Save Money On Medications

[MarshallMiddle]

If you take prescription medications, check to see if you can sign up for a mail order service. Usually receiving medications in the mail can save you a decent amount of money. Also check with your doctor to see if you are able to take generic versions of your medications. The generic drugs are much much cheaper and usually have the same chemical formula.

[creditcardfree]

If you can't get generics, try the prescription maker's website (ex. Pfizer). I have participated in getting rebates for two of our three prescriptions. This is not based on income. If there appears to be no rebate online, at least sign up for an emails or newletters from them. This way you will be notified if and when there is a rebate available.

[th_tan]

right now I have no insurance, so I buy generic medicine from canada, I Pay $40+ s/h for a 90 day supply of allergra generic medicine, its not bad.

[mcterp]

I had been using Canadian mail-order, as well, and have saved a lot. (We have no insurance.) But I checked Walmart's prices and can get a month's supply for $4.00. Check to see if your prescription is on their list. I am now paying $12.00 for a 3-month supply vs. $52.00 from Canada.

Here are some other resources (from an article in the Washington Post):


Buy in bulk - pharmacies may give you a discount if you buy a 3-month supply vs. one-month;

Try DestinationRx and click on "Price Compare" to find the lowest price for U.S.-based online pharmacies;

For Canadian online resources, try PharmacyChecker.com: Compare prescription drug prices and online pharmacy ratings. that will find the lowest price from licensed pharmacies;

For those with limited income, go to RxAssist - Patient Assistance Programs and www.pparx.org to see if you quality for help through the pharmaceutical patient assistance programs, Medicare's extra help, national and local charitable programs and more. Go to BenefitsCheckUp to see if you are eligible. Two more sites: NeedyMeds and Medicare Rights center (click on "Discount Rx Resources").

Some pharmacies offer drug discount cards. Other resources for discount cards are: Welcome and www.aarppharmacy.com;

Try Bid for Rx: www.bidforrx.com where licensed pharmacies compete to fill your prescription.

Hope this helps, mcterp

[jennyroberts]

1. Know how much of a supply will be covered by your co-pay. Some insurers will charge a set co-pay for each month's supply...while others will allow dispensing of up to three months under the same co-pay.

2. Ask about combination medications. For example, Vytorin contains two cholesterol medications (Zetia and Zocor), but costs just slightly more than the Zetia alone. And since it is a single pill, you pay only one co-pay. There are multiple combinations available for anti-hypertensives as well. Keep in mind that combination pills are not always cheaper than the constituent medications, and they may not be on formulary.

3. Be frank with your physician about whether you want pharmacologic treatment. For some conditions, there are set guidelines dictating standards of when to initiate treatment - such as hypertension, hypothyroidism, or asthma. For others, however, it is a matter of symptom control. If you complain - your physician will probably offer you medication. But if you have only intermittent symptoms, or your symptoms are tolerable, you may find that not taking any medication is an acceptable alternative. This is especially true of pain issues. A 30% reduction in pain is considered successful in the medical literature....but you may not find this cost-effective!

4. Ask regarding different formulations of the same drug (ie, long acting, or continuous release) These may be more expensive....or cheaper.

5. Don't believe the hype of TV ads. They are trying to sell you a product for a reason. Anything advertised on TV is generally still under patent...meaning there are no generic forms available. Take for example the treatment of genital herpes - I'm sure you've seen the ads for Valtrex. Yes, Valtrax has been show to be 'somewhat' superior to acyclovir...but the difference is so vanishingly small that it is only seen in aggregate from large numbers of patients. Yet a treatment course of Valtrex costs $175, versus $20 for acyclovir.

6. Know what medications you are taking. If nothing else, this is a simple matter of safety. If you're taking more than just a few, type out a list and bring it to your physician every visit. Include the dosages as well. No physicians chart will have 100% up to date information on your medications - especially if you are seeing more than one doctor. But if you provide this information, your physician can help ensure you're taking the right medication, in the cheapest form possible. I would also consider including information about what hasn't worked for you in past - or what possible adverse side effects you've had with certain medications. This will help your physician avoid repeating use of the same drug (or an entire class of drugs in some instances).

[jennyroberts]

One more that I forgot - be savy about the true indications for medications. Here are a few examples....

The cox inhibitors (Mobic, Vyoxx, etc). These have shown no benefit in reduction of pain over plain old motrin or tylenol. Their benefit comes in reducing the risk of a GI bleed. If you're not at high risk for a GI bleed, you probably don't need them. That being said, some patients really will respond better to these medications than to motrin/tylenol. But - it's worth trying the over the counter medications first.

Vitamins and supplements. Despite numerous attempts at randomized, controlled trials - there is no good data supporting their use for the general population. A multivitamin is quite reasonable.....but the high doses of various vitamins and supplements available have never been proven to be helpful (expect in certain very specialized populations). Even worse, these are such 'fad' items that their costs are markedly inflated. AND, many are not regulated by the FDA (meaning there are no controls to ensure the 100mg of 'x' you buy really has 100mg).

Colds, earaches, 'sinusitis'. Most of these (>95%) are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Antibiotics simply don't work. And the prescription medications for symptomatic treatment don't work any better than the over the counter versions. You may not even need to be seen in the doctors office for these compliants....try calling to the office to speak with the nurse - they will be able to tell you if you have symptoms concerning enough to warrant an office visit.

Bisphosphantates for osteopenia. Osteoporosis - and resultant bone fractures - is a major cause for morbidity in the elderly. Osteopenia is a degree of bone loss that is abnormal - but doesn't meet the degree of bone loss necessary to diagnose osteoporosis. Medications to reverse bone loss haven't been shown to definatively improve outcomes in patients with osteopenia. So ask you doctor if you truly need anything other than calcium and vitamin D.

Acid reflux. Some patients actually have 'dyspepsia' rather than acid reflux. Proton pump inhibitors such as prilosec don't work very well with dyspepsia. If you don't have much improvement after a 2-3 month trial of the medication, talk it over with you physician (you may need to have a procedure to rule out other severe disease)

Non-sedating allergy medications such as allegra. Truthfully, the 'sedating' versions work better (and much cheaper!). Consider a trial of the sedating versions first.....and then use the non-sedating versions only if the side effects are significant. You may find the side effects are minimal, and you have better symptom control.

[Aleta]

The last time that I went to Target Pharmacy, I was pleasantly surprized that they also had th $4 medications that Walmart has. I used to have to look for the lowest price and then Target would check it and that's the price that I would get. Like the above poster, my 3 mos supply was $14.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by th_tan

I buy generic medicine from canada

Just a reminder that importing drugs from Canada is illegal. I dont know anyone who has been arrested for doing so but I do have a patient whose med order was stopped at the border and confiscated by customs so he never received it even though he had paid for it. The risk may not be high but it does exist.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by jennyroberts

Yes, Valtrax has been show to be 'somewhat' superior to acyclovir...but the difference is so vanishingly small that it is only seen in aggregate from large numbers of patients. Yet a treatment course of Valtrex costs $175, versus $20 for acyclovir.

True, though Valtrex is dosed twice daily compared to acyclovir which has to be taken 5 times a day, so you are buying dosing convenience with that higher price also.

Vitamins and supplements. Despite numerous attempts at randomized, controlled trials - there is no good data supporting their use for the general population.

I couldn't agree more. Dr. Sanjay Gupta just wrote about this in last week's TIME magazine and has a great quote. He said the biggest mistake people make when taking herbal supplements is believing that they actually work. Not only don't they work in the vast majority of cases, they are drugs, just like any others, and they have potential side effects, risks and interactions. If you are on any prescription or over the counter meds, you should not take any supplements without checking with your doctor first. Dangerous intereactions can occur.

Colds, earaches, 'sinusitis'... And the prescription medications for symptomatic treatment don't work any better than the over the counter versions.

This is true, but don't disregard the Rx treatments. They can be more economical depending on your insurance. Even without insurance, generic Rx cold remedies may be cheaper than comparable OTC remedies.

Non-sedating allergy medications such as allegra. Truthfully, the 'sedating' versions work better (and much cheaper!). Consider a trial of the sedating versions first.....and then use the non-sedating versions only if the side effects are significant. You may find the side effects are minimal, and you have better symptom control.

I don't completely agree. Many studies have shown that a lot of accidents on the road and at work are attributable to people under the influence of sedating meds. Just like alcohol, someone who took a Benadryl may think they are fine when in reality their reflexes are somewhat diminished, enough to slow their reaction time when behind the wheel. Don't take a sedating antihistamine if you need to drive or do safety sensitive work. It isn't worth the gamble.

