<p>I have been taking Pravastatin for about 7 years. When I moved to NC 5 years ago I went to Target pharmacy and they would fill a 2 month prescription for $10. It is a generic drug, and for that price I didn’t even put it on my insurance. Last time I refilled my prescription my wife picked it up for me and told me it was a huge hassle because Target was going to charge $57. After much discussion they said they would “price match” Walmart and gave it to her for $8. This left me wondering if they lost money on that one or they were really going to mark up less than $8 worth of drugs to $57. </p>
<p>But, the reason for this thread is, I called Walmart and they told me that they are indeed removing Pravastatin from their list of $4 generics. They also told me that for the month of January (I don’t know how widespread this practice is) their pharmacist would refill any length prescription you can get from your doctor. I called my doctor and they sent over a 6 month prescription, and I was charged $20. (Don’t know why it wasnt 4 x 6 = 24)</p>
<p>Very happy with Walmart, but the message is it pays to comparison shop. I have also had good luck with those many internet coupons for buying drugs not covered by insurance.</p>
<p>You can easily check drug prices online. Both Target and Walmart list their $4 (1 month) and $10 (3 months) drugs. Also check your insurance provider preferred pharmacy lists- including any mail order.</p>
<p>Target took a common generic off their $4/10 list a few months ago. The pharmacist gave me the drug at the old price but told me it had now changed, sigh. It was nice of them as you typically just keep using the same pharmacy and refusing that order while getting my physician to reorder it elsewhere would have been a hassle. I did the checking and figured out the cheapest way to get what I use- it doesn’t pay to be loyal to any place.</p>
<p>Getting older and needing prescription drugs is no fun.</p>
It’s deja vu all over again!! When my 6 month Walmart prescription ran out I searched around and found that CVS (a $15 annual membership required) would give me Pravastatin for $11.99 for 3 months. Last week my wife went to pick up my prescription refill and they wanted $105. She called me and I instructed her to tell them to F### off. I shopped around and got it filled at Rite-Aid. Their website advertised generics for $15.99 for a 90 day supply, but for some reason they charged me $11.99.
And the same old question pops into my head. If CVS is charging $105 and Rite-Aid $11.99 for the same thing, who is pocketing, or attempting to pocket, the $93.01 ? Is Rite-Aid losing money? Is CVS trying to make $100 on a $5 pill? Do different suppliers charge wildly different amounts? This seems a bit crazy.
I had no idea as I just use my insurance and don’t shop around. We don’t currently have any monthly prescriptions, but I will keep your info in mind for future prescriptions.
Costco tends to have good prices as well. It is crazy how the prices of these meds can jump around.
My insurer has NO copay if you get a 90-day supply of some meds, but has a $4-7 or more copay for a 30 day supply! They also don’t cover Prilosec Tablets at all, but if you get 90 days of the capsules, they are FREE! I’m grateful my local CVS pharmacist will help us try different options to figure out the lowest copays, but it is VERY weird!
Second madison. Geez, the Pharmacists are just doing their jobs.
I just get mine all filled at CVS because I have something like 12 different prescriptions and they’re constantly changing. If they’re at different pharmacies, I’m afraid that there might be a bad interaction between my meds if they’re not on file at the same place.
Also CVS always tries to get me the cheapest option- even if that means buying OTC because the prescription version of X is more expensive. But if it ever gets to the point where my meds are running me in the hundreds, I’ll shop around.
I really am grateful for the pharmacists and appreciate how hard they try to balance and juggle their tasks–getting the right Rx, awareness of our allergies, being sure there are refills on the Rx, and trying to help patients get a decent price.
Yelling at the pharmacists/staff just seems like shooting the messenger and counter-productive. If you’re annoyed, write a letter to the President and/or CEO of the pharmacy, not personally attack the staff.
Wow. I take prevastatin and have only gone through insurance. I wonder if the prices mentioned are nationwide. My copay isn’t high and it comes to me in the mail so I don’t think I’ll shop around right now but I will definitely remember to shop around in the future.
I don’t believe for a moment that NJres’s wife swore at a pharmacist. Are we no longer allowed to have a story-telling style on CC? Or is it just more satisfying to be a member of the tone police?
I don’t think anyone here thinks she actually told him that. It was the fact that he told her to (according to him) that rubbed me (us?) the wrong way.
It’s not a tone thing. It’s a content thing. There’s a difference.
Pretty sure I would have been that frustrated too. Probably wouldn’t have actually sworn though. And although the Pharmacist doesn’t set the prices, they obviously have the discretion to change them from the stories told above. My husband takes more than a dozen prescriptions every month. I have to carefully monitor what the pharmacist does. Both the pricing and the actual pills given. I, too, would shop around but worry about interactions and the pain of having to have doctors write new prescriptions every months so I can do so.
But it shouldn’t be my job to make sure they are charging the fairest price. Nor that it gets filled on time or that it is filled correctly. I have gone to the head of the pharmacy who assures me they will try harder but they never do.
Seems though that the main issue here is not the one price discussed but why such huge differences? This is a system that needs to be fixed. The healthy among us can spend the time to shop around, compare and monitor but others are not so fortunate and probably already have trouble affording their medication. Shouldn’t be up to them to make sure the pharmacy is billing fairly.
The pharmacist at my Target told me that CVS has bought out the Target pharmacy business. H used the Up and UP (Target house brand) of an item that is no longer available. This is likely the source of some of the changes we are encountering at Target, at least.
Renewal time again! CVS texted me that my prescription was ready. I called them and explained that I had moved my prescription to a less expensive pharmacy, and thought I had told them 3 months ago that I was doing this. BTW, how much is the prescription? $100+ something. So I made it very clear the prescription at their pharmacy should be cancelled so that in 3 months they don’t needlessly fill a prescription and I don’t get a text. Just called Rite-Aid, and my refill will be ready at 2pm, still $11.99 for 3 months.
Lately, many of my CVS Rx have been free, but only when I get a 90-day supply. There is a copay when it’s for a 30-day supply. I did have a $75 copay for 180 pills of Nexium 40mg. If I had filled with Pilosec, it would have been free. My allergist said Nexium is really better, so I went with it and the copay.
target pharmacy is now cvs
rite aid is now walgreens (or at least in merger transition)
try your local supermarket chain if they have a pharmacy…I have found supermarket pharmacies to be more competitive and quicker/happier… that of course is a my super small non scientific sampling.