Hurlabrick

New to the lark or having to pay for your own prescription medication (roll on pharmacare!). My wife take thyroxine and I (just recently) starting medication for mild hypertension.

We both just wandered to Rexalls next door to the Docs and got the prescriptions filled and meekly handed over the cash.

Question is (me being thrifty again), where is the cheapest place or best deal in buying prescription medications? Some have mentioned Shopper Drug Mart. Is there an internet place? Just curious, coz I just paid $130-ish for three months worth of pills and I am tight!

scilly

The drug will cost the same wherever you get it.

The difference will be in the pharmacist's charge.

Phone around and ask how much each pharmacy charges to dispense a prescription.

It's always cheaper to buy a 3 month supply, as the dispensing fee is the same for each dispensing whether it is for 1 week, 1 month or 3 months.

The only time I would get a month or shorter prescription would be if the doctor recommended it for a new drug or a change of prescription, or if it was a short-term prescription (eg antibiotic)

I get my prescriptions from Safeway pharmacy, and pay a $10 dispensing fee. It might not be the cheapest in town, neither is it the most expensive, but it is convenient and easy for me to get to.

I've always thought time taken to drive around to find the cheapest price for something should be considered in with the value for money. My time is worth a lot!

Hurlabrick

Aaaah - OK, that simplifies things. Not bothered about $5 here or there. Yes, got a 3 months supply.

scilly

Now, someone will come on and say drugs are cheaper at Costco!!!

I don't have the patience to drive 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back (minimum) across town to find out!

FWIW ..... I'm on 3 hypertension drugs ........

a diuretic, 3 months supply costs $2.53 for the drug, $10 fee
Ramipril, 3 months $36.68 drug, $10 fee
Amlodipine, 3 months $143.55 drug, $10 fee.

Hurlabrick

Ill probably get the prescriptions filled at Costco next time anyway. I am already a member and I can time it so I can do it on one of our regular trips so I wouldn't make a special trip (I can gas up at the same time and save $$$$

I'm only on a low dose of Viacoram. I was hoping the 'Via' prefix might bestow some desirable side effects, but nothing out of the ordinary so far

Dorothy

Taking Viacoram is your problem. Viacoram is the brand name for 2 very common generics. Next time ask the GP for prescriptions for amlodipine and perindopril. It will probably be cheaper to get the 2 generics than the one brand name.

It's the same for things like Lipitor vs. generic atorvastatin. There's a huge difference in the price for the same medication.

Stinkypup

OK, Finally I will bite as people need facts, not guesswork. Simply not true - big variability between drug stores-similar dispensing fees apart from Costco but drug prices vary significantly from pharmacy to pharmacy- Use PharmacyCompass- website a useful price comparison site in BC - it shows the differing amounts
Example- 10mg Amlodipine at Cold Harbour Pharmacy Vancouver $1.08 per pill, Most others charge about 33-35c per pill, about a third of the price .


[QUOTE=scilly;12468728]Now, someone will come on and say drugs are cheaper at Costco!!!

I don't have the patience to drive 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back (minimum) across town to find out!

FWIW ..... I'm on 3 hypertension drugs ........

a diuretic, 3 months supply costs $2.53 for the drug, $10 fee
Ramipril, 3 months $36.68 drug, $10 fee
Amlodipine, 3 months $143.55 drug, $10 fee.[/QUOTE]


Then clearly you are being ripped off

I would agree with Dorothy, Viacorum is not covered as combination of two cheaper generic meds - OK if you have extended benefits. Perindopril is no longer easy to get covered in BC which is a pig given that it is a very effective med.

scrubbedexpat091

Long time no see stinkypup.

Stinkypup

Thanks JS, just cruising on through, righting wrongs and then disappearing back into the night

scilly

[QUOTE=Stinkypup;12468792]OK, Finally I will bite as people need facts, not guesswork. Simply not true - big variability between drug stores-similar dispensing fees apart from Costco but drug prices vary significantly from pharmacy to pharmacy- Use PharmacyCompass- website a useful price comparison site in BC - it shows the differing amounts
Example- 10mg Amlodipine at Cold Harbour Pharmacy Vancouver $1.08 per pill, Most others charge about 33-35c per pill, about a third of the price .




I just knew someone would correct me

Possibly am paying a lot ............... but I also am not about to get OH to drive all over Vancouver to find the cheapest deal.

Plus I know the pharmacists and their technicians, and as you know, they are the ones who keep an eye on possible drug interactions ......... I prefer to keep going to the same pharmacy

It's also why we pay huge amounts to both the government and private insurance ............ so we can afford to spend our time doing what we want instead of driving all over.

Stinkypup

[QUOTE=scilly;12468803] Yeah- I think I would travel to a vast range of pharmacies in all areas of Vancouver and say pay $28 plus $11 dispensing fee versus your $140 odd plus dispensing fee- a bit of a no brainer, you clearly have money to burn.

The reason that I have made a rare and brief reappearance, is whilst I think your intentions are good, you should really resist responding to a question without actually knowing the facts - people need to know the facts, not assumptions or guesswork... I have to say that this certainly isnt the first time.........The Caped Canine slinks off once again back into the shadows

beckiwoo

Absolutely true. At my old job, our extended medical provider sent a representative showing a PowerPoint about our benefits (as they would be changing slightly).

On it was a chart of dispensing fee prices across a range of pharmacies.

Rexell was one of the worst.

I go to Costco for groceries so it makes sense to get any medication dispensed from there.

Welcome back btw!!!

Aviator

They are and they offer home delivery. https://www.costcopharmacy.ca/default.aspx

scrubbedexpat091

Hope you come back one day again.

Dorothy

Nice to see you Caped Canine. Don't be a stranger here.

I'll be in your neck of the woods in early to mid June and we would love catch up with you and Snoop for a drink while we're there.