Medication kit by comicpie, on Flickr

If you take prescription medication, you probably know just how expensive it can be to refill your prescription. If your medication is cutting into your funds, it’s probably a good time to research your costs and see if you can find some ways to help lower the amount you pay each time you get your refill.

Check Your Insurance

Many insurance providers have policies that help pay for prescription medication. Speak to your insurance company and see if any of your medicinal costs are covered, and see if there’s a way to have them cover more of the expense. If it adds too much to your monthly expenses to add on prescription coverage, however, it might be best to stick with paying out-of-pocket.

If they can’t cover more of the cost of the prescription, however, see if they have any ways to lower the price. It’s advantageous for your insurance to lower your costs since it can often lower their costs as well, so they could very well have details that will help you find a way to make your medicine cheaper.

Try Generic Brands

Many name-brand prescriptions have generic brand versions available that are just as effective but much cheaper, and these are much more likely to be fully covered by insurance. Check to see if there’s a generic brand available for your prescription, and if there is you should seriously consider switching over. The FDA regulates prescription medication, and they ensure that generic medication is virtually identical to the expensive name-brand stuff, getting you the medicine you need without the added cost.

Talk to Your Doctor

Before considering any changes in your medication, however, be sure to speak to your doctor. If you explain the situation and the need to lower expenses, your doctor can help come up with several options such as alternative medication, different dosing, or cheaper versions of the prescription. Your doctor can help you find what’s best for your health and your wallet.

Check out Multiple Pharmacies

Once you’re sure about the prescription and have spoken to your doctor regarding your options, it’s a good idea to look at the various pharmacies available to you. Some pharmacies will be able to get the medication to you at a cheaper price, which can allow you to save hundreds of dollars a year, so it’s important you don’t just go with the pharmacy down the street. Check both online and brick-and-mortar stores to find a price that suits you.

Online pharmacies can sometimes be significantly cheaper than anything you’ll find in your city, and it can be tempting to place your order and give your billing information without looking too closely. This can be dangerous, though, since there’s the possibility of the pharmacy being fake and selