How To Save Money On Over The Counter Medicine

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICINES

Trying to save money today is becoming a science.  But it's all good.  Just think of the money you save on anything as giving yourself a raise. 

Since we are a pill-popping society, it behooves us all to know the value of the medications that we're taking whether prescribed or not prescribed and how much money we can save on them on a regular basis.  Why spend more for anything than you have to?  That includes over-the-counter medications.

Let's take a look at how to save money on over-the-counter medications.

SAVING MONEY ON PAIN RELIEVERS

If you go into any supermarket or drugstore, the amount of pain relievers available is overwhelming. You can buy in quantities of 10, 50 or 100, etc. You can buy aspirin containing products or non-aspirin containing products. You can buy products without caffeine and with caffeine.

So how to know what to buy? Do your homework. Let's look at a few over-the-counter pain medicines and the money you can save with a little knowledge.

• Tylenol - In its basic form or in combination with other pain relievers such as Tylenol PM or Tylenol Headache. Switching to acetaminophen instead of the name brand Tylenol will save you major bucks over the years.

• Aspirin - There are more brands of aspirin than Carter has.....well pills! Ascriptin, Bayer and their multitude of products, Bufferin, and St Joseph to name but a few. Plain old generic aspirin is available everywhere.

• Motrin and Advil - For a cheaper solution, switching to the generic form ibuprofen can net you huge savings over time.

• Aleve, Anaprox and Naprosyn - Brand names for the pain reliever naproxen and again, in its generic form, a tremendous savings.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON COUGH AND COLD REMEDIES

• Mucinex, Tussin, Robitussin, etc - Guaifenesin is the generic name for these drugs and have various and sundry variations such as cough and cold symptom preparations or simply chest congestion preparations, etc. 

• Alavert, Claritin, Dimetapp and others - The generic form of this medicine is called loratadine and is available again in many different preparations depending upon symptom complexes.

• Actifed and Sudafed - Generically speaking these are triprolidine and pseudoephedrine.  Again, there are all kinds of preparations for all kinds of symptom complexes.

SAVING MONEY ON HEARTBURN TREATMENTS AND STOMACH ACID REDUCERS

• Prilosec - Generic form for this drug is omeprazole

• Zantac - Generic form is ranitidine

• Pepcid - Generic form is famotidine

• Tums - Generic form is calcium carbonate

• Mylanta - Generic form is calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide

• Maalox - Generic form is aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide and simethicone

SAVING MONEY ON OVER THE COUNTER PRODUCTS FOR DIARRHEA AND STOMACH UPSETS

• Imodium - Generic form is loperamide.
  

• Kaopectate - Generic form is bismuth

• Lomotil - Generic form is diphenoxylate and atropine

• Pepto Bismol - Generic form is bismuth

SAVING MONEY ON OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS

So what's the point?  The point is that all the above medications are located in the grocery store and the drug store right next to their name brand equivalent....and most people reach for the name brand equivalent because they don't understand how this works!

Look at the box of 10 mg of Claritin and then pick up the box of loratadine 10 mg.  If you read the boxes, you won't find any difference in the active ingredient listed (which coincidentally is loratadine).  There is no other ingredient in the name brand Claritin.  It has a prettier box maybe and more advertising on TV (which you are inadvertently paying for by purchasing this product) but there is no difference at all in the 10 mg box of loratadine as opposed to the 10 mg box of Claritin....except the price - several dollars more.  Not pennies but dollars more. 

Take a look at all kinds of medicines and health products with their side-by-side generic equivalents and I guarantee you will start to look at simple over-the-counter medicines and products differently. 

From pain medicines to treatments for hemorrhoids and diarrhea, there is always a generic equivalent available...and most often at a substantial savings....not pennies but dollars difference in price. 

All you have to do is check the active ingredient that is listed in the name brand product.  Check the mg per tablet, and check to see if the product has more than one active ingredient.  Chances are there is another product that has the exact same active ingredient or ingredients that is generic and you save! 

Also check tablets or capsules per package (the unit price) to price compare.  In all cases, usually even with a coupon off on the name brand choice, you're going to save money by buying generic. 

Do buy name brand products if the price is right though and your coupons or sale prices make it a better deal.

SAVING MONEY ON OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS

Want to save even more money? Shop stores like Costco who offer huge bottles of products you use every day. Don't buy Motrin in the large box but buy plain old ibuprofen instead.

The only drawback to buying generically is on specialty items that do not have a generic equivalent. However, you can sometimes entice companies to start producing these products too if there is an obvious need. Like that old adage, it never hurts to ask.

Start looking around the store and see if you can spot all the name brand products in the health products aisles that have a generic or store equivalent and start adding up the savings.

You can go online and check for coupons or ask in-store if there might be coupons or discounts. Maybe not but again, it never hurts to ask! Sometimes you can get an in-store coupon that will give you $2 off for instance if you buy more than $5 in health products so that is another savings.

Don't just look for generic medicines though. Buy in-store product items such as Q-tips and cotton balls and save money there too. You'd be amazed at the pennies, dimes, quarters and dollars that you save and it all adds up to total savings overall.

According to the video below, Target and Walmart are great places to save money on over the counter medicines.

In short, think generic - it'll save you money at the checkout counter almost every time.