So hopefully this is a relevant thread. Side note: I am in America.

Long story short is that I have screwy hormones, and nothing really makes any kind of difference in my skin. So I asked my doctor (from an indigent clinic) for Retin-A Micro. She was more than happy to prescribe it. So that part was easy.

So then I go to the in-house pharmacy at the same indigent clinic. That would have given me the Retin-A for $5. They don't have it. At all. As in they never offered it in the first place.

Next, I tried my backup Kroger pharmacy. I get there, and it's $900. That's on top of another $80 prescription I had to get, but I digress. There wasn't a line forming behind me or anything, so I had about 10 minutes to try and accomplish this. So I gave the pharmacist all the discount prescription cards I could find in my wallet, including GoodRx. Those barely made a dent. So then I jumped on my phone and found the Ortho Dermatologics Rx Access Program. I filled out the information as fast as I could, and they instantly emailed me some codes and numbers to give to the pharmacist. The Kroger pharmacy system wouldn't take it. Then I noticed the program said to take it to Walgreens. I left completely empty-handed. Sigh.

So I got to Walgreen's, and their system wouldn't take the codes, either. The pharmacist suggested I call the customer service number for the Rx Access Program, so I got home and did just that. The program was still not able to get it down to a feasible price, so after some prodding, she gave me the telephone number for the Bausch Health Patient Assistance Programs. I had to call 1-833-862-8727, go through a bunch of voice prompts to see if I qualify, and if I did, the line was supposed to connect me to an agent who could then get the process started. I qualified, but then the line disconnected, and I had to call back a second time. I explained what happened, and they sent me both an emailed application and a hard copy of the application as per my request. I fill out my part, my doctor fills out her part, and then the doctor sends it all in. Bausch then mails me the medication. (Your experience may differ slightly depending on your finances and insurance coverage). BTW, I'm not sure that I'm allowed to give out copies of the application, or else I would gladly do it.

For those that don't have health insurance, you have to submit a recent Medicaid denial letter as well. You can apply for Medicaid online if you create an account with your state's official Medicaid website. Every state is different. My state's website is called Gateway. Florida's is called ACCESS, etc. Just Google "[your state] Medicaid apply online" and you should find it. Insider tip: DO NOT use auto-fill to automatically complete the text fields of the application. The system will not register it. You have to fill everything in manually yourself. You could also call them and ask for a hard copy - if you can get through the endless maze of voice prompts. Again, I probably can't give out copies of the Medicaid application, and the applications are probably different for every state anyway.

So that's pretty much it. It requires some footwork and some annoying shuffling of paperwork, but it'll be worth it. I just got my Medicaid denial letter online after just 2 or 3 days, and on Monday, I'll get everything sent to my doctor. I'm not sure how long it will take after that, or how often I'll need to renew. And I kind of hate that I have to depend on my busy doctor to do her part, too. But if you'e willing to do the work, you'll get a $900 medication for much, much cheaper, and maybe even for free.

So anyway, I just hope this insanity helps someone else. I want the great skin I see so often in others' happy "after" photos. Maybe now, I'll finally have it.

TL;DR: I had to jump through tons of hoops, and the work is still not done. But I'm that much closer to getting my hands on a free tube of $900 skin care cream.