Would you like to save money on your medications? With today’s rising healthcare costs, more of us are having a tough time paying for much-needed medications. As these costs continue to rise, it is important to find low cost drugs and/or ways to reduce these costs.
If you have a chronic illness and take several medications, the costs may become a serious burden on both you and your family. Many chronic medical conditions can require a patient to take drugs to alleviate symptoms and to keep pain under control. Drugs can also reduce the chance of recurrence for patients who experience a life-threatening illness and increase chances of remission.
Unfortunately though, these medications can also be very costly. Even if the patient has prescription medication coverage, the coverage may be limited in scope and not all medications are covered.
A new report from Consumer Reports last year found that some people are having trouble affording their prescription drugs and have taken dangerous steps as a result. The survey, released last March, found that people have taken steps such as not filling prescriptions, skipping dosages and cutting pills in half without the approval of their doctor, and even sharing prescriptions with a friend to help manage their costs.
There are ways to save money on these medications. Your first step is to speak with your doctor about your financial concerns. Your doctor will be more willing to write a prescription for a generic medication or change your therapy to a less-expensive alternative if she knows that you are concerned about money.
In this month’s Caregiver Education Session, Dr. Peter Tong, Pharmacist with Pharmasave-Grandview Corners, will give expert advice in his talk “How to save money on medications,” a talk focusing on how to stretch your dollar – without compromising your family’s health.
This session will take place at the Amendia Seniors’ Community at 13855 68Ave. on Saturday, Jan. 22.
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., with the presentation running from 10-11 a.m. This is a free session open to all but pre-registration is required, so call to reserve your seat: 604-531-9400 or email jcheema@comeshare.ca.
Jas Cheema is a caregiving support coordinator at the White Rock, Surrey Comeshare Society. She can be contacted at 604-531-9400 or jcheema@comeshare.ca