Because most patients don't pay full price for their prescriptions, many physicians don't pay too much attention to prescription costs. This can cost you hundreds of dollars yearly!

Carefully selecting generics, when available and appropriate, can save a fortune, as can selecting combination pills (although sometimes it is cheaper to use two separate medicines). For example - one of the most widely prescribed skin lotions is called "Lotrisone". This combines a cortisone-type medicine with an anti-fungal medicine. A 60 gram tube is about $48 (wholesale pharmacy cost). Each of these two medicines is available as a generic for about $2 for 60 grams - so for $4 you can get 60 grams of each and just rub a little of each on your rash twice a day!

Did you know that Pepcid (for heartburn and ulcers) as a prescription 40mg tablet costs about $2.60 each? Prescription drugs - because most consumers don't see the actual cost - are not marketed to be cost competitive. The over-the-counter Pepcid AC, which is 10mg of the same medicine, costs the pharmacy about $0.20 each! If you can count to four you can save a bunch of money on this medicine!

These are just examples. Sometimes you need a particular medicine, and sometimes they are expensive, but sometimes we can find ways to make it less painful financially! One good place to start when evaluating the cost of your medication is the AARP website - their pharmacy service will allow you to look up prices - you can compare generics, compare prices of combination products or prices of your combination product separated into two separate medicines (sometimes cheaper, sometimes not). Of course, you can also look at the Canadian pharmacy web sites as well, but be aware that many of them do not tell you when there is a generic available - even though their brand names drugs are cheaper, they may still not be looking out for your best interests!