7 Tips for Prescription Savings

Current Health Articles for Free Drug Card Users

7 Tips for Prescription Savings

The high cost of a single prescription medication resulted in the death of a 45 year
old Michigan mother of two. Living on a limited single parent budget, she was
unable to renew a much needed prescription that was just "so expensive" - it cost
her life .
The real crisis in medical care in our nation continues to worsen. Patients who are
living on- the- edge financially and are without prescription insurance, are cutting
out critical medicines for financial reasons. The high cost of prescription medicine is
now increasingly cited by health care professionals as a "primary cause" for
worsening health statistics in the USA. Patients under doctor's treatment say they
neglect to fill prescriptions simply because of the exorbitant cost. Consequently,
these individuals are showing up in emergency rooms and doctor's offices again
and again. This "repeat traffic” is increasing the heavy burden already being placed
on our medical facilities, resulting in longer waits for medical attention and much
higher costs for all of us. Some, like the Michigan mother, are literally being forced
into an early grave by the high cost of their prescription medicines.
Unfortunately there is yet is no silver bullet for resolving the problem of rising
prescription costs. Until further notice, those of us without prescription insurance
have few options. But, here are a few tips which may mitigate your pain. Don't
expect miracles, but try these suggestions for reducing your prescription costs;
together they can save you lotz of money and possibly your life :

1) Get a free drug card - go to any internet search engine and type in "free drug
card" or "free prescription card" or "Superrxcard" - print the free drug discount
card and use it the next time you get a prescription filled. These work very well for
certain medicines, especially generics, but also on brand named drugs as well. Ask
your druggist to keep the card on file for your next visit.
2) Ask your doctor or druggist to substitute a generic for the brand name medicine.
It is very common for the same drug lab to make both - the only difference is the
higher cost for the brand name. By federal law, the generic must contain all the
same active ingredients in the same amounts as the brand name - so why pay more
for the brand name?
3) Ask your doctor for a higher dosage pill that can be split. This sometimes gives
you a discount. Ask him for a 3 month prescription and then order them through a
discount mail order pharmacy (see #5 below)
4) Ask your doctor for samples. They often have a basket full that go unused.
5) Use mail order drug services. *A word of caution - stick with well-known
distributors that are licensed and regulated by your State. Avoid foreign based
websites or websites that solicit your business through e-mails. These sites are
usually not regulated and the medicines they sell to you aren't always quality
controlled either.
6) Store you medications properly and take them as directed to maximize their
effectiveness.
7) Make sure your doctor and druggist understand that the cost of your medications
is a concern to you. They may help you find a lower- cost generic or lower-cost
alternative medicine. If they know that cost is a factor in your decision whether to
take a prescribed medicine, they will be willing to help you.

The Internet – A Drug Candy Store!

“The Internet has become a pharmaceutical candy store - offering a high to any kid with a credit
card at the click of a mouse" - Joseph A. Califano Jr., National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse, chair and president. The number of websites advertising and selling
controlled prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Valium and Xanax has grown dramatically, over
130%, since 2006. There are basically "no controls" on the sale of controlled substances via the
internet. Stopping the sale of controlled substances on the internet is no easy task. Many of
these websites and their counterfeit drug manufacturers are based outside of the United States.
Without the cooperation of certain foreign governments - combined with a concerted effort by
our own government's enforcement agencies, plus the cooperation of internet providers and
credit card companies, the sale of controlled substances via the internet will continue to
escalate. All efforts so far to shut down this very lucrative and illegal business has fallen short.
Most websites (over 80%) do not even require the buyer to have a doctor's prescription to make
a purchase. Sadly, a large % of these illegal online drug purchases are made by our teenagers
looking to get high. Sales of Xanax, Valium, Vicodin, Oxycontin and Ambien have skyrocketed -
these are easier to acquire over the internet than they are through local street drug dealers.
Parents need to recognize that their children have access to recreational drugs via the internet
whether they live in the inner city, the suburbs or in a small town far from a street drug dealer.
The Dangers! – You do not know what you are getting! A website may look legitimate and
sophisticated but it may sell counterfeit drugs that look exactly like real FDA-approved ones.
Unregulated drugs may be manufactured in laboratories or processing facilities that have
inadequate control standard - the pills may have inconsistent formulation, be too weak, too
strong or contain substitute or harmful additives - labeling may be inadequate, incorrect or may
not list important drug interaction warnings. You could die! Some already have.
What to look out for : 1) Do not buy from websites that do not require proof that you have a
doctor’s prescription 2) Do not buy from sites that are not affiliated with a pharmacy that is
licensed by a State Board of Pharmacy. Medications purchased from sources other than state
licensed pharmacies may be at worst unsafe or at least ineffective. You can visit www.napb.info
for a state board contact list 3) Do not purchase medicines that are not prescribed to you by
your own doctor. Dosages, drug interactions and other suitability issues must be considered
carefully. A medicine that helps one patient could kill another 4) If you do order from the
internet, before taking any medication purchased, carefully examine the packaging and the
drugs appearance- color, texture and shape – if it looks different from what you normally take,
discard it. If it tastes different –spit it out! You may have saved a few bucks but is it worth the
risk. If you are a teenager taking the internet purchase to get high – you are literally playing
Russian Roulette.

Beware of your selections from the “Internet Drug Candy Store”. The taste may not be so sweet!