Deplin or L-merhylfolate you will have choice for generic and it's the real one. It's marketed by Breckinridge Pharmaceuticals since 2012 so I can't believe nobody on here knows this.
In health, Dr. MC
I've been purchasing a 90 day supply of Breckinridge brand for a couple of years. Price just doubled... $108 out the door-not covered by insurance. While I despise Walmart it's still the only place I've found that is affordable. You have to specify that brand when you order it- I still get a prescription from my Dr.
I may be wrong, but I don't see any mention of nanotechnology when I research it, even on the Deplin website. I think what makes Deplin different is that the L-methylfolate is a formulation called Metfolin which is very bioavailable. Until recently Metfolin was under patent but now it is not, so Breckenridge is able to make it the same way as Deplin. Methyl Life has a comparison of different formulations. There is another high-quality formula called Magnafolate which is just now beginning to be used.
DrMichaelC
Where do you get the generic? Can you go into any pharmacy? I just went to pick up a 3 month script from CVS and they said it was $700! I've gotten it from Costco in the past and I believe it was about $52 for a one month (30 15mg tablets) supply. Do I have to order online or can I get at the pharmacy? Does my doctor write a script for Deplin and check generics ok? Thanks for this news! I've been rationing my pills because I couldn't do the $700 and I just had to find all new docs because both my intern and my psychiatrist retired.
It is a royal pain in the ass. For whatever reason, Walmart is the cheapest. It was about $38/month for me. They carry the Breckenridge generic 15 mg, at the least the ones in my area (Oregon). At Walgreens, the pharmacist insisted there was no generic, even though it has been around since 2012. So I would say make sure you ask for Breckenridge. Actually I just checked and Walmart has a mail order pharmacy too. :)
Actually it was about $108 per month for me too. I think the price varies depending on the distributor and so on. But I believe you when you say it has doubled. Raw deal.
I meant $108 for three months.
There is no generic for Deplin but the results for those in need of the drug is amazing. I just started on Deplin about a month ago and I wondered why I had never heard of this medication before. It has made a huge difference for me.
Right here on this Drugs.com site, you can click on the DRUGS A-Z drop-down menu and click on "Pricing & Coupons", where you'll type in Deplin and it will give you some pricing info. Supposedly you can print out a Drugs.com Discount Card to be able to purchase a 90-day supply for $192.
I'll see the discount card or coupon works when I go to Walgreens tonight to pick up my 60-day supply of Deplin that I was just prescribed yesterday.
As it shows now on my Walgreens portal, that 60-day supply is going to cost me $356.69 out of pocket without the use of any discount!
Right here on this Drugs.com site, you can click on the DRUGS A-Z drop-down menu and click on "Pricing & Coupons", where you'll type in Deplin and it will give you some pricing info. Supposedly you can print out a Drugs.com Discount Card to be able to purchase a 90-day supply for $192.
I have also printed out a coupon from www.singlecare.com to be able to "Save up to 75% on Deplin".
I'll see if either discount card or coupon works when I go to Walgreens tonight to pick up my 60-day supply of Deplin that I was just prescribed yesterday.
As it shows now on my Walgreens portal, that 60-day supply is going to cost me $356.69 out of pocket without the use of any discount!
I went to the online formulary search with my insurance company and typed in "L methyfolate" and searched and searched and came up with a few drugs that were covered.
I couldn't believe that many pre-natal vitamins containing L-methylfolate were covered because apparently it helps to prevent miscarriage and birth defects.
One of them is Neevo DHA and that is what I take now even at 53 yrs old. I can honestly say I don't think it works as well as Deplin but I do feel ok on it and it's defiantly better than nothing.
I am Megaloblastic anemia and MTHFR.
It all depends on the dosage. The higher dosage, like Deplin, will cost more and require a prescription. If you want low dosage you can buy those anywhere. I found them at Vitacost and other online stores. They are actually more expensive if you compare dosages. It is like tylenol. You can buy those like candy, but when you get the higher therapeutic dosage, it requires a prescription.
I recently tried l-methylfolate that I bought on Amazon. Made me feel terrible!!! I have used Deplin before and it worked fine. My insurance does not cover it but you can get discount cards so you can get it for like 50$ a month. I would just urge caution in buying substitutes. It is taking me days to get over the side effects.
This is what gets me - how can it be a prescription when it is not a drug but a food according to the FDA?
Gammon gal & 7WelcomeHome77, I just can't for the life of me remember what another food drug, needs a prescription. But my insurance wants 700.00 for it! I'm not, can't get that. It's that certain drug companies know how to use nanotechnology to make it, I read. And that's from other people here. And I got that feeling from the maker of Deplin. That there was something special they did. I didn't know that it was nanotechnology. My memory is just so bad. By the way? Do either of you need the drug? Yes it's called a drug too.
Its not the same drug molecule one has an extra atom. Talk to your doctor before substituting. One is L-methylfolate one is L- -methylfolate forte. It most likely will work but you may need different dosages to achieve the same effect.
I feel like I'm missing something here? My understanding is that *Deplin is just L-Methlfolate. This is sold in health food stores, from about $15-$20 a bottle. Some evidence is that taking this with all the other "B" vitamins and magnesium helps it with effectiveness.
Nutrients and "Health grade foods" can many times prove just as effective as "prescriptions".
What it seems like to me is that Pharmaceutical Co's. are not in the primary business of selling these natural products and therefore charge enormous amounts for the very same thing you can get from a health food store.
I had a very eye-opening lesson in this when I was prescribed by my doctor, a combination of digestive enzymes in one tablet. I went to get it filled and the clerk without a flinch told me "that will be $900.00!!
I kind of laughed, thinking this was certainly a gross mistake. "oh no", she said "that is the price. Maybe you have not met your deductible yet"
I wrote down the ingredients on the bottle and the amounts of each, went to the health food store and purchased all of those ingredients, at all the same amounts per capsule except one. I just took an extra pill to get in more than needed. {it can't hurt you}
It works great for pancreatitis symptoms that threaten to return sometimes!
Saved $885.00 !!
Deplin has very high dose methylfolate which until recently you could only get by prescription. Now as someone said there is a company called Methylpro which appears to have something similar.
I thought the same thing and about died when my son had me pick up his prescription at Costco because it was cheaper there. I argued with him, went home, did some research and "shopping" and found that most of the ones I saw were MUCH less than the 15 mg. Most were mcg.
Also a company called Methyl Life that has a very high-quality form of methylfolate at the appropriate dosage, $40.00 per month or so. Also a very high-powered B12 supplement for those who are interested.
My doctor prescribed me Deplin after genetic testing to confirm I have the gene deficiency. I could not afford this but found a similar mail order brand called methylpro. I took this for three months and it did help and I recommend it. I just saw my psychiatrist last week and he said he just learned of a new brand that is only available via mail order with a prescription from your doctor. He said this is as close to Deplin as you can get, they do some special step, as Deplin does, in the manufacturing process. It is still pricey, but a fraction of Deplin. I got a 90 day supply for $112. I will start it tomorrow and hoping for better results!
The contact information is:
EBMmedical.com
There is a generic version for Deplin. They're $80 where I'm from. Not sure how effective it is as my doctor said that the Deplin brand version is manufactured using some nanotechnology they created so the generic may not be the same. I always thought that by law the generics need to have the same formulations as he brands. Any thoughts? Thanks.
No comment about yours actually. Just saying by me they're charging $58. A month, and I thought THAT was expensive!
I have great insurance extremely expensive however and they told me that it was just deemed a medical food about 4 months ago from the insurance companies and no-one is covering it because insurance companies do everything they can to protect themselves not their patients ... I have a clotting disorder MTHFR and my daughters also have Factor 5..methylated folic acid is necessary and it is the best and the only that works... so as long as the insurance companies don't have to pay out anything I guess it'll work for them good luck to everyone seeking assostance ..enjoyed reading the post thanks
My kids have the MTHFR genome and I have been studying it quite thoroughly I actually talked to a pharmacist at Costco yesterday about the L-Methyl Folate that son is getting. It is $40 a month for the 15mg capsules. If you find anything cheaper it will be the same thing. Just search for L-Methyl Folate. So far, most of the ones I have found are either way low dose ie 400-1000 mcg so they are NOT cost effective. I did find one online with shipping that was $37.80 so not much savings. I wish everyone good luck.
What is the generic called?
Just now hearing about this drug, and I'm willing to try anything. Amazon has a listing for what's called "Methyl-life Supplements" for $77 for 90 tablets at 15 mg per tablet. I'd consider buying it, especially if I knew it already worked, as in the case of PRBmom. Just thought I'd add that to the ideas.
Yes, their is another way to get L Methylfolate 15mg from Methylpro.com in Sisters Oregon.
If you do a comparison you will find it is the same drug as deplane. It is made by Genosis pharmacy in italy. You do not need a prescription to buy this food supplement.
after considerable research, i believe there is no generic for it. and the brand is pricey for sure. i got some sample bottles from my doc and have been on it along with pristiq for 4 days. its too early for the prisiq to kick in, but deplin goes to work in your body right away. today is the first day i actually feel like my old normal self. its amazing. and if this streak continues i am going to do a formal appeal to my insurance to put it in their formulary, or at least propose that they pay for some of it. generally here in WA, its about $100 for a months supply.
