Every once in a while, it is necessary under a doctor's care to use a prescription drug. Whether you have insurance or not, there are ways to get deals on these medications.
Check with your local pharmacy about any promotions. The pharmacy inside my local grocery store offers free antibiotics from a list of the most commonly prescribed. A different grocery store nearby also added diabetic medications to their list of free prescriptions. You may wonder why they would be willing to give away free drugs but it's actually a strategic business move. While you're waiting for them to fill the prescription, they hope that you will walk around the store and buy stuff.
If you need other medications that aren't free, keep an eye out on the newspaper and internet. Target and Kmart both offer coupons occasionally for free gift cards when you fill a prescription. Additionally, if you use your Target card you will get a 5% off shopping pass with every five prescriptions you pay for with your card. This 5% is on top of your everyday 5% they already offer. Other local stores might also offer promotions for filling your prescriptions.
Most insurance companies will have the same co-pay no matter which pharmacy you use so the out of pocket cost will be the same at all pharmacies. If you pay a percentage or don't have insurance, some pharmacies might offer different prices. I know that when I needed a new inhaler between insurances the price ranged from $10-$45 at different pharmacies. The best thing to do is call ahead and ask. Depending on the perscription they might be able to give you a price over the phone.
My only concern with swapping around to different pharmacies is that I like to have a relationship with my pharmacist. Their computers keep track of everything they fill so they will notice if there could be an interaction. How many doctors do you use? Between your general practitioner and tons of specialists, it can be easy to forget something in your medical history.
Please consider everything when deciding if saving a few dollars is worth jepordizing your health. If it is a refill, the computer at your regular pharmacy will still list the drug as one you take and show that you transfered the prescription to a different store. I always post when they put coupons on their websites, but you need to decide if you want to use them.
Cori is a 29 year old living in Philadelphia. Making Cents of It stems from Cori's experiences as a young professional living on an entry level salary. Her goal is to help other 20-somethings enjoy life without going broke.
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