This will be mostly be for people that do not have health insurance or prescription coverage. There are patient assistance programs available that help with the costs of medicines. You can get these medicines at low cost, or FREE. The best resource I have found for information on these programs can be found at: needymeds.com They also have great tips for s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g your medical dollars. Some of the companies providing free meds have income limit requirements, but some do not. It is worth checking to see if you qualify.

Did you know that there are Rx discount cards that you can use for getting meds at a lower cost? The best card I have found is at: freedrugcard.us. This is open to anyone, whether you have insurance or not. This program is sponsered by a non-profit organization to help all Americans cut their prescription drug costs. You can get savings up to 75%. There are 54,000 national and regional pharmacies that participate in this program. If you go to the website just fill in the prescription card and print it online. No paperwork involved at all. Just print the card and start saving. They have a pharmacy locator and medication pricing on the site. You can check to see how much the meds will cost even before you go to your pharmacy. I have used this card for the last year and I can not even begin to tell you how much money I have saved.

I will use an example of one of the meds that I take; cymbalta 60 mg. 2x a day

Full price @ Walgreens - 30 day supply  $251.10

Freedrug card - 30 day supply $127.90

Patient Assistance program thru Eli Lilly & Co - 90 day supply FREE, with refills for one year!

It also pays to check Walmart/Target for their $4 generic meds. Check to see if your meds on on the list. They update the list when new medications are added. Three of the meds I take are on the list and I get all three for $12 a month.

Don't be afraid to ask your Dr. if they have free samples you can have. I was prescribed Caduet and my Dr. gave me a month supply (full price $148) to use until I get the med from the patient assistance program.

I hope these tips help you save money too !

When my doctor was going to suggest cholestrol meds, I printed off the Walmart $4 generic rx pages and took them in.  She was telling me about this revolunary new drug, I whipped out my papers and she chose on of the $4 meds.  My cholestrerol has went from 280 to 197.  The generics are just as good as the full price drugs.

misscas:

The generics are just as good as the full price drugs.

The generic meds are exactly the same as name brand drugs in every way. When new drugs are made they have a drug patent. When the patent expires, other companies are allowed to make and sell a generic version of the drug. Most drug patents are protected for 17 years

You can find out more info on generics at the FDA website:

http://www.fda.gov/search.html       Just put in generic drugs is the search box.

My former pharmacist who is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates told me the only generic you don't want to get is the anti-seizure medicine for epilepsy (spelling). He's been a pharmacist for years and keeps up to date on things.

Other than that class of drugs, I agree that generics are better on budgets plus being the same as the name brand drugs.

I am the ex-wife of a former pharmacist. He forged prescriptions, stole drugs, and took them. I turned him in after we split. He did lose his license to practice pharmacy. It was a terrible waste of his education.

 Wow, that is a sad story, Virginia NW!  Was he addicted, or did he want more money?  Pharmacists made a pretty tidy sum, but work long hours, and on weekends. A sad commentary on his not following the code of ethics of his profession. Do you know what he's doing now?

He was addicted to drugs.

He lost his license finally after months of trying to catch him filling forged prescriptions. If he had admitted he had a problem, the VA Pharmacy Association would've found him a mentor, helped him get treated, and he would've been able to keep his job & license. He really wasted his efucation !!!

He married the woman whose forged prescriptions he'd filled. He married her right after our divorce in June 1994. Less than 3 months after their wedding she was dead. I never knew what was the exact cause of her death. He had tried to kill me while we were married.

Seven months after the divorce I fell and broke my left ankle and became handicapped.

At some time after he lost his license he went to work as the repair guy for a condominium. In August 2000 he was murdered by one of the residents. He stole a valuable coin collection.

My lawyer has been after me since 2000 to write a fictionalized version of his murder.

Want to know my addictions? I drink too many Cokes, I'm hooked on needlework, and I have a very demanding kitty named Aurora. I like to try things (condiments mostly) and then see if I can find a recipe to make it cheaper myself.

I highly recommend Walmart's $4 prescription drug program.  No qualifying, everybody is eligible.

Here's a link to their list of hundreds of drugs:

http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/customer_list_6-5-08.pdf 

I had a Dr. appt yesterday and when I told her that I was completely out of my Cymbalta, she got me a two week supply for me. I am getting my meds through the Patient Assistance program, but it will a few weeks until I get them. If I run out before the meds get here, I am to let her know ASAP, and she will give me more free samples to tide me over.

It does pay to ask or tell your Dr. that you are out of any medication you do need.

Well I got a shock today when I went to Walgreens to pick two medications that I used the freedrugcard.us for. For the last year these two medications have cost me $28.81 for a 30 day supply.  I about had a heart attack when the pharmacy clerk said that they now cost $83.94. I asked her why such a big increase and she told me that the non-profit organization that sponsers this program was not getting proper re-imbursement from the drug companies, and they had no choice to about triple the price of the meds. This makes me angry and sad. It is all about profit for the big drug companies, and they could not care less if people without health insurance can afford their medicines or not

I had another drug discount card in my wallet from the State of Oregon, Prescription Drug Program. When I first got the card last year Walgreens was not yet participating in the program. They are now, I found out today. The pharmacy clerk re-rang up my meds and the total only came to $17.63. !! I was so relieved. So I actually saved $10 today because I can use this card from now on. YAY!!

If anyone on this forum is using this freedrugcard, you might want to go to their website and see if your meds have increased in price.

 Another drug that is not the same as the generic used for it is Armor thyroid. The generic is the same as Synthyroid, but not Armor, but the generic drug is listed as a generic for all thyroid meds. I can't take the generic because it doesn't the t3 I need. My body doesn't convert t4 to t3, so taking Synthyroid (which is t4) does me no good at all. Unfortunately, becuase there is technically a generic for it even though it doesn't contain the same hormones, I have to pay full price for my Armor. In good news, it's only $15/month.

Most generics are perfect substitutes, but there are a few out there that do not switch out well depending on the situation.