The subject of prescriptions can be the source of much angst and problems. Here are some websites and answers that may help you. 
One important point is to always check with your doctor or hospital regarding resources and/or solutions. For instance a friend of mine was out of her mind because her daughter needed a medication that cost $3,000.00 The mother called the medical staff and explained the situation. They told her not to worry that this particular medication is covered by insurance when administered in the hospital. They said to come in and they would admit her child and then give her the medication. Problem solved.
Our insurance will only cover 8 pills a month for Zofran (a potent anti-nausea medication.) Eight pills is utterly ridiculous for a patient undergoing the types of chemo that Kayla has to take. The medical staff at our clinic were able to get an override through our insurance and we now can get a 30 day supply.
Always ask your doctor if there is a generic brand of your medication available.
Costco Member Prescription Program
Costco Pharmacy is pleased to introduce an exciting new program for Costco members.
The Costco Member Prescription Program is a new prescription savings program for you and your family. It allows Members who have no prescription drug insurance coverage to be the beneficiaries of Costco’s commitment to member service, value, quality and product confidence. Costco is committed to passing on savings to the members and are able to do that by monitoring expenses, taking lower markups, and now negotiating manufacturer/supplier discounts and passing those savings back to Costco members.
The Costco Member Prescription Program offers a discount on all branded and generic prescription medications over Costco’s already low prices. Click here to view some examples of savings that you and your family can begin taking advantage of immediately. An abbreviated list of covered medications is also available for reference.
Program Highlights:
Ask your Costco pharmacist for an application and start saving today.
Costco members (and their dependents) who have no prescription drug coverage available are eligible to join.
There is no fee for Costco members to participate in the program.
Costco location near you, check our Costco Pharmacy Locator or call Costco at 1-800-806-0129 for more information.
Note you that do not have to have a Costco Membership to go to their pharmacy and purchase prescriptions. The same is true for Sam’s Club.
Patient Assistant programs
www.needymeds.org This is a fantastic website. It walks you through an easy to understand format and is a wealth of information.
Prescription Drugs: Free and Low Cost Options. Discount Pharmacies. This website is huge, easy to understand and covers the continental United States with many programs and resources. www.thelivingweb.net/lowcost_prescription_drugs.html – 98k –
Walmart
Walmart offers The $4 Prescription Program includes 90 day prescriptions for just $10 Walmart has an expanded list of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications. (Call them and see if they can order your chemo.)
The list of eligible drugs in the $4 Prescriptions Program — available at Walmart, Neighborhood Market and Sam’s Club pharmacies nationwide — represents up to 95 percent of the prescriptions written in the majority of therapeutic categories. The affordable prices for these prescriptions are available for commonly prescribed dosages for up to 30-day or 90-day supplies. Ask your pharmacist or physician about switching to 90-day prescriptions for appropriate medications. Go to the following link www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=546834 – 65k –
Doctor Visits
When you are in the office with your doctor and he recommends a medication you should ask the following questions: How much is the cost? Is a generic available? Are there any other choices to this particular medication? What are the known side effects? Have there been any lawsuits for this medication? Will I need any other medications to work with this? In other words, if it causes stomach upsets you might need another medication for the stomach problems that is causes. Last but not least, get the specific instructions for taking the medication.
When you fill the prescription, I would ask the pharmacist if there is any additional information/precautions that you might need to know when taking this drug.
New Book ‘The Frugal Patient’ by a Pharmacist Explains 12 Steps to Lowering Prescription Drug Costs
Apothecary Publishing (www.apothecarypublishing.com) today announced the publication of “The Frugal Patient: A Consumer’s Guide to Saving Money on Prescription Medications and Getting the Maximum Value for Your Healthcare Dollar,” by Doug Benedetti, R.Ph (ISBN 0-9725856-0-5).
“The Frugal Patient teaches consumers how to find and take advantage of money saving opportunities,” said Doug Benedetti, the book’s author. “Americans have a personal financial interest as well as a shared responsibility to reduce our prescription drug prices. If enough of us accept that responsibility, the cumulative effect will be lower prices for everyone.”
