How to Save Money On Prescription Drugs (without Insurance)

Did you spend too much time and money in the drugstore last month? It's hard to take the pills, but it can be even harder to take the hassle. Between insurance cards and formularies, drugstore chains merging, and the extremely high cost of drugs, how can you best use your pharmacy? How can you get the medicine you need at the lowest price? How can you eliminate waiting in line or waiting for your doctor to call back? Are you tired of waiting for the politicians to fix the health-care system? . You can use the tools you already have to your best advantage, and you can be in and out of the pharmacy in no time at all while everyone else is standing around waiting for the doctor to call back.

Things You'll Need

• list of your medications
• telephone

Instructions

1. 

   Be prepared. Since you don't have insurance, it's even more important to save every penny you can on your prescriptions. Ask your pharmacist to print out a list of what you are currently taking to make it easier to get price quotes from different pharmacies.

2. 

   Use generics. This is the most important step, by far. Generic medication is the same medicine as the brand-name, but available at a substantial savings. Always talk it over with your doctor and pharmacist. If your doctor and pharmacist recommend a generic for you, give it a try. There are a few types of medicines where generics are not a good idea, so ask your pharmacist for advice. One good way to test a generic is to ask the pharmacist if she would recommend the generic to a relative or close friend. Did you see an ad for a drug on TV? Remember that you have to pay for all of that TV advertising that the drug company used if you take their drug. Guess who pays for all that. You do, if you take the medicine you see on TV. Ask your doctor if you can try generic alternatives for the brand-name medications you take.

3. 

   Be informed about special low-cost generic lists. Some chain pharmacies are now publishing lists of generics available for one low price, some as low as $4 for a 30-day supply. If pharmacies in your area are doing this, stop by and ask them for a copy of the list and take it to your doctor. You and your doctor can discuss whether you can save money by switching to generics that are on the low-cost list. Some pharmacies even increase your savings by offering volume discounts for 60 or 90-day supplies. Having your prescription filled for 90-days rather than 30-days will reduce your pharmacy trips from 12 to just 4 per year.

4. 

   Be patient. After spending so much time to be prepared, it's important to be patient, too. Pharmacists are filling more and more prescriptions as the population gets older, and pharmacists are making more mistakes as a result. While there is no way to prevent your pharmacist from ever making a mistake on your prescription, one way to reduce them is not to put too much time pressure on your pharmacist. Drop off your prescriptions, and have other errands to run while they're being filled. The extra time you give your pharmacist may give her a chance to double-check her work or make a phone call to resolve a problem for you. This leads to a time savings for you in the long run.

5. 

   Be reasonable. It's irritating to show up at your pharmacy and your prescription isn't ready because of some problem. Instead of yelling at the pharmacist, listen to her when she tells you what happened. Ask what your options are. If they're out of stock, can they call another pharmacy? If you're out of refills, can the pharmacist give you a few pills to take while you're waiting for your doctor to call back? Remember that people will do more for the nice person than the loud, mean one when they have a choice. Pharmacists are people too.

6. 

   Be involved. Even after you've left the pharmacy, with your medicine in hand, don't forget to be an active partner in your care. Read your prescription bottle and understand the directions. It's easy to think that if one pill is good, then two is better and three should cure your problem, but that just doesn't work and can even hurt you as a result. It can help to place your medicine into your daily routine, especially if you are on a once-per-day drug. Have a place for your drug bottle and a time when you take the pill and stick to it. You'll be better off.

7. 

   Be proactive. Know when you need to have your prescription refilled, and call a few days ahead of time to order a refill. The extra lead time on a refill can allow your pharmacy to do several things. They can make sure they have your drug in stock, a common problem with computer-managed inventories. Also, they can try to fix any insurance or refill problems that might arise. Given a business day or two, there are very few problems that your pharmacist cannot solve. Many drugstores have automated telephone-answering systems that can allow you to order a refill even when the pharmacy isn't open. Usually, all you need is your bottle which has the prescription number and the drugstore phone number on it. Also, your medicine is ready to go when you are, allowing you to zip in and out of the pharmacy without waiting behind the little old lady with the grocery sack full of bottles to fill.