Buying Drugs

No, not that kind....

Brent had to get a prescription that wasn't covered under our insurance. So I went to Walgreens, like I always do. It was $1000 for the name brand and $250 for the generic. The pharmacist said I could ask my Doctor to write a letter to the insurance company, asking them to cover this one prescription for us. The Doctor told us to call around for the cheapest place. I had no idea that different pharmacies charged different prices for drugs. I thought it was regulated, I guess. So I called a neighboring town and their small pharmacy only charged $90 for the generic. We decided to go there.

Here are my tips for drug buying...

1. Shop around - even to neighboring large cities.
2. Ask your insurance company to insure this one thing (need a Doctor's note for this)
3. If you only need a few, you can ask the Doctor for a sample.
4. Sometimes you can buy a higher dosage for cheaper and cut the pills in half. You can't do this with all pills, so you have to ask your pharmasist and doctor about this.
5. Sometimes buying online is cheaper. Drugstore.com for our prescription was $160 - cheaper than Walgreens, but not cheaper than small town pharmacy.
6. Although contrivercial, buying from Canada is not illegal.
7. Stay informed. If it is not drug that your life depends on, do some research online for effects, side effects, other treatment options, etc. Don't just pop any pill your Dr. hands out to you.