Wow - they want $350 a month here in Florida!! I'm going to try appealing to my health care insurance carrier, too, but have little hope that they will cover it - we have a really BAD plan thorugh my employer. My son was prescribed the same combination (Pristiq and Deplin) that you are on and was amazed at the immediate response he had with the Deplin. When we couldn't afford to fill the Deplin prescription, the psychiatrist suggested that we substitute a high-dose B-complex supplement, but after being on it for 3 months my son says it doesn't have the same effect at all. We are just going to have to find a way to pay for the Deplin to get the results he needs.
can you have it mail ordered from here or canada at a better price? i haven't looked at that option yet. i also read that if your son tried to substitute the b vitamins for the methylfolate, he'd have to take 66 pills a day of the over the counter stuff to equal 1 pill of the prescription!! no wonder it didn't work for him! i'm sure he didn't take 66 tabs a day. $350 is highway robbery. can you believe that? those drug companies have their nerve. and this isn't even classified as a drug, its a "medical food". crazy over pricing once again. so glad your son got some good results from this. i'm betting it will just get more expensive because people are starting to pay attention since folks are getting good results. i would check out the canadian mail order thing. i used it a couple of times on another drug a few years ago, and it was much less than here. so good luck and let me know if you find anything you think is a good deal. by the way, are you talking about the 7.5mg tablet?
He was actually prescribed the 15 mg tablets. If we had realized that it was going to be so expensive, we could have experimented with cutting the tabs to 7.5 mg to see if he got the same response with the lower dose. But we only had a week's worth of samples and didn't know about the price until we went to pick up the prescription! One of the other responses suggested trying Metafolin as much less expensive and apparently having the same ingredients. I'm going to check into the availability of that, too, while I'm checking out ordering from Canadian pharmacies and appealing to my insurance company.
No generic; not available in Canada; most insurance will not cover since it is considered a nutritional food rather than a drug. The fact that it requires a prescription doesn't matter. I spend about $100/month for it. I am a pharmacist.
I just bought 30 pills for 30 dollars. Last month I paid 90. No gimmicks
18882425327 and free shipping. L-methylfolate calcium 15 mg.
I just bought 30 pills for 30 dollars. Last month I paid 90. No gimmicks
18882425327 and free shipping. L-methylfolate calcium 15 mg.
This is something I just found. The biggest gripe with Deplin is the cost: One month's supply of Deplin, either at 7.5 milligrams or 15 milligrams, can cost as much as $98 and not all insurers cover it. Pamlab has a licensed generic version called simply L-Methylfolate that went on the market in August and is priced somewhat lower. More insurers are covering that version, some with copayments as low as $20, says Pamlab, which also makes medical foods for managing other conditions, including asthma.
Yes, there is a generic, same thing and cheaper: l-methlfolate.
My doctor's office suggested Methyl Life 15mg, purchased through Amazon. $77 for 90 chewable tablets.
Xymogen, a company that sells high quality supplements to Doctors, just came out with a product called FOLIFY,15mg 5MTHFR same as Deplin, 25.00 LESS and no dyes or other garbage in it
I have gone through similar problems with purchasing L-Methylfolate 15mg for my wife. She has been dealing with depression, confusion, disorientation, and memory loss. She finally went to a Psychiatrist here in Phoenix and he prescribed this drug. When I took it to Walgreens I was informed it was not covered on her Medicare since it was deemed a 'supplement'. How crazy is that. The price for a 30 day supply was $105. Needless to say, Deb was furious and said she wouldn't pay that much. I told her I would not put a price on her health so I filled it. Even with all available coupons, it came out to be $85.00. The good news is that I saw a huge difference in her whole countenance after about 48-72 hours. It was like having Debra back !! Her doctor wrote a script for a 90 day supply on her next visit and I had to find a better price. The drug company says they don't offer any assistance programs for this product. That is unbelievable to me.
I checked Canadien pharmacies and the prices ranged from $260. to $440. for 90 tablets. I checked all local pharmacies and it surprised me to find Walmart had the best price. I was able to buy 90 tablets for $84.00 compared to $105. for 30 tablets at Walgreens. Be sure you check all local pharmacies before you settle for a price. I am contacting the drug company regarding this as well as Medicare for not having it on their formulary. It is a crime that pharmaceutical companies have such control over what can be life saving medicines. My wife is doing so much better with this medicine that I consider it God's blessing for us. People, don't give up searching and don't stop pushing for drug company relief. God Bless you all, Bill H.
I can’t believe here it is 2018, and when did I ask the question? The first reply was in 2011, but I don’t think it was that long ago, was it?? Anyway I’m paying over a hundred, may $150 or over, for 90 days. I do go to Walgreens, maybe I’ll check there... the only thing that’s only slightly comforting, is that I’m not alone, by a long short.
You can go on the manufacturers website and there information on how to get it cheaper through mail order. We pay $180 for three months. There really is no other substitute for Deplin.
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deplin, l-methylfolate, generic, insurance
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