Prescription medications are one of those expenses you can’t avoid but wish you could. Whether you take medication for an illness, injury, or mental health reasons, going without the medications you need is not an option you have. The only problem is, depending on the type of medication you’ve been prescribed and the frequency in which you must purchase it, you could be spending hundreds of dollars each month. How can you cut the cost while still getting the medication you need? Here are some solutions:

·  Talk to Your Health Insurance Provider

Your health insurance provider is responsible for paying all or a portion of your prescription costs. When your doctor prescribes a medication, it is ideal to contact your insurance provider to find out how much of this will be covered by them. While some insurance policies may cover the total cost of the medication, others may not.

·  Find a Reliable Pharmacy

Pharmacies are not all created equal. While you might assume that they all carry the medications you need at an affordable rate, this is not always the case. You’ll want to first do some research. Online searches for a pharmacy near me will generate a few results you can start from. Look for pharmacies that have prescription savings programs for additional savings. You should also look for a pharmacy that fills prescriptions the same day, has reasonable business hours, offers recommendations to save you money, and more importantly has the types of medication you use regularly in stock.

1.  Sign Up for Prescription Savings

While looking for a pharmacy near you with a prescription savings program is ideal you can also get the process started by signing up for prescription savings cards yourself. They are often advertised online and can provide consumers with additional coupons and percentages off some of the most popular brands of prescriptions. Once you receive your savings card, be sure to present it at the pharmacy when dropping off prescriptions to save even more money.

2.  Ask About Generic Drugs

Just as buying name brand grocery store items would cost more than purchasing the store brand, brand name medication is going to cost an average of 20%  to 70% more than generic versions. If your doctor has prescribed you a name brand medicine, ask your pharmacy how much it would cost to get the generic brand. If the savings are significant, the pharmacy can contact your doctor for you and have the prescription altered to save you additional money.

3.  Try Mail Order

If there are medications that you use regularly you can ask your doctor or pharmacy about mail-order. This is the process of having your prescriptions mailed to you in 90-day increments. This saves you the trip to the pharmacy and often results in additional savings on your medication. This method will also ensure that you get your prescription in a timely fashion.

4.  Use Coupons

There are coupons for just about everything you can imagine – including medicine. If you have a prescription for medication that costs a ton of money make sure that you look for coupons first. You can start by asking your doctor. If not, you can check with your pharmacy or online. By checking the pharmaceutical company’s website, you may receive offers that can give you discounts on your prescription.

5.  Ask About Over-the-Counter Medicine

There are instances in which the medication your doctor prescribed can be found on the shelf at your local drug store. Before filling an expensive prescription, ask your pharmacist if there are alternative solutions on the shelves you could try to save more money. Often over-the-counter meds have fewer side effects, which is also a bonus.

Prescription medication is definitely a necessity. Going without it is often impossible, and spending money on it is enough to send anyone to the poor house. If you have to have medicine filled regularly it is a good idea to connect with a reliable pharmacist and use the methods described above to get the most savings possible. This can significantly reduce your out of pocket expenses while helping you to get the medication you need to sustain a happy, healthy life.