What to Do When You Can’t Afford Your Medication
There is no question that in the US, there are a lot of people who find it distressing and overly daunting to afford their medication. Prescription drugs and even over the counter painkillers and whatnot can be significantly pricey. And with costs soaring, it isn’t going get any easier – that is unless if you do something about, which you can.
So what to do when you can afford your medication? You mustn’t worry that’s for sure. Of course, it is going to take some work and research on your part as well. Fortunately for you, mentioned below are some of the best things you can do to support yourself and your family medical prescriptions without letting the situation get out of hand:
This is What You Can and Must Do
1. Discuss the Possibilities of Replacing your Current Medications with Generic Alternatives
When it starts becoming to make ends meet when juggling expensive medical prescriptions, one of the best options you have is to opt for generic alternatives. Now ethically speaking, your doctor will not talk to you about generic medications and will not prescribe them to you unless you ask of them.
This is highly critical. You need to discuss your predicament with your physicians or the specialist – tell them how difficult is to afford your current prescriptions and if he can help prescribing low-cost and effective alternatives.
However, it is possible that generic medications may not be available for some of your drugs. In this case, you can directly contact the company and ask them whether or not they plan to launch any generics in the future. A majority of pharmaceuticals do not broadly advertise whether they plan to launch alternative medications or not. However, they do conduct trials for which they need a volunteer and it is legal.
But you need to be eligible for the process. The best way to find out if you can be a part of a legitimate drug trial is to ask your pharmacist. Drugstore professionals have a good idea about generic medications as well – and the fact that they have direct ties to supplies. This means they can get the information you want.
2. Ask Your Doctor for Drug Samples
So we come back to having a discussion with your primary healthcare professional. Another viable yet short-term way of finding a solution to your problem is to vouch for drug samples. A lot of times, physicians and specialists are provided with sample medications and drugs to test their efficacy and effectiveness for certain diseases.
Plenty of doctors have their cabinets full of drug samples. They can prescribe some to you to help you reduce your symptoms, but this isn’t a long-term solution. But you can buy some time to think about a real way of being able to afford your prescriptions.
3. Assistance Programs for Prescription Drugs
Another smart way of affording your medications is to vouch for legal, FDA approved drug programs that are basically designed to help cover the total price of your prescription. A lot of states offer various medication discount programs and a pharmacy savings card to help citizens afford important prescriptions. There are some website you can go to as well to print a subscription or a pharmacy savings card for free.
A total of thirty states offer these assistance programs, which come under the umbrella of State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs. You can refer to the National Conference of State Legislatures to know how you can contact these assistance programs and whether or not you are eligible for them. However, it is important to understand certain prescriptions medications that are covered by your Medicare or Medicaid will not be available on discount.
4. Consult with your Pharmacist
Your pharmacist can become your greatest ally when you are down and in a pinch. Reputed, individual pharmacies are affiliated with drug companies and major pharmaceuticals. Pharmacists may have a good idea about whether a particular drug company is going to launching drug trials.
Moreover, you can also inquire whether or not a pharmaceutical company is going to launching a generic version of a prescription medication. There are many companies that do not like to advertise that they are planning to launch a generic alternative. However, through your pharmacist, you learn how to contact these companies and volunteer for a drug trial.
However, you’d first have to become eligible for the process and that primarily depends on what you are treating and the type of medical insurance you have.
In some instance, when you can’t take out the money to pay for your prescriptions immediately, your pharmacist may able to hold your prescriptions for a few days and give you a re-fill worth a few days. However, that is totally on his discretion and depend if you are a frequent or loyal customer. But it is vital to understand that this isn’t a permanent or long-term solution because he will not be able to hold a prescription for controlled substances and expensive medications.
Your pharmacist may also be privy to information about upcoming discounts and whatnot. They can also supply you with the coupons if you are a friendly and loyal customer.
Bottom Line
There is no doubt that things can get a bit tight when you talk about chemotherapy drugs and other controlled substances – they are expensive and can have an impact on your budget. However, the aforementioned factors are the only possible, legal and viable options you have to be able to afford your prescription medications.
This is a collaborative post.
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