How to Lower Your Prescription Drug Costs

Even with adequate coverage, medication affordability remains a challenge. It’s best to start by consulting with your healthcare providers for alternatives, then consider utilizing co-payment cards, and exploring non-profit resources. Additionally, safety regulations surrounding imported and compounded medications are important to consider.

This information is current as of the date of original publication or update. It may have changed by the time you read this. I invite you to fact-check what you read here.

Please do not use this information for diagnosis or treatment purposes. Before making health decisions, discuss with your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

This content is for your “information and inspiration”, and does not imply my endorsement or recommendation.

Does my insurance cover this?

When I was in practice, patients often asked this question. Patients wanted to know if insurance would pay if I ordered a test, imaging study, or a referral.

But patients most often asked if their insurance would pay when I prescribed a new medication.

Most of the time, I could not answer their question. Sometimes I would prescribe a generic drug or an older brand-name drug that I thought any insurance would cover, but it didn’t.

Sometimes it depended on the deals the insurance plan made with the pharmaceutical company, or the employer, Medicare, or Medicaid had negotiated with the manufacturer.

Whatever the issue, even patients with adequate insurance coverage might not afford the medications they need, or find them a significant strain on their budget.

In a past post, I discussed sources for health insurance, most of which also cover medications. This post explains how to get extra help paying for prescription drugs.

Talk to your doctor

The first and most important step is to talk to your primary care doctor. Take ALL your meds, both prescription and OTC (over-the-counter, non-prescription), including vitamins, supplements, and anything else.

Ask your doctor to review the reason for each medication and confirm that you need it. If you do, is there an alternative that might be less expensive?

Are you receiving the generic version from your pharmacy?

Is there an OTC alternative (although since they are usually not covered by insurance, may not be less expensive.)?

If you receive care from more than one doctor, you may need to do this with each one.

Learn about generic drugs and how they can lower your costs.

a female physician talking to a male patient

Get help paying for prescription drugs

Co-payment cards are provided by brand-name drug manufacturers to decrease patient out-of-pocket costs for a specific drug. These are found on drug company websites.

These are available to patients with private health insurance taking a brand-name prescription drug without an appropriate alternative medication.

The discounts often have monthly or annual limits and can be withdrawn at any time. If this happens the patient reverts to paying full price, or will need to seek other alternatives.

Check availability at Needy Meds or GoodRX

Non-profit organizations

There are non-profit organizations that provide assistance for medications and other health services.

HealthWell Foundation

Our vision: To ensure that no patient goes without health care because they cannot afford it.

PAN Foundation

We envision a future where equitable, accessible healthcare is a reality for all.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Direct-to-consumer pharmacies

You probably already use these retailers for other purchases. They also sell medications and may provide savings over typical pharmacies. These include Walmart, Costco, and Amazon. (affiliate link)

How to Buy Medicines Safely From an Online Pharmacy

Importing Prescription Medications

In general, the Food and Drug Administration discourages and prohibits the importation of medication from foreign pharmacies. The reason is

The FDA cannot ensure the safety and effectiveness of medicine purchased over the Internet from foreign sources, storefront businesses that offer to buy foreign medicine for you, or during trips outside the U.S.

For these reasons, the FDA recommends only obtaining medicines from legal sources in the U.S.

However, in certain situations it may be permitted. These include

“Product is for the treatment of a serious condition (Prescription Drug Products):

  • The product is for a serious condition for which effective treatment may not be available domestically either through commercial or clinical means.
  • There is no known commercialization or promotion of the product to persons residing in the U.S.
  • The product does not represent an unreasonable risk.
  • The consumer affirms in writing that the product is for personal use.
  • The quantity is generally not more than a three month supply “

Additionally, the prescribing physician must be identified.

Check the FDA website for information about this option.

What about Compounded Medications?

A drug may be compounded for a patient who cannot be treated with an FDA-approved medication. They usually are not covered by insurance. If you are considering using a compounded medication due to cost considerations, here are some points to consider from the FDA.

Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review these drugs to evaluate their safety, effectiveness, or quality before they reach patients.

If a compounded drug does not meet appropriate quality standards, is contaminated, or contains too much active ingredient, it could cause serious injury or death. Labels on compounded drugs may not include adequate directions to help ensure the drugs are used safely.

Only use compounded meds under supervision of qualified health professionals.

girl snuggling with cat

Veterinary Meds-not for Human Consumption

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a drug used to treat worm infections in dogs and cats was touted as an effective treatment for COVID in humans. It isn’t, but it can be used in humans for parasite infections, just like in animals.

But that doesn’t mean any medication approved for use in animals can be used safely in humans. Products for animal use are likely to be formulated differently to products for human use.

Animal medicines may be made with different strengths of active ingredients, different dosage forms or different non-active ingredients that could cause allergic reactions in some people.

There can be severe unintended consequences if you use animal medicines to treat your condition. And you may not pay any less.

Find Free or Low-cost Vaccines

Exploring the HEART of Health

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. Whatever you do, going without a medication is not a safe option and should be an absolute last resort, and only with your doctor’s supervision. Overprescribing does happen, so it is worth a doctor visit to see if you can safely stop any meds you routinely take.

Many people take nonprescription supplements and vitamins with little benefit. Stopping those can free up funds to pay for beneficial medication or other health-related expenses.

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha

Before you leave, read this related post.

How to Pay for Medical Care: A Guide for Americans

In this post I review how people pay for their healthcare. In the U.S., medical care financing includes employer-provided insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and COBRA. Eligibility for these programs varies based on income, age, and employment status. Additional financial assistance exists through Medicare Savings Programs and nonprofit organizations, helping manage medical bills…

Keep reading
Aletha Cress Oglesby, M.D.'s avatar by Aletha Cress Oglesby, M.D.

How Vaccination Protects Against Infectious and Chronic Diseases

In this post I remind you that infectious diseases can be mild but may lead to severe complications or chronic conditions. Trust in vaccines is essential, as their widespread use has drastically reduced the incidence of certain diseases. Recent measles outbreaks highlight the importance of vaccination efforts which are threatened by vaccine hesitancy.

When you or someone you love is sick with an infectious disease, you question how it was contracted, how long it takes to resolve, and how it could have been prevented.

Fortunately, many infectious diseases are self-limited, meaning they run a fairly predictable course and resolve with or without intervention. These include the common cold, influenza, gastroenteritis, and infectious mononucleosis.

But sometimes infections can cause severe complications or become prolonged illnesses that threaten life or cause long-term disability. We experienced this with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, causing millions to be hospitalized and die.

Influenza A infects humans and animals, making it easily spread and a pandemic risk.

Under the current administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, directed by Secretary Kennedy, prioritizes chronic diseases. And it should. According to the CDC, the leading causes of death in the United States are chronic illnesses and unintentional injuries.

But some chronic conditions start with an infection, such as cancers(due to HPV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and chronic liver disease. And researchers expect to find more.

As the list of chronic diseases associated with long-term viral infection grows, experimental models suggest that chronic virus infection contributes to certain cancers, as well as to diabetes and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). 

Emory University

That’s why I’m sharing advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci, who you probably remember from the COVID-19 pandemic. Long before that virus, he spent years working on the prevention and treatment of other serious viral diseases, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and SARS.

How the treatment options for HIV/AIDS have improved since 1987.

In this article published on the NIH website five years ago, Dr. Fauci explained the value of vaccination in preventing infections and his concern about widespread distrust in vaccine science.

December 4, 2019

Building Trust in Vaccines

By Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., (Former) Director,

NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Vaccine research reduces disease.

As the director of NIAID, I oversee biomedical research on novel and improved vaccines for infectious diseases- dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and HIV.

Daily, scientists are advancing research on vaccine technologies that we hope will reduce disease and save lives. Daily, misinformation is threatening to erode the public’s trust in vaccines.

As communicators, we must remind people that vaccination remains one of the best ways to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities from serious infectious diseases. 

Vaccine side effects are extremely rare.

The benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the risks. But, with so many vaccine myths spreading online, some people are confused.

People often ask me why they need to get vaccinated against diseases they have never seen. For example, only five cases of diphtheria have been reported in the past decade.

I explain that decades of widespread vaccination are precisely why certain infectious diseases are so uncommon in the U.S(link is external).

The more people who get vaccinated, the harder it is for an infectious disease to spread. This is what scientists call  herd immunity.

Unfortunately, successful immunization programs may have diminished our sense of urgency to get vaccinated. People are less concerned about diseases such as polio or measles because most have not seen these debilitating illnesses.

Measles re-emerges when vaccination lags

Yet, recent outbreaks of measles in the U.S. illustrate how gaps in vaccination coverage can allow a highly contagious respiratory disease to spread quickly.

Thanks to widespread immunization, measles has not been endemic (constantly present) in the U.S. for more than 20 years. However, measles exists in other countries, and can come to the U.S. by travelers and then spread to unimmunized people.

It can be helpful to think of vaccines like seatbelts. Although we do not expect to be in an accident every time we drive a car, we still buckle up and strap our children in car seats.

Even though some vaccine-preventable diseases are uncommon in the U.S., it is important to continue recommended immunizations. The recent resurgence of measles is a tragic reminder of what happens when people decide not to vaccinate.

Effective vaccination programs can completely eradicate certain diseases. 

Smallpox, which killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century alone, was eradicated in 1980 thanks to an unprecedented immunization campaign that remains one of the world’s greatest public health achievements.

Influenza vaccine’s importance

Recently, I shared my flu shot experience to encourage people to get immunized (October 16, 2019)

As a public health official, I feel obliged to use every opportunity I have to emphasize the value of vaccination and dispel myths about vaccines. As I emphasize in the video, it is misguided on both a personal and community level to skip getting a flu shot.

Influenza can be a very serious illness. Even young, otherwise healthy people who become ill with influenza feel terrible and may miss days of work or school.

Some may even need to be hospitalized. According to the CDC, during the 2017-2018 influenza season, influenza caused an estimated 959,000 hospitalizations and 79,400 deaths in the U.S..

Studies show that flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick and can reduce your risk of flu-associated hospitalization should you become infected(link is external).

Not getting vaccinated also increases the risk of infection to vulnerable individuals in the community. We share a responsibility to protect not just ourselves, but our community from influenza.

Babies under six months of age and people with certain health conditions who cannot be vaccinated are better protected from influenza when the community has widespread vaccination coverage, thus reducing influenza transmission.

Vaccine safety testing

As we research new vaccine technologies, it is important to clearly explain the rigorous process by which vaccines are tested).

Vaccine candidates are first examined in the laboratory and advance to clinical trials only if they are safe in animals. In early-stage clinical trials, researchers test if the vaccine is safe and causes an immune response.

Then, they test the vaccine in large groups to see if it effectively prevents disease. Before granting a license, the FDA evaluates all data to ensure the vaccine’s benefits outweigh any potential side effects.

Additional measures are in place to monitor adverse events post-licensure.

As research advances our understanding of how to prevent and treat disease, we must continue to identify ways to increase the public’s trust in vaccines.

Vaccines can save lives, but only if people trust that they are safe and effective.

Republished from the NIH website, which is in the public domain. Edits done for clarity and length.

Dr. Fauci retired from the NIH in January 2023 after 50 years of service.

Post Images

I took the images in this post during a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, in 2023. The pictures were part of a temporary exhibit, Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World.

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha