Saving Money on Prescription Medication: Part II

** Information in this medication post series should not be construed as medical or financial advice.  Please consult your doctor or pharmacist to discuss your personal pharmacological needs. 

Medication is expensive.  Sometimes prohibitively expensive.  Billions of dollars are spent every year by pharmaceutical companies on R&D, clinical trials, marketing, advertising and branding.  Likewise, those costs are passed on to the consumer.  Thus, patients everywhere are faced with paying tens if not hundreds of dollars per prescription medication.  Thankfully, there are a few ways to help lessen the financial impact on your wallet.

Saving Money on Prescription Medication:  Part I

COUPONS:

When your doctor prescribes you a new medication that does not have a generic equivalent or the name brand is preferred, ask if the drug rep left any coupons, rebates, or $0 co-pay programs.  You may get lucky.


SAMPLES:

Pharmaceutical reps often give doctor offices little trial sized (or sometimes full bottles) samples of the medications they are representing.  If you are waiting for your mail order Rx to come in and you run out of a medication, ask your doctor if they have a sample you can use until your medicine arrives.  You could also consider asking for a sample of your child's medication to use overnight until you have a chance to get to the pharmacy the next morning.  If the samples are available, your doctor might not mind giving you a freebie once in a while.  The doctors office might get a little irritated or upset if you are asking for samples every time you walk through their doors.


ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS:

Some pharmaceutical companies offer prescription assistance programs to help the non or under insured population afford their prescription medication.  Participants in these programs might be eligible to receive free or reduced medication.  Patients can fill out the program application online.  The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is a great site with a very detailed listing of companies and states that offer heath and prescription assistance program.


SPLIT YOUR PILLS:

If you take a 50 milligram pill and it comes in a 100 milligram dose, consider asking your practitioner to write an Rx for higher dose.  You would need to purchase a pill splitting device to halve the larger dose.  Beware, though, of different opinions on this practice and be sure to discuss your intent with your physician.  This practice will not work with gel caps, time-release medications or capsules.


Come back next Wednesday for Part III of Saving Money on Prescription Medications.