Grab Drug Advertisements By The Pills: Save Money On Prescription Medication
March 5, 2008 by Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills: Part Three
Now that you know how drug advertisements can both educate and confuse you, and the FDA regulations in place to help them do just that, let’s consider the cost of the prescription medications featured in the most recent drug advertisements.
Simply put, it’s pretty dang high. The most expensive drugs tend to dominate the advertisement scene.
Why?
Well, skepticism and criticism common sense tells me it’s because they’re the most expensive. Drug companies want to get the most expensive drugs out there in the public eye in order to make more money. Of course, you shouldn’t quote me on that. I have no sources, nor do I have some kind of insider knowledge. I’m just making an educated guess.
The bad news is that drugs featured in recent advertisements are new, which means they’re protected under patent law, and no one can create a generic version for a cheaper price.
The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to take the name brand version of the drug. If your doctor thinks a particular drug in a particular advertisement may benefit you, s/he can always suggest an alternative (possibly even another name brand drug) that could have the same benefits at a much more affordable cost.
So, the next time you encounter an advertisement for a drug you think may help you, bring it to your doctor’s attention and ask if there are less expensive alternatives – maybe not generic versions, but other drugs with similar benefits. Do the same if your doctor seems to be eager to prescribe the new medication simply because it’s new.
Is your wallet currently suffering due to these expensive prescription medications? Want to rant, vent, and lash out? Use the comments!
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Three cheers for all the drugstores with $4 generics! And now Wal-Mart has started selling 3 months of some generics for $10. Wow! For my other meds that aren’t generic I use the drug card that I found at http://www.rxdrugcard.com. Low membership fee. Drug prices posted to check before you join.
@ Lily – Many people have a lot of bad things to say about Wal-Mart, but it’s good things like their prescription costs that keep me coming back. It’s hard to ignore such money-saving offers, in time of such financial…uncertainties.
Thanks for sharing that link; I’m going to add it to my county’s NAMI website. I have a page set aside for places that help you save money on prescriptions and such, and I didn’t have that one yet.