“Anyone using Prilosec OTC® instead of Prevacid® would save over $100.00 a month, every month, with no loss of therapeutic benefit or compromise of safety,” said Benedetti. “This is an example of a switch that doesn’t even require a new prescription. If you currently take Prevacid®, you simply stop taking it and buy Prilosec OTC® instead. If enough people taking Prevacid® switched to Prilosec OTC®, the reduced demand would force the price of Prevacid® down to a more competitive level. It’s simply the law of supply and demand.”
Doug Benedetti, R.Ph. is a registered pharmacist who has practiced in various settings for over twenty years. He served as Director of Pharmacy and was expert in cost control at Chicot Memorial Hospital in Lake Village, Arkansas as well as at Western Missouri Medical Center in Warrensburg, Missouri.
“The Frugal Patient: A Consumer’s Guide to Saving Money on Prescription Medications and Getting the Maximum Value for Your Healthcare Dollar” by Doug Benedetti, R.Ph. (ISBN 0-9725856-0-5. $14.95) is being distributed by Biblio Distribution and is now available in bookstores.
The book can be ordered by mail directly from Apothecary Publishing, Dept. 003, P.O. Box 6716, Tyler, Texas 75711-6716 for 14.95 plus $3.00 shipping. It is also available online at www.Apothecarypublishing.com
An Email Suggestion
The following was sent to me via an email and I decided to include it here.
Dear All,
I want to pass this on to everyone, as it’s probably something that you’re not aware of.
As some of you know, one of my cats… Abby, must undergo chemotherapy treatment for leukemia. She’s just starting today. The medication that she’s having to take is Leukeran, which was filled at the local Walgreens. When I went to pick up the prescription just a short while ago, the pharmacy tech asked me if the doctor had warned me of the cost. I told him no, they had not. He told me that the two-week supply would cost $69.00. Ok, so be it. Gotta do whatcha gotta do. Next thing he asked me was if I had AAA. I do. So I told him yes I did. He said that I may be able to get a discount on the medications with my AAA, so he asked for my card. Turned out that with AAA the price for the meds went from $69.00 down to $42.00. I was shocked, and needless to say thrilled. The guy went on to tell me that the AAA card can usually get you discounts on prescriptions for pets, and that all they have to do is put your AAA number into their system when you pick up the prescription to find out if you can in fact get a discount. He then said that AAA will also usually get you discounts on medications for people that aren’t covered by insurance.
I had no clue whatsoever that AAA got you discounts like this. Now I don’t know if it’s only Walgreens that does this or if you can get such discounts at any pharmacy, and I don’t know if it’s something new or if they’ve been doing it forever and the guy today just decided to let me in on it to give me a break, because I’ve never been asked about AAA when picking up something that wasn’t covered by insurance.
Anyway, in the future this is something for you to remember, if you have AAA and have to medicate a pet or yourself.
The Telephone
I suggest that you call all the major retail outlets to find out ways to save money. Some drug stores have membership programs for a nominal fee, you in turn can get a percentage taken off of the total prescription price.
Get aggressive, do your home-work before you go out to fill your prescription. This effort could end up saving you a fair amount of money.
Successful Tips and Precautions for Prescription Medications
* Keep a written spreadsheet for all your medications, dose, and timing of drug administration.
* Write out on a separate piece of paper dose and time when taking pain killers. This is vital to do EVERY-SINGLE-TIME you take a pain killer.
* Use your local pharmacist for helpful information about the drugs you are prescribed. You will be pleasantly surprised in how helpful they can be.
* NEVER take over the counter medications with out prior approval from your doctor.
* Never take herbs with out getting approval from your doctor first.
* Write additional labels on all medications so that there is no chance of mixing them accidentally.
* Keep pain medications in a separate location from all of your regular medications. Keep your notes of every dose, time and amount. This could prevent another of the 20,000 accidental overdoses that happen every year. You could tape a piece of paper on the inside of the cabinet door to keep track of everything. This also acts as a reminder.
* If possible research any new prescription thoroughly before taking. The more you know the better off you will be. There are many chat rooms regarding specific drugs and reactions.
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Please contact me if you have found some other useful tips regarding prescriptions and I will add them to this page.
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