<p>I just went to pick up a prescription for my husband for a medication not covered by insurance. It is a new prescription only because the refills have run out. Hubby told Dr. he wanted it filled at Walgreen’s instead of Rite Aid where it is normally filled. The price was $50 more at Walgreens! Thankfully I was picking it up. I refused it and had it transferred back to Rite Aid. This experience has me thinking. What are your experiences with pharmacies and cost and has anyone used an online pharmacy successfully.</p>
<p>The majority of online only pharmacies sell counterfeit or otherwise something similar but at wildly different doses. It’s been in the news quite a bit lately.</p>
<p>Places like Costco often have the best prices for prescriptions that are costly. If you are a member, see what price they can do.</p>
<p>You also can try a Canadian pharmacy online. My grandparents used them prior to medicare part d.</p>
<p>All pharmacies have different prices and its good to shop around… Even if it is covered by insurance. The cheaper the pharmacy, the lower they pay, the lower the premiums are. Everyone should be doing this, imho.</p>
<p>^^^^The problem with some Canadian online pharmacies is that they are not actually in Canada and have no association whatsoever with Canada. They will have Canada in the name, but are actually in Turkey or Nigeria or wherever. You absolutely cannot assume that they will be of the same quality and safety as that from a real Canadian pharmacy.</p>
<p>Buying in US, is no guarantee.
[Are</a> we sure our drugs are safe? - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/01/opinion/dingell-drug-oversight]Are”>http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/01/opinion/dingell-drug-oversight)
[Drug</a> ingredients made in China entering market with little oversight - NBC News.com](<a href=“http://t.nbcnews.com/health/drug-ingredients-made-china-entering-market-little-oversight-968328]Drug”>Drug ingredients made in China entering market with little oversight)
[As</a> drug making goes global, oversight found lacking](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2012/10/21/global-drug-manufacturing-oversight/1646487/]As”>As drug making goes global, oversight found lacking)</p>
<p>My husband takes a prescription that is very expensive and not covered by insurance. His doctor told him to use a Canadian pharmacy and gave him the name of one to call. Normally I wouldn’t feel comfortable going this route but am inclined to try it based on the doctor’s recommendation.</p>
<p>WalMart. They have a long list of common meds that are $4 for a 30 day supply, pick up from the store. You can order your refills so it’s waiting when you arrive – 2 hour lead time if I recall.</p>
<p>Or, they will ship you a 90 day supply for $10, free shipping.</p>
<p>I stopped using my insurance because WalMart is cheaper than the co-pay from my insurance.</p>
<p>We’ve used “Canadian” pharmacies for years.</p>
<p>The difference in price with my current prescription is $10.00/pill in U.S. vs. $2.41/pill with the overseas pharm.</p>
<p>If you do the homework and pick a reputable pharmacy I don’t see a problem. They found theirs through their doctor as well.</p>
<p>Walmart does have good prices on the generics.</p>
<p>Check out [Prices</a>, Coupons and Information - GoodRx](<a href=“http://www.goodrx.com/]Prices”>http://www.goodrx.com/) to see how they show pharmacy prices in your area. I found it useful when I had a prescription filled a while back. They had pricing that matched what I got when I called pharmacies, but their website also included information about a program from the manufacturer of the drug where I got the first month for free, and any refills for the rest of the year for $10.</p>
<p>I’m on some very expensive antibiotics, I have to use pharmacychecker.com to find the cheapest ones. As of today I have ordered from cheapodrugs and northwestpharmacy but I trust all on that site. </p>
<p>From what I have found any pharmacy with a red “cipa” certification is ok. It takes anywhere from 2-4 weeks to get my drugs, and sometimes they are packaged for a different market, they are labeled in German, French, etc. They have all been good though.</p>
<p>edit: As far as the quality goes, if it says brand name when I order it, it will be made by the same manufacturer that makes it in the U.S. They are produced in other countries though that might have lesser standards of course, but if the rich in India, China, Russia, or England takes these same drugs, I feel ok. Like I said I’ve never had a problem with the quality and I order some antibiotics that go for 500 dollars a month in the U.S. for 80-150 dollars a month from these Canadian distributors(which is what they really are).</p>
<p>If you want to make sure your “Canadian online pharmacy” is CIPA approved, this might help:</p>
<p>[Rogues</a> & Frauds « Canadian International Pharmacy Association](<a href=“http://www.cipa.com/fraudulent-sites/]Rogues”>http://www.cipa.com/fraudulent-sites/)</p>
<p>I wish we had a Costco. Unfortunately the closest one is over an hour away. Thanks for all of the links for comparison shopping. I will take a look.</p>
<p>Our insurance co (Cigna) promotes its on-line pharmacy. It works very well for regular drugs (Crestor/Lipitor) because you get 90 days supply for 60 days of co-pay.
Check with your insurance company to see if they do mail order. Doesn’t work for a quick antibiotic that you might need immediately, but for all else it seems like a win.
they will mail 2 day air if you want to pay extra, too.
Works well for us.</p>
<p>We have Express Scripts and they mandate that any refills be done online or you pay a huge penalty. For controlled substances, including ADHD meds, this is a huge PITA, as NJ state law requires a paper script and will only allow a pharmacy to dispense a 30 day supply w no refills. Does anyone have experience filling Concerta at Costco if you still haveaprescription plan? Is it cheaper than CVS?</p>