On the Cheap

There’s a misconception that safe, effective, body-identical hormones are expensive. That you have to get dolled up and bring your Coach purse to see your $1,000/hour hormone specialist, then pay hundreds of dollars every month for perfectly made-for-you compounded medications that may or may not contain tiny flecks of pure gold within their bespoke formulations.

What if I told you that wasn’t true? That your regular doctor can prescribe this stuff. That a regular pharmacy can fill the prescriptions. And that you could potentially get all of the hormones you need for less than $20 per month without insurance.

This post is about getting quality hormone optimization therapy on the cheap. In this case, “cheap” doesn’t mean low quality. It just means you spend less.

I did some research so you wouldn’t have to. I’m in Salt Lake City, UT, in the U.S., so the prices I’ll discuss are what’s offered here. I don’t know how they compare to other areas of the U.S. or other countries, but given that these medications are all available in generic forms, I suspect pricing elsewhere is similar (ish).

Here we go…

Estrogen, systemic

Oral Estradiol.

The least expensive option is oral estradiol, 1 or 2 mg. A 30-count on CostPlus Drugs runs $6.84 + $5.25 shipping = $12.09. Spring for a 90-day supply and you’ll pay $15.76. Monthly cost: $5.25.

Transdermal Estradiol

Patches. GoodRx has a coupon for estradiol 0.05 mg twice-weekly patches (8 patches per carton, three cartons) for $39.70. Monthly cost: $13.23.

Gel. CostPlus Drugs carries estradiol gel (similar to Divigel) in concentrations up to 1 mg/g. A 30-day supply is $27.80 + $5.25 shipping ($33.05). Weirdly, the 90-day supply is more expensive per month than the 30-day. Monthly cost: $33.05

Estrogen, Vaginal (localized)

Vaginal Cream. CostPlus Drugs has a 42.5 g tube of estradiol 0.01% vaginal cream for $13.21 + $5.25 shipping = 18.46. Typical dosing is 0.5 – 1 gram vaginally, three days a week.

Let’s say you use 0.5 mg vaginally and the other 0.5 mg topically on your face and neck. So, that’s 3 g per week you’re using. Out of a 42 g tube! Quick math tells me that you can get more than 3 months out of that $18.46 tube.

But, wait. It gets better. If you buy 3 tubes at once, you only pay $29.63 + $5.25 shipping = $34.88. That will last you… 9+ months. Monthly cost: $3.88

Progesterone

Oral Micronized (capsules). CostPlus Drugs has a 90-count (200 mg) for $11.86 + $5.25 shipping = $17.11. Monthly cost: $5.70.

Testosterone

Gel (Men’s). GoodRx has a Walgreens coupon for testosterone 50 mg of 1% gel (30 packets) for $10.37. If you’re taking 5 mg daily, that’s $0.04/day or $1.04/month. Wow.

That price is exceptionally low. Most other pharmacies on GoodRx charge closer to $100 for the same 30 packets, which still comes out to about $10/month.

See the below graphics for the economics of women using men’s testosterone gel and the DIY approach that makes these economics work.

Injections. GoodRx has testosterone cypionate 200 mg/mL (1 mL) for about $30. At 5 mg subcutaneous twice a week (10 mg/week), that vial would last 20 weeks. However, manufacturers recommend using sterile solutions for only a month after opening, so we’ll treat it as a one-month supply. Monthly cost: $30.

So… What’s the Lowest Price Per Month?

All of the above are bioidentical/body-identical forms of the hormones prescribed for women in perimenopause and menopause. If you took the least expensive of each, here’s what you’d pay per month:

Oral estradiol (systemic): $5.25

Vaginal estradiol (localized): $3.88

Oral progesterone: $5.70

Testosterone gel: $1.04

Grand total: $15.87 per month

(… for all your hormones! )

Bottom Line…

I’m not going to hunt down the best price for every form and dose, but I’ll give you the resources to do it yourself. GoodRx and CostPlus Drugs often offer low cash prices (no insurance required). If you want to use insurance, Amazon Pharmacy and Costco often offer competitive prices. I don’t work for any of them.

I’d recommend doing this research yourself. Your doctor doesn’t have time to comparison-shop drug prices and, frankly, won’t be as motivated as you are. This entire article took me about 30 minutes to write, research included. You can do this.

Cut those coupons and stash the money you save on hormones in your sock drawer. Maybe in a few years, you can buy that fancy-pants purse with the money you so ingeniously saved. 🙂

XOXO… Amy “The Coupon King” Killen

P.S. Before you ask, yes, compounded hormones can be awesome, but they are not generally the least expensive options available. You pay for the convenience of precision dosing and the ability to dial back potential irritants or allergens. Most compounded hormones cost $30-50+/month per hormone.

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