You know, you just gotta love the drug companies

[matt819]

I'm one of the 44 million Americans without health insurance.

I take a drug. The cost of that drug is $80 and just went up to $85.

I decided to ask the pharmacist when the price went up - about 3 weeks ago. He then thought to check some things and tells me that double the dose costs half the price. That's correct. 15 pills at double the dose costs $45 - and these pills are cuttable in half.

Now I've been taking this medication for a few years. I could have saved maybe $2,000 if only someone had pointed this out to me. My doctor didn't. My pharmacist didn't. The drug company someone managed not to advertise this fact. And, lo and behold, the consumer is screwed.

[Warpy]

1. It's always instructive to visit online pharmacies

and check what dosages are available for any medication you happen to be on. Generally, a double dose isn't twice as expensive as the lower dose pills you are being prescribed.

There's a pill cutting gizmo that's a razor blade set inside a molded plastic case and most pharmacies sell it. Hospitals use it for pills that aren't scored as well as those that are. It's a great gizmo that can save you a lot of money.

More problematic are capsules. You can eyeball it, but you're not always going to be getting the same dose.

If you lack insurance, talk to your doc about changing your prescription to the higher dose if it'll save you a lot of money. Most docs realize the healthcare system in this country is a nightmare and can be your best friends.

[unsavedtrash]

2. We use needymeds and get some of our meds free through the

drug companies. www.needymeds.com
I am working on signing up my mom for various meds too.
There are all kinds of patient assistance programs but you have to search for them, because rarely any doc will tell you about them up front. It saves us about $200 a month.

[ernstbass]

4. That's a great website

You can also ask physician for samples

[Double T]

3. Drug Companies....... More Is Less............

.......Makes Perfect Sense In This Insane, Upside Down, Lunatic World We Are Living In. Thanks For The Info. We All Need To Be More Aware.

[etherealtruth]

5. The very "sick" aspect to this is ...

... if you did have insurance the insurance company may well have insisted on your prescription being written/ dispensed in the most cost effective way.

So once again YOU the uninsured individual pays more for a service than the insured do.

[progressiveboston]

6. check this out

I used to work for a pharmaceutical company and I started a company helping patients who don't have insurance get their medications for free or a reduced cost. I would recommend you go check out www.helpingpatients.org which is a great site to check into whether you might qualify for any of the drug companies drug assistance programs for your medications. Needymeds.com is another great site.