Best medicines for less, save money on prescription drugs

In this report: Overview; Multiplying medications; What makes a CR Best Buy Drug?; Saving money on prescription drugs; Talking to your doctor about medications

January 2008

Save money on prescription drugs

You can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars if you and your doctor choose a CR Best Buy Drug over a newer, highly advertised alternative. Prices are the national retail averages for commonly prescribed doses, from data collected by Wolters Kluwer Health, Pharmaceutical Audit Suite. Annual savings are presented only for drugs that are usually taken daily for extended periods.

Condition	Brand-name or top-selling drug	Cost per month	Alternative CR Best Buy drug	Cost per month	Monthly savings with CR Best Buy	Annual savings with CR Best Buy	Comment
Allergies, hay fever, hives	Zyrtec 10 mg (1 per day)	$101	Nonprescription loratadine (generic Claritin) 10 mg (1 per day)	$13	$ 88	NA	Find out if your insurer covers non-prescription loratadine. This could save a trip to the doctor.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)	Strattera 18 mg (1 per day)	184	Methylphenidate (generic Ritalin) 20 mg (2 per day)	40	144	$1,728	ADHD drugs might be overused. But they can help when prescribed correctly. Get an accurate diagnosis.
Cholesterol: high LDL	Lipitor 10 mg (1 per day)	98	Lovastatin 20 mg (1 per day)	34	64	768	Applicable only if you need to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by less than 30%.
Depression	Lexapro 20 mg (1 per day)	108	Fluoxetine (generic Prozac) 20 mg (1 per day)	42	66	792	Most antidepressants are available as generics. There’s no reason to start with a brand-name.
Diabetes: type 2	Actos 15 mg (1 per day)	151	Metformin 1000 mg (2 per day)	42	109	1,308	Many people with diabetes need to take two drugs, but starting with metformin is your best initial step.
Heartburn and GERD	Nexium 20 mg (1 per day)	210	Prilosec OTC 20 mg (1 per day)	26	184	NA	CR Best Buy alternative is a nonprescription drug. See a doctor if you have chronic heartburn.
Insomnia	Lunesta 2 mg (1 at bedtime)	56	Zolpidem (generic Ambien) 5 mg (1 at bedtime)	29	27	NA	Generic zolpidem is new. Don’t take sleeping pills for more than five to seven consecutive nights.
Osteoarthritis, joint pain	Celebrex 200 mg (1 per day)	174	Ibuprofen 400 mg (2 per day)	18	156	NA	Both prescription and nonprescription ibuprofen are available.
Schizophrenia	Seroquel 100 mg (2 per day)	300	Perphenazine 8 mg (2 per day)	56	244	2,928	The antipsychotics have major side effects, and response to them is highly variable.