Also, there is a very cheap OTC non-sedating option - generic Claritin (loratadine). We bought a bottle at Target a few months ago. I think it was about $17 for 120 pills, a 4 month supply. If generic Benadryl is cheaper, it probably isn't by very much.

[jennyroberts]

Actually, acyclovir can be taken 3x daily at the 800mg dose with similar efficacy - so it's not that much less convenient.

Not to be nit-picky - there's actually a reason I point this out. (And I do have to admit that after considering the lost productivity due to side effects of sedating antihistamines, the non-sedating antihistamines are probably a good compromise).

Modern medicine is a huge field - no one physician can keep abreast of the massive quantities of new medical literature generated on a weekly basis. Add that to the numerous 'gray' areas of medicine where the 'art' of medicine provides more guidance than the available scientific data. Bottom line - we make decisions and recommendations on the best information we have, but we're not infalliable. I might know alot about internal medicine and infectious disease.....but I'm close to useless when you present me with an orthopedic injury.

So talk with your physician. The decisions we make are often based on relative values. Your desires for the cheapest medication, or the most efficacious.....or the best mix of the two.....or the desire not to take any medication at all....impacts those decisions.

[minnie1928]

2 things that I do personally to help lower my mom's prescription costs:
1. Go to the manufacturer's website and register. I get checks to use towards my copay (example: Advair just sent me 2 $10 checks towards copays)
2. Cut out the coupons for transferring prescriptions. Around here Rite Aid runs a $20 coupon for transferred prescriptions every weekend. We move mom's prescriptions all over the place using them. It turns out that many of our pharmacies will honor competitor's coupons. It definately helps offset her monthly prescription costs.

[jodi]

My mom (uninsured) used to get her medication from a Canadian company, but one of the major American drug companies was somehow able to stop that Canadian company from importing the drug anymore...I guess protecting their territory, if you will. Anyway, my mom was able to contact the company and get it for free through her doctor. She was willing to pay a reasonable price for it, but since they stopped her from buying it from Canada, she doesn't feel guilty about getting it free! She does qualify since she is uninsured. It never hurts to ask, I guess. I have heard more and more stories about drugs getting stopped at the border recently.
I did save about $10 every three months on DH's medication by switching to mail order. It's not much, but I certainly won't turn my nose up at $10!

[leggzz66]

I just thought id post this link for all the diabetics out there.MEDICAL, DIABETES - Free diabetic supplies, Medical products, supply, uniforms, scrubs i typed free diabetic stuff and got this search page.free diabetic stuff - Google Search

[poweeup927@yahoo.com]

personally im against 'medications' of any kind... but hey i am a hippy

[Aleta]

I try very hard not to take unnecessary medication. I think that diet and some supplements, not to mention losing weight, and exercize can do alot for many of our ills today. Also, not eating alot of fast food with unknown ingredients in it.

[Fred333]

It is tough to watch what you eat and maintain the body as you get older. Meds do help but you are right, they are sometimes not the answer.

[Christine]

Some tips.

Large package. For drugs you take frequently, buy larger amounts at a time so that each pill is cheaper.

Generic versions. Generic versions are much cheaper than brands. Ask your doctor if you can take a generic drug instead of the brand-name drug. If it is OK, tell the pharmacist you want the generic version of the medicine.

Tablet splitting. Tablet splitting can also help save money, however, needs caution. Tablet splitting is done because higher-strength tablets are sometimes not much more expensive than lower-dose tablets. Pharmacies sell inexpensive devices that help easily split tablets of all shapes.

Online pharmacy service. There are several US online pharmacies where you can obtain prescription non-scheduled medication without prior prescription. So you can save time and money on doctor's visit.

[Mamaw]

I pick up medicine for my Mom and I know countless times she has been shorted at least one pill. At the cost of the medicine even with insurance one pill can add up. One day wilth her iron which comes in individual packets they gave her 3o instead of 60.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Mamaw

I pick up medicine for my Mom and I know countless times she has been shorted at least one pill. At the cost of the medicine even with insurance one pill can add up. One day wilth her iron which comes in individual packets they gave her 3o instead of 60.

Good advice. It is a pain, especially if you are on multiple meds, but it can really add up. Despite all the advances in technology, pharmacies still hand count the pills that go into the bottles.