10 Ways to Beat the High Cost of OTC Medicine & Prescription Drugs

Everything is costing more these days and medications are no exception. Even those with health insurance are paying outrageously high deductibles while having little or no prescription coverage whatsoever.

Become your own advocate: Educate yourself on ways for combating the high costs of over-the-counter and prescription medications and reasarch them all! Why pay more than you have to pay for any type of medication?

Samples

Pharmaceutical companies frequently give samples of their medications to health care providers at no charge, so ask for samples at every visit—Especially if there is no generic version of the drug available.

If the prescription is new and your doctor does not have samples available, ask the pharmacist before you fill the prescription. It is better not to waste money on an entire prescription since you do not know if you are able to tolerate the new drug.

Review Your Medication

Bring all of your medications, including vitamins and over-the-counter drugs with you to all of your doctor visits. Your doctor may find some things that you are taking are no longer needed.

Generic Equivalents

Generic drugs can cost ninety-three percent less than their brand-name counterparts. So if your doctor prescribes a brand-name drug for you, ask for a comparable generic drug instead that will produce the desired effect as the brand-name.

The only difference in generic and brand-name drugs is the appearance—the active ingredients are the same. Trademark laws prevent generic drugs from looking exactly as the brand-name version.

Explain that you are trying to keep your medical costs minimal and affordable. Some drugs may not be available in generic if it is still under an exclusive patent by the pharmaceutical company.

Coupons and Rebates

If you have no choice but to take the brand-name of a particular drug, check to see if coupons and rebates are available by checking the brand-name drug’s website. If you do not know the company’s website address, just type the drugs name with the word coupon or rebate in your favorite search engine to locate it.

Split Pills

Ask your doctor If the medication comes in a double dose of what your require, then split the pills. For instance, if you need to take 50mg daily and the pill is available in 100mg tablet. You may be surprised to know that the cost is often the same for each prescription; however, you will have two prescriptions for the price of one.

Free Prescriptions

You may be eligible for a free drugs through programs sponsored directly by the pharmaceutical company. Some companies provide assistance to patients simply with a physcian's referral, while other only to low-income individuals.

Check out web sites like Partnership for Prescription Assistance (pparx.org). Other resources include NeedyMeds.com, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ashp.org), Eldercare Locator (eldercare.gov) and Access to Benefits Coalition (accesstobenefits.org).

Is a Prescription Necessary?

Is the prescription really necessary? Ask your doctor if an over-the-counter medication may work just as well as the prescribed drug.

Store Brands and Generic OTCs

Save money by buying the generic or store brand versions of over-the-counter medications. The active ingredients are the same; however, the savings are significantly greater for off-brand medications.

Bulk Saving

Warehouse clubs may offer significant savings on over-the-counter medications and vitamins—If you have a membership, stroll down the ailes of those areas and comparison shop.

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