February 22, 2025

How to Save Money on Medications

John Dang M.D.

Medications can be expensive in the United States. Here are some tips and tricks to save at the pharmacy when picking up prescription medication:

If the medication is not absolutely essential, you can choose not to pick it up and pay for it at the pharmacy. If you don’t pick it up, you won’t be charged. Please FYI your doctor if you choose not to pick up the medication. 

Medications in the U.S. differ greatly in price if the same medication is branded versus generic. Some patients prefer the branded medication for possible higher quality. To truly save on the cost of the medication, consider getting the generic version of the medication. 

Typically, a class of medications will contain several different medications; a patient’s insurance plan may pay for one medication of the class but not the other. Therefore, asking the pharmacist or your doctor to change to a different drug of the same class of drugs, so that it’s covered by your insurance, is a good way to save money.

Believe it or not, some mediations are cheaper out of pocket. Patients are expected to pay some or all the costs of a medication, based on their insurance plan. These costs, as run through the insurance, may be higher than cash pay for the medication without using insurance. You can ask your pharmacy what the cash pay price for each medication is. 

Online pharmacies usually cheaper than pharmacy stores (of note, each insurance company usually has their preferred online pharmacy to use; please call to ask). A good option for patients needing chronic medications for a long time.

GoodRX is a reputable company that offers coupons for certain medications, which you can apply to reduce costs.

If you are picking up medications for a long term chronic medication, ask for 90 day supply (usually cheaper than 30 day supplies). Physicians typically prescribe chronic medications in either allotments of 30 (1 month) or 90 (3 month). Most times it’s cheaper to get 1 bottle of 90 tablets than 3 bottles of 30 tablets.