Top 17 Ways to Cut Your Prescription Drug Costs by Gary Nave

1. You May Qualify for a Free Drug program.

·There are over 1,100 drugs that are made by 100

manufacturers who have free drug programs. Most major drug

companies provide free medications, but rarely, if ever

publicize their programs. An estimated two billion dollars

of free medication is given away annually.

·Larry’s father has prostate cancer and takes Casodex

every day, which costs $300 a month in the US, and $180 from

Mexico. He sent his father’s information to see if he

qualified. He recently found out his father did qualify to

receive the drug free. Larry just happened to see a small

article buried inside the newspaper. He never knew these

programs existed.

·A complete list of drugs and manufacturers’ programs is

available. For more information visit: http://www.institutedc.org

2. Get a Pharmacy Discount Card for Free.

·AdvanceRx offers a free discount card to anyone that saves

13%-25% and covers all drugs dispensed at a pharmacy. For

details, call 1-800-ADVANCE (238-2623) or www.advancerx.com.

·There are five free discount cards for Senior citizens.

The discount cards cover over 200 popular medications.

3. Save Up to 93% by Asking for a Generic

·Use generics whenever they are available. Both brand name

and generic drugs contain the same active ingredients, are

the same in strength and dosage, meet the same government

quality control standards.

·According to Mark Erblat, Pharmacy Director and owner of

Rx For You, cost savings on brand name vs. generic will vary

from drug to drug and pharmacy to pharmacy but can be

significant. For instance:

·Prozac brand 20mg, 100 tablets cost $280.19 and generic

sells for $29.99 (Savings 89%)

·Vasotec brand 5mg, 100 tablets costs $103.59 and generic

sells for $18.19 (Savings 82%)

·Zantac brand 150mg 100 tablets costs $173.39 and generic

sells for $10.99 (Savings 93%)

·Zestril brand 10mg 100 tablets costs $96.29 and generic

sells for $39.99 (Savings 58%)

4. Veterans Now Qualify for More Benefits.

·Recent laws have changed that grant veterans medical

benefits for certain illnesses like diabetes and

hypertension, provided the veteran is subject to qualifying

conditions like agent orange exposure.

·See if you qualify for benefits by checking with the

Veteran’s Administration.

5. Cut Your Costs in Half… by Using a Pill Splitter.

·Most pharmacies should stock pill splitters. Sometimes,

medications can be broken in half and save you 50%. The

reason is because several pharmaceutical manufacturers price

some of their medications the same for all strengths.

·Lipitor is essentially the same price for all strengths.

It is possible to save as much as $100 on a one month supply

of Lipitor just by getting the larger strength and cutting

in half. Ask your pharmacist.

·This method may not be appropriate for all medications and

could be dangerous if used with the wrong medication.

·Begin by asking your doctor or pharmacist if your

medication is available in a dose double your normal dosage

(ex, if you usually take a 20 mg. pill, is a 40 mg. pill

available?). If it is, ask whether there would be any

problems with splitting the tablets or capsules.

·Now, do a cost comparison between the two dosages. If the

higher dose is less than double the cost for your regular

dose then you will be saving money by having your doctor

prescribe the higher dose and then splitting it. Cost savings is

typically 32% to 50%.

.Viagra is another medication that lends itself to being

split in half or quarters to save 50% to 75% depending upon

the dosage required. The average Viagra user who uses two

doses per week can save over $400.00 per year.

·This method is not appropriate for all medications. Check

with your pharmacist. Some easily split medications include:

Ambien, Aricept, Buspar, Effexor, Lipitor, Luvox, Paxil,

Remeron, Risperidal, Seroquel, Serzone, Viagra, Zoloft,

Zyprexa. (Ask your pharmacist about others)

6. Save by Buying a 90 vs. 30-Day Supply.

·Most pharmacies have higher savings on a longer days

supply. In addition, when it comes to people who have

insurance prescription coverage, there may be other savings

by getting a larger day supply.

·For instance, if you have a $10 co-pay, the insurance

company will let you get only a 30 days supply in general

for that $10. A 90-day supply bought with out insurance may

only cost you $18.

·This would be much cheaper than paying $10 per month ($30

for 90 days). It would also save you two trips to the

pharmacy.

7. Ask for an Older Medication That is as Effective.

·Many pharmacists agree, that antibiotics are probably the

most over prescribed, or incorrectly prescribed medications.

Often, the physician will prescribe a newer antibiotic that

has been promoted as more effective. What this really means

is that it is considerably more expensive.

·The newer antibiotics are often no more effective than the

older antibiotics. However, they are new and covered by

patent protection. Therefore, the newer medication is more

effective in ensuring a nice profit for the drug

manufacturer for many years.

·Since many generics are made in the same factory as the

brand name ones, make sure you ask your doctor for a

generic antibiotic. A great generic broad- spectrum

antibiotic costs 80% less than a new antibiotic. In dollars,

it costs you $20 instead of $100.

8. Over-the-Counter Drugs May be as Effective as the

Prescription Drug.

·Many doctors still prescribe Pepcid 20mg to their

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BIO:

The Cost Containment Research Institute is a public interest group dedicated to helping consumers find important information on cost saving medical topics. CCRI publishes a book that may help lower your prescription drug costs.

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