Dear Editor:
Recently, syndicated writers Marilyn Rouber and Devlin Barret attacked Al Gore for saying that his mother-in-law was paying $108 for the anti-inflammatory drug Lodine, alleging that he was telling another shaggy dog story.
They then gyrated through some tortured arithmetic, concluding that the pills cost only $63.90 per month by assuming 30 pills at $2.13. However, they neglected to mention that the monthly supply is 60 pills; thus, the cost for this drug would be $128, or $20 higher than the $108 mentioned by Al Gore (prices vary widely and wildly).
I bought my monthly supply of 500 mg Lodine (60 pills) for $113.39 from Eckerd Drugstores. The arithmetic here: $113.39 divided by 30 days averages $3.78 per day (dosing on the stipulated two pills per day).
Looking for an alternative to this costly anti-inflammatory drug, I purchased Glucosamine Chondroitin (made from crab shells and bovine cartilage, dried and ground to a sulfated powder) at BJs, a dietary supplement alleged to help promote healthy joints.
The cost of Glucosamine Chondroitin was $15.99 for 150 pills ($.11 per pill). The recommended dosage of three pills per day works out to $.33 per day. This dietary supplement worked just fine and my inflammation went away.
Those with osteo-arthritis (joint pain) would be well advised to try out this cheaper alternative treatment which is widely accepted in Europe (aren’t they ahead of the U.S. in many treatment areas?).
Frank X. Landrigan