One Hundred Dollars a Month

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness that is going to require a lifetime of daily medication.  As if that weren’t bad enough, when she went to fill the prescriptions, she found out it would cost her $350 per month.  Holy buckets, people, that is crazy talk.  I can’t imagine that a lot of households can bear that kind of load–especially when it takes you by surprise.

The silver lining, though, is that there are ways to save.  I thought I would share a few, in case any of you are in the same boat.

1. Be honest with your doctor.  They are people too, and if you can’t afford the scripts they’ve written you, they may have a solution.  It’s at least worth a try as a starting point.
2. Make sure you know which brands your personal insurance covers more.  Yes, they actually have preferred brands of the same general drug, and I am not talking generics here.  Whether they are cholesterol pills or allergy pills, check to see which pill your insurance prefers, and then check with your doctor to see if s/he will write that specific drug.
3. Ask for samples.  Doctors get tons of samples from drug reps–if you are in a bind, they may be willing to help you supplement a little at first with samples.
4. Generics.  This one is kind of a no-brainer, but make sure to ask both your doctor and pharmacist.
5. Double the dose.  Sometimes a higher dose pill is the same price as a lower dose.  If the pill is scorable down the middle, you might be able to get the double dose and only take half a pill.  It basically doubles the life of one bottle of medication.
6. Go straight to the source and check with the pharmaceutical company.  There is a HUGE mark-up on pills.  Sometimes the pharmaceutical companies have “assistance programs” where they will offer you their product for a lower price.  All it means, really, is that they are willing to lower the price rather than lose your business completely.
7. Check to see if big box retailers like Target and Walmart offer your drug in generic form at a significant discount.  These kind of stores offer a wide range of generics for $4-$10 a month, in hopes that you will also do some shopping while you are picking up your prescription.  It’s worth a try to see if your prescription is available through their discounted program.
8. Check for coupons.  Yes, even prescriptions can come with coupons.  Look online or ask your doctor.  A lot of times, you can get anywhere from $50-$100 off coupons {which, again, totally shows you their mark-up}.
9. When all else fails, order your prescriptions from Canada.  First, beware of online pharmacies–sometimes, they are selling subpar products and are largely unregulated.  BUT, I do know some people who have found reputable Canadian pharmacies who are willing to ship their prescriptions at a FRACTION of the cost that it is to buy them here in the U.S.

Do you have any tricks up your sleeve when it comes to saving on prescription drugs?

~Mavis