How to Save Money on Your Medication!!

In this tough economy, it more important now than ever to save some pennies, wherever you can. One huge expense in any household is medication, and now while we have always said to try to use alternative ways to help cure or manage illness or health problems, we also now sometimes medications for certain illnesses are just necessary. So we have complied some tips to help you have money at the pharmacy, so you can use that savings some place else. 

Switch and Save-This tip is specific for Medicare D patients. It is a little known fact that many prescription plans through Medicare D have preferred pharmacies. If you fill your prescriptions at a preferred pharmacy, you get cost savings on your copays in return. This can result in HUGE savings on prescription drugs and it’s as simple as switching to a pharmacy in your preferred network.
Ask for an Alternative-All too often, patients end up paying for an expensive medication when there is a less expensive alternative available. We all know that switching to the generic form of a medication is a less expensive alternative. What you may not know is that if a generic form of your medication is not available, there may be an alternate medication in the same drug class that will be equally effective but cost you less money. Your pharmacist and physician can work together to find a less expensive alternative for you when a prescription is too expensive – all you have to do is ask!
Use Your Loyalty Card-Most stores offer loyalty cards to their regular customers, and most people know that using them when shopping for OTC items results in savings. What you may not know is that many loyalty plans also offer rewards for filling prescriptions. So make sure you get out your loyalty card at the pharmacy counter to take full advantage of the potential savings.

Use a Coupon-Coupons for medication? Is there such a thing? You bet there is, and they can save you big on your prescription copays. The downside – they can be a bit difficult to find, as they aren’t available from the pharmacy directly. Most coupons come from the drug manufacturer, and can be obtained either from your doctor’s office or from the manufacturer’s website. There are 2 kinds of coupons available – the first offers a free trial of a medication and is meant as a substitute for the samples doctors hand out in the office. The second, more significant coupon reduces the amount you pay for your prescription every time you fill it. That’s right – every time. Keep in mind that certain limitations apply for these coupons, but when they work they can give you big savings – sometimes even reducing your copay to $0.