Save Money on Prescriptions Without Changing Pharmacies

Drug prices are an ever increasing concern as the costs of medications continue to rise. Not only are drug costs on the rise but doctors are more commonly using multiple prescriptions to treat a single medical condition. For example, it is not uncommon to see a person with diabetes or high blood pressure being treated with 2, 3 or 4 prescriptions. As this trend continues it is becoming more important for people to find ways to save money without compromising their health.

Here are some tips to save money on medicine without having to switch the pharmacy used. There are some real benefits to maintaining all your medicine in one location, so using mail order, internet pharmacies or shopping around using more than one pharmacy will not be discussed.

The first step to saving money is to evaluate the need for the medicine. When a doctor wants to prescribe a new medicine, ask the doctor if there are alternative ways to treat the condition. For example, high cholesterol can be treated with diet and exercise. This can sometimes work instead of medication therapy. Doctors sometimes feel pressure to prescribe a medication as the patient will feel they have not been treated adequately if the are not given a prescription. Always check for alternative therapy first, if a medication is needed then follow the next suggestions.

Ask the doctor to give you a medication that has a generic version whenever possible. There are many times when a doctor is faced with multiple choices for medications to treat a condition. If you initially indicate you would like a generic, they are more likely to give you one. When they have given you the prescription verify they have signed the line that says “substitution permitted” or any similar statement. When getting the prescription filled, request the pharmacy to fill it generically. Using a generic instead of a brand can save you 80% or more when you don’t have insurance. You generally will have a lower copay with the generic when insurance is involved.

For medicine you will be using long term, ask your doctor to write for a three months supply. If your insurance permits this, they sometimes charge a lower copay for a three months supply as opposed to three 1-month supplies. If you are paying cash you get a bulk discount by getting three months at a time.

Ask your doctor to write within your insurance companies preferred drug list. Your insurance company (not the pharmacy) usually charges a lower copay for drugs on thier preferred list and higher copays for others. You can get a list from your insurance company or from their web site. Bring the list with you when you visit the doctor.

Avoid the “free sample” trap at the doctors office. I call it a trap because doctors do not have an unlimited supply of free samples. These free samples are usually for high priced brand name drugs. Many patients ask for these to save money but when the supply runs out, they are either forced to pay for the expensive medicine or go back to the doctor to get a prescription for a less expensive generic (the one they should have requested initially).

Ask about over the counter drugs. Again, patients may expect the doctor to write a prescription during the office visit. Sometimes an over the counter drug would do the same thing as a prescription. The over the counter version may also be less expensive. A good example is allergy medications, a generic version for over the counter Claritin is available for about $3.00 a month. This may be as effective as any prescription product for some people.

If you cannot avoid an expensive brand name drug look for patient assistance programs. There are many of these around. You can contact the manufacturer by phone or check their website. Every program has different criteria for acceptance but they are worth looking at.

Pill splitting may be an option for some medications. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if it is possible with the one you take. Often a medication’s price is the same regardless of strength. In that case you would request your doctor to write for the higher strength tablet at a half tablet per dose. Verify this is safe with your medication before attempting this.

Combine medications into one pill. Often two separate medications are available in a single tablet with a different name. If you have insurance you would end up with a single copay for the medication as opposed to two copays. If you pay cash, check with your pharmacy on pricing.

Bring your pharmacy receipts with you to the doctor’s office so they can see how much your medications cost. Often, the doctor is not aware of the cost until someone shows them. Once aware, a doctor may be more willing to consider less expensive alternatives.

If you follow the above suggestions, you have the potential to save a substantial amount of money at the pharmacy each year.