Savings on Drugs

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Citizens for Limited Taxation

Tips for prescription drug savings

Enzo Rotatori Saturday, March 8, 2003

Prescription drug costs are out of control with no immediate relief in sight. Particularly vulnerable are low income families and senior citizens.
In keeping with the theme from my favorite 1976 movie entitled Network, I again quote "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore."
I have personally reduced my prescription drug costs by more than 75 percent and would like to share with your readers how I did it.
Although ordering prescription drugs from Canada involves a small amount of paper work and extra time, it is well worth the time and effort for the savings. As example, my wife's three month medication from a local pharmacy costs $243. This same prescription from Canada, including shipping and insurance costs, was quoted as $117, a greater than 50 percent savings. The only difference between the Canadian and U.S. medicine is the color of the package for this drug. I have researched a dozen Canadian pharmacy Web sites and the two best ones are: CanadaRx.com and Unitedhealthalliance.com. Copies of their order form and instructions are available on line.
Another way to reduce prescription costs is to cut "hard" pills in half. This can be accomplished with a pill cutter which can be purchased for $5 at local drug stores or the pills can be cut with a sharp knife on a hard surface.
With the cooperation of my doctor, my 20mg cholesterol medication is written for 40mg. My doctor has confidence that I will split the pills. My cost of increasing this particular medication from 20mg to 40mg is only eight percent. This results in a savings of 85 percent over the cost of two 20mg prescriptions!
My last recommendation for saving on prescription drugs will return a 100 percent savings. Always ask you doctor for salesman samples of the drug he has prescribed for you. Do not feel embarrassed to ask for these free drug samples. Your doctor has a closet full of a variety of sample medications which if not given away will have to be thrown out on expiration date. I have done this on my last four doctor appointments and have been successful four times. This represents a four month savings worth a few hundred dollars.
The drug industry is attempting to stop shipment of Canadian drugs to the United States. GlaxoSmithKline, one of Europe's largest drug manufacturers, implemented a ban on its drugs being sold by Canadian pharmacies to American customers. This is being challenged by the Canadian Competition Bureau under the Canadian Competition Act.
I am doing further research to provide more cost savings suggestions.

Tips for prescription drug savings
Enzo Rotatori	Saturday, March 8, 2003
Prescription drug costs are out of control with no immediate relief in sight. Particularly vulnerable are low income families and senior citizens. In keeping with the theme from my favorite 1976 movie entitled Network, I again quote "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore." I have personally reduced my prescription drug costs by more than 75 percent and would like to share with your readers how I did it. Although ordering prescription drugs from Canada involves a small amount of paper work and extra time, it is well worth the time and effort for the savings. As example, my wife's three month medication from a local pharmacy costs $243. This same prescription from Canada, including shipping and insurance costs, was quoted as $117, a greater than 50 percent savings. The only difference between the Canadian and U.S. medicine is the color of the package for this drug. I have researched a dozen Canadian pharmacy Web sites and the two best ones are: CanadaRx.com and Unitedhealthalliance.com. Copies of their order form and instructions are available on line. Another way to reduce prescription costs is to cut "hard" pills in half. This can be accomplished with a pill cutter which can be purchased for $5 at local drug stores or the pills can be cut with a sharp knife on a hard surface. With the cooperation of my doctor, my 20mg cholesterol medication is written for 40mg. My doctor has confidence that I will split the pills. My cost of increasing this particular medication from 20mg to 40mg is only eight percent. This results in a savings of 85 percent over the cost of two 20mg prescriptions! My last recommendation for saving on prescription drugs will return a 100 percent savings. Always ask you doctor for salesman samples of the drug he has prescribed for you. Do not feel embarrassed to ask for these free drug samples. Your doctor has a closet full of a variety of sample medications which if not given away will have to be thrown out on expiration date. I have done this on my last four doctor appointments and have been successful four times. This represents a four month savings worth a few hundred dollars. The drug industry is attempting to stop shipment of Canadian drugs to the United States. GlaxoSmithKline, one of Europe's largest drug manufacturers, implemented a ban on its drugs being sold by Canadian pharmacies to American customers. This is being challenged by the Canadian Competition Bureau under the Canadian Competition Act. I am doing further research to provide more cost savings suggestions.

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