How to Lower Prescription Drug Costs: 6 Helpful Tips

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How to Lower Prescription Drug Costs: 6 Helpful Tips

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Although circumstances are different for everyone, in many situations prescription drug costs are breaking the bank for those in need. It’s unfortunate that so many people are unable to afford the cost of medications that they need to survive or to live a healthy and happy life. It’s an issue that’s affecting millions of people.

What happens when these people are unable to afford their prescriptions? Those millions of people decide to skip their medications in order to preserve their pockets over their health. Don’t fall victim to over-priced medication costs.

You can lower prescription drug costs by following these 6 helpful tips.

1. Use Generic Medication Brands

Always consider the generic medication brand over the name brand. Don’t let the term “generic” scare you away from making a cost-savings decision. Generic medication brands have the same exact active ingredients in them as the name brands do.

The only thing that’s different is the inactive ingredients in the medication. However, generic medication still meets the same standards as the name brand medications do. These medications will treat your condition in the same exact way as the name brand ones would.

Speak with the pharmacist about what generic brand options are available to you.

2. Different Medication Alternatives

Your doctor might prescribe you one type of medication that’s not covered under your insurance or has a significantly high price. Don’t panic. Your doctor isn’t sure of what medications are covered under your insurance or what the different prices are for each type of drug.

If you run into any of these problems, simply ask your pharmacist, your insurance company, or your doctor about different medication alternatives. In many instances, there are several different medications that can be used to treat the same condition. Most of these drugs are just as effective as the other.

Speak with your doctor before making the switch as he or she will know the best alternative option for you specifically. Your insurance company prefers you to use medications with lower prices to keep costs down. Communicating with all three parties is the best way to find your ideal alternative.

3. Use Different Pharmacies

The healthcare system is changing and with it, we’re seeing more and more people opting to deny prescription coverage as part of their plan. With that being said, payments for prescription drugs will need to be made out of pocket. You might be surprised to know that the out-of-pocket cost of prescription drugs changes drastically with different pharmacies.

Because of this, your best option is to do a little bit of shopping around. Check-in with all of your local pharmacies and see what their individual prices are for your specific medications. You might even find that working with an online pharmacy intermediary that allows you to receive your medications directly to your doorstep have cheaper prices than the storefront locations.

Always shop around and see what the different prices are at each pharmacy before making a final decision. This is the best way to ensure you get the best price!

4. Ask For Smaller Quantities

If you recently began taking a new medication, you can consider asking your doctor to write out the prescription for a smaller amount than usual. This is a good way to save money while you determine if the prescription works well for you. When starting a new medication, there’s no way to tell for certain if it’ll work the way you need it to or if you’ll experience side effects until you actually take the medicine for a couple of days.

Rather than spending money on a prescription that your body might not respond well to, start out with a small amount of it and go from there. You can also consider asking your pharmacist to dispense a smaller amount. However, there may be restrictions for this based on the state’s laws, but it’s worth asking.

5. Use Coupons to Rack Up Savings

Another way to save directly from the manufacturer is to be on the lookout for manufacturer coupons. Use these coupons to rack up the savings. This is a great option for those whose only option is the manufacturer’s name-brand medication.

And if you’re insured through an employer or through a private insurer, then you might qualify for reductions on your monthly co-pays if you use the savings programs offered by the manufacturer.

Do keep in mind that generic brand medications don’t offer these savings programs. This is because the manufacturer knows that their name-brand medications are more expensive than other options.

To remain competitive against generic brands, they offer these coupons.

6. Ask For Different Dosing

Another way to save is to ask for different dosing of your medication. Asking for higher dosing means you can split a 10mg pill into a 5mg pill by slicing it in half. Many pills come with an indention down the middle for easy splitting.

You can also invest in a pill splitter to do the work for you. Although do keep in mind that some pills are not intended to be split and in these situations, you won’t have this option. Ask your doctor about doubling the dosing for you to split the pills and save money.

If you need a 5mg pill each day, then it takes fewer 10mg pills split into 5mg pills to fulfill your medication needs than a tub full of 5mg pills. This saves you money.

Lower Prescription Drug Costs Today!

You can lower prescription drug costs today by following these 6 simple tips! Consider using generic brands, find out what your alternatives are, and shop around for different pharmacy prices before making a purchase. These tips and using different programs and dosing to save you money are the best ways to lower those costs.

Are you ready to learn how you can begin ordering your prescriptions online and save money? Click here to learn how!

valence. This is particularly true since pharmaceutical companies started developing these medications decades ago.

Despite this, there are not a lot of options for herpes drugs on the market. Also, the ones available are often too high.

However, what can you do if you cannot afford prescription drugs vital to your health? You can find out why these drugs are so expensive below and what you may have as an alternative.

What Is Herpes?

Viral infection Herpes transmits from bodily fluids, including saliva and secretions from the genital area. There are medicines available over-the-counter to treat herpes, but the virus stays dormant. Some prescription drugs cannot stop the flare-ups that happen from time to time genital herpes.

Many factors can cause herpes flare-ups, including stress, fatigue, or illness. Unfortunately, as of now, there is no known cure for herpes.

More than one strain of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) exists. The first is HSV1, or oral herpes, which can lead to cold sores and fever blisters. There is also HSV2 strain, which causes genital herpes.

How Much Does Herpes Medication Cost?

The cost of herpes drugs is expensive even when insurance is paying some of it. Below are the average price of herpes drugs in the United States.

Denavir

The topical antiviral Denavir treats HSV1 symptoms. For example, using this cream, a person can treat a cold sore on their face.

There are two types of topical herpes medications: creams and ointments. Once an outbreak has begun, you can use the Denavir cream to help treat it.

Taking the medication as soon as you notice a cold sore forming will reduce the outbreak period. At the same time, it is hard to buy Denavir cream when a tube of less than an ounce costs between $20 and $25.

The outbreak of oral herpes is more difficult to hide than genital herpes. People often feel embarrassed when they have oral herpes, so they are willing to spend whatever they need to get rid of it.

Acyclovir Cream

Acyclovir cream is one of the cheap drugs for herpes. This topical antiviral medication treats Cold Sores and Herpes Simplex. The cost of acyclovir topical cream 5% is around $49. Of course, this depends upon which pharmacy you visit.

The cream prevents the virus from growing but does not cure or prevent future outbreaks. Also, a person may experience side effects such as cracked lips, burning, or flaky skin. You should inform your physician or pharmacist if any of these effects persist or worsen.

Valtrex

The medication Valtrex is among the most frequent prescription drugs to treat flare-ups of herpes. The drug is taken orally once a day to act as an antiviral.

The goal of the drug is to halt the progression of the herpes simplex virus by impairing the activity of an enzyme called deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase. The enzyme is necessary for HSV replication. In this way, the body will have fewer flare-ups when suppressing this enzyme.

The price of a 30-day supply of 500 mg Valtrex (500 mg) in the United States is approximately $450.00. If you want 1000 mg, it will cost you $730.00 for a 30 days supply.

What Causes Herpes Drugs to Be Expensive?

The pharmaceutical industry is at the root of high prescription drug prices. Retail prices are set by them, as well as deals with pharmacies, governments, and hospitals.

Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the federal government affects consumers’ prices for prescription drugs such as herpes medications. Pharmaceutical companies have a maximum price they can charge consumers in most countries, but not in the United States.

Healthcare prices are being determined by the laws of economics implicitly by the U.S. government. Even though that decision has some standard, many would argue that it has not improved access to healthcare.

How to Save Money on Herpes Drugs?

If you’re struggling to buy your medicine in the United States, then consider buying Canadian Prescriptions. The Canadian pharmacy market may not offer cheap drugs, but it will be a better price than in the United States.

The United States tends to charge more for prescription drugs than other developed countries, including Canada. One study found that Canadian drug prices are 46% lower than the United States’ prices for brand-name drugs.

Drug prices are lower in Canada because the country’s government pays for prescription medications. Also, they refuse to pay for drugs whose costs are deemed excessive by a review board. The Canadian drug companies do not have the power to set the price of prescription drugs, unlike the United States.

Another reason Canadians have cheap drugs is that the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board restricts the price of new medications. The average price is based on the cost of the medicines in different countries, such as France. Afterward, manufacturers may lower their prices in Canada to the agreed-upon level or opt out of selling their medications.

Here’s How to Buy Herpes Drugs From Quality Prescription Drugs

Despite the fact that many Canadian drug companies are on the market, you need one to deliver high-quality drugs fast. You can order online and have the herpes drugs delivered to your steps within two weeks.

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Author

BS Pharm, PharmD, RPh

Dr. Paul Zickler is a graduate of the University of Wester Ontario in 1972. After graduating from the faculty of medicine, Dr. Zickler practiced as an Emergency Physician for 18 years. He has then operated ambulatory medical and travel clinics for 12 years. Dr. Zickler has become an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of British Columbia, a Director of Professional Programs for the Justice Institute of British Columbia (paramedic academy), a principal investigator for Phase 2 and 3 studies researching vaccines, and a founding member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. Dr. Zickler is passionate about combining western prescription medicine and natural medicines.