Paying an excessively high price for prescription medication can easily ruin the monthly budget. Fortunately, doing so is not always necessary. There may be other options, including prescription drug coupons and online Canadian pharmacies. It is worth looking at every option before paying more than you can reasonably afford.
The prescription coupon option involves utilizing a company like Good Rx to find discounted prices at local pharmacies. Good Rx and its competitors work with most of the big pharmacy chains in the U.S. As far as online Canadian pharmacies are concerned, they are pretty self-explanatory. You purchase prescription drugs separate from your insurance plan, if you have one.
Prescription Drug Coupons
Prescription drug coupons can only be applied to a cash purchase. You cannot pair a coupon with your insurance plan. Still, you may find a coupon price lower than your insurance plan’s co-pay. And if your insurance plan comes with a deductible applied to prescription medications, you can get more for your money by using a coupon program until your deductible is met.
When should you use coupon programs? At minimum, they are worth investigating whenever you have to pay out-of-pocket for prescription medication. The process is pretty simple. You just go to the coupon program’s website, enter the prescription details along with your ZIP Code, and let it search. The site will return pricing from all the local pharmacies participating in their program. Then you just take the coupon to the pharmacy of your choice and have your prescription filled as normal.
You should note that most of the price savings attached to coupon programs relate to generic drugs. A coupon might not do you any good if your doctor has prescribed a name brand drug. Still take a look, but do not expect huge savings.
Online Canadian Pharmacies
Online Canadian pharmacies sell prescription medications to U.S. customers at greatly discounted prices. Actually, it is more accurate to say that their prices are lower than what you can get here in the U.S. Canadian pharmacies are limited by law in what they can charge. For most generic prescriptions approved by the FDA, their prices are lower.
Canada Pharmacy is one example of an online pharmacy site that ships drugs from the U.S. to Canada. You order online, send them a copy of your prescription, and wait for your medication to be delivered. It is pretty straightforward.
When should you use an online Canadian pharmacy? This option is best for people who take maintenance drugs – which is to say they are on a continuous prescription they take month-after-month, year-after-year. Online pharmacies are not ideal for one-off prescriptions that a patient needs to start taking right away. Why? Because when you order online, you may have to wait a week or more to get your drugs.
Price and Timing
Both prescription coupons and online Canadian pharmacies are options for getting your medications at a lower price. Deciding when to use either option is really a matter of price and timing. You can save money both ways, assuming that you can find the medication your doctor has prescribed. Whichever option offers the best price jumps to the top of the list.
When timing is an issue, drug coupons are the better option. You can still get your prescription medication the same day, in most cases. You are also getting it locally through a pharmacy you might already be familiar with. If neither option works for you, there are others. The point is that you do not necessarily have to pay top price if you are willing to look around.
