The cost of prescription medications is extremely high. Even with the help of prescription insurance coverage, there are times that the cost of medications is beyond what you can afford to pay monthly or even every other month. We have eight things that you can do to save on prescription medications.
Find a Coupon
Despite what it might look like, companies that make prescription medication know that their products can be excessively priced. This is especially true for new brand-name medications when they hit the market. Because of this, you can often find coupons for medications on the website of the manufacturer itself. While these coupons sometimes come with limited uses of two, three, or even 12 months, there are others that will allow you to use coupons as many times as you need.
Be sure to present the coupon to your pharmacy with your prescription so they can properly apply it to the billing process. Prescription coupons don’t work like everyday coupons where the cashier simply scans a bar code. These must be entered into the pharmacy’s system and verified with the discount provider.
Ask for a Generic Version
Not all medications have a generic version. However, if there’s a generic option for a medication that you take, ask your pharmacist directly if one is available. If you have prescription insurance coverage, your insurance will likely lower your co-pay amount and you won’t have to pay nearly as much for this version of the medication. If you don’t have insurance coverage, generic medications are often a small percentage of the cost of the brand name medication, which could possibly save you hundreds of dollars each month.
Get Samples From Your Prescriber
If your prescriber wants to put you on a medication that has just hit the market, ask for samples. Representatives from the manufacturers will visit prescribers to let them know about new medications that have just become available. While doing this, they’ll leave literature and samples of prepackaged medication so the practitioner can give them to patients who they feel might benefit from it.
Shop Around
Pricing isn’t the same at all pharmacies because they often go through different supply chains and carry a variety of drug manufacturers. For example, if you take a generic heart medication that pharmacy A sells for $20 per month, pharmacy B might have the same medication that’s manufactured by a different company and can sell it to you for $10 per month. Not all pharmacies are the same, so ask around town to find who has the best prices for your medications.
Look for Alternatives
There are often multiple medications that can perform the action that you’re looking for in a specific drug. There are hundreds of heart medications that can treat a variety of conditions. The same goes for myriad other diseases and conditions. If the cost of your medication is out of your budget, don’t hesitate to call your prescriber and ask if there’s another alternative that can be explored. If you’re not sure about other options, ask your pharmacist. Most pharmacists these days have a doctoral degree in pharmacy and have an expert-level understanding of comparable medications that can be suggested to your prescriber.
Analyze Cost vs. Benefit
Not every medication is necessary to your health. While ED meds and weight loss pills might be something that you feel will make you feel better or improve your relationship, weigh the cost and benefit of each. If you can’t afford your chosen medication, you might want to consider a different route to managing your weight or lifestyle changes to deal with ED. Medications like these often aren’t covered by insurance companies and can lead to you paying a large amount out of your own pocket. Consider if it’s a medication that you need versus a medication that you want.
Request a 3-Month Supply
Many pharmacies will give you somewhat of a break on the cost of medication if you can fill a three-month supply. An example of this is Walmart Pharmacy and its $4 prescription list. You can save $2 on each fill when you a 90-day supply for just $10. Ask your pharmacy if it offers savings for filling a larger supply of medication.
Go to a Bigger Pharmacy
It might seem like a smaller pharmacy can give you a break on your medication, but this isn’t the case. Bigger pharmacies have much more buying power than the mom-and-pop pharmacy. Visit a big-box pharmacy for the best prices on prescription medications and you could save hundreds of dollars each month on maintenance medications that you can’t miss a dose of.