Find the medications you need without the hassle.
The effort required to obtain a needed medication, even one you have taken for years can be overwhelming. Repeated doctor visits to get a new script every few months. Having refills delayed, or sticker shock when you pick them up. Follow our tips to make the process less of a hassle.
Pay Less For Medications
Prescription drugs can be expensive. Some are a drag on people’s monthly finances, and some are “win the lottery” expensive where even insurance companies have refused to cover the cost. Our guide to saving money on drugs will help you cut costs.
Buy Drugs Without A Prescription Or Doctor’s Visit
Many prescription drugs have been converted to over-the-counter medications in the last decade. This has brought down prices and made these medications more accessible. There are also a variety of medications that are over the counter in other countries but remain prescription only in the US. Many of these are lower-risk topical medications for various conditions. Most medications in Mexico do not require a prescription, resulting in a booming tourist trade in buying prescriptions south of the border.
If you do need a new prescription or refills but don’t want the red tape and expense of a typical office call, many telehealth and online pharmacies now provide doctor consultations at a low price to write a prescription. This isn’t suitable for every situation but may be exactly what is needed if you don’t have insurance or have a high deductible plan that doesn’t cover much. Sites like GoodRx offer a prescription consultation service as do most telehealth companies.
New Isn’t Always Better
Newer drugs can be expensive. A study found that 1/3 of newer drugs were no better than older ones, and some new drugs were worse than their older counterparts. Newer medications are marketed heavily at doctors and residents in training by pharmaceutical companies as these provide the most profit for drug companies. In some cases, older medications may do an equal or better job of managing a condition. They are also usually cheaper than newer drugs. In the early 2000s, a number of new medications hit the market only to be given black box warnings or taken off the market when severe side effects and even deaths began to emerge in significant numbers as these new drugs were given to the public.
Make Sure You Need It
Some providers consider a prescription to be the solution to every problem. Prescriptions may be written as defensive medicine or because the provider thinks the patient won’t see enough value in the visit if they don’t walk out with one. Before filling that script weigh if you really need it. Some medications are crucial and life-saving, some might make you marginally feel better, and others can be pretty useless. Discuss the level of need with your doctor, and possible alternatives, and review the potential side effects and cost.