The costs of medicine are steadily rising throughout the years, and there’s next to nothing that we can discuss. Not to mention the fact that hospital bills are also rising, further straining our wallets, especially when there’s no insurance to help cover for the costs. 

Thankfully, when it comes to the prices of medication, there are some things that we can do to lighten the strain of the price of medicine in our wallets. There are many ways to save money, from asking for generics to buying bulk. Here are some of them.

Ask for Generics

When talking about saving money on medicine, the first thought that comes to our minds is to opt for generics. But, of course, we all know that not all drugs have generic counterparts, but for those that do, they’re a big help. 

Generics are the same ingredients with the same effects on specific illnesses but 80-90% less than the original brand, which is a pretty great deal if you’re saving money. When your doctor writes your prescription, you can tell them that you prefer generics due to financial limitations. 

When it’s available, you’re generally encouraged to do so in order to save on expenses. This is because it’s the doctor’s job that you’re healthy, and if opting for generics means you’ll have access to the treatment, they’ll openly encourage it. You just have to tell them.

Opt for a 90-day Supply

If you have a routine prescription, it’s generally recommended that you buy bulk instead of paying for individual doses every month or so. Many pharmacies offer plans that will offer you 90-day supplies of prescription medicine but with significant discounts. 

If your pharmacy doesn’t offer this kind of plan, you can directly go to the manufacturer and ask if you could buy bulk from them. More often than not, you’ll be able to buy bulk. But of course, before you can do this, talk to your doctor first and ask them if they can prescribe 9-0-days so you can ask to buy bulk when the opportunity arrives.

Cut Your Medication

When we take treatment for quite a while, you’ll ultimately see improvements in your health unless your sickness is treatable. When saving money and your health generally improves, you can ask your doctor if you still need to take the full dosage. You can ask them if they can cut your medicine so that you can save money. But again, this depends on your medical condition, so make sure to consult with your doctor first.

Look for Patient Assistance Programs

Patient assistance programs offer free or low-cost medications to those who can’t afford them. Many pharmaceutical companies have them where they provide low to no-cost coupons for people to use in their medications. They even have programs that they offer to help people. 

However, you must meet the right criteria to apply to these programs. You should also be able to provide your medical bills, history, complete diagnosis, laboratory results, doctor’s prescriptions, and other specific requirements that these companies have.

However, when you’re only interested in the coupons, many organizations like RxAssist.org and NeedyMeds.org help people get discounts for these medications. You can even see sites for discount coupons, like the  Buzzrx discounts, when buying medicine. You can also see a list of patient assistance programs specific to certain US areas, so check them out.

Stick to Preferred Pharmacies

You should stick to your plan’s preferred network if you have a plan. Most networks are broad and have a lot of services that are convenient for the plan holders. These include home delivery and retail locations. 

Of course, delivery is often expensive, and if you see this service in the preferred network of your plan, chances are they are at a very low cost or even free. Not only that, but if you’re prescribed medicine only used once, you can check for retail locations, saving you tons of money.

Shop Online

Online pharmacies on the internet are very competitive, which makes online shopping for medicines quite easy and cheap since many of these pharmacies compete for customers with their lowered prices and discounts. 

However, make sure to check that the government verifies the online pharmacy that you’re visiting. Online pharmacies are still subject to the law and standards of the government, and being verified means that they are selling  medical products legally and they have the right prices.

You can check with your governing agencies such as the FDA or Food and Drug Administration to check whether your online pharmacy meets all the legal requirements to distribute medication. 

Final Words

Buying medicine can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be that way all the time. Following the tips we discussed above, you can surely buy medicine without straining your wallet. What’s better than recovering from sickness? It’s getting better while not putting your finances in jeopardy.