How to save money on prescription medications

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Janice Hughes takes several medications every single day. She has high blood pressure, heart issues and is diabetic. She also takes extra medication because she just had surgery on her arm. She got hurt while exercising to improve her health.

“I stepped off the treadmill and tripped,” Hughes said. “I fell and broke my elbow.”

She has insurance, but even so the copay for all this medication has a heavy price tag.

“Just for me, it’s about $700 a month, that is my copays,” Hughes said.

Hughes says her medications cost more than her mortgage.

“There are months where it is very hard and we have to defer payments for something to afford my medications,” Hughes said.

David Maney is the manager of Fowler’s Pharmacy in Greenville. His first recommendation to save money on prescription medication is to use a coupon.

“One gentleman came in and his copay was $90 and with this coupon it brought it down to $30,” Maney said.

Maney says to either ask your doctor for a coupon or check the company website. He says new drugs tend to have more coupons offered. Second, he says some commercial drugs are actually a compound of two or more drugs. So ask your doctor if it could be cheaper to have the pharmacy compound the drugs instead of getting the name brand.

“Some drugs are compounds that we have to make and they specify certain ingredients,” Maney said. “This can include hormone pills, creams and gels.”

And finally he says to ask what the cost is if you pay cash. Hughes says one of her drugs is cheaper to pay in cash than with the insurance copay.

“This one with insurance, it’s $40 and with cash I pay $17,” Hughes said.

Hughes said sometimes generic drugs are cheaper in cash than with her insurance. She plans to look more into the coupon options for her medications, but says this doesn’t solve the underlying problem.

“I don’t understand why drug prices are so high,’ Hughes said. “Especially if the drug has been on the market for a long time.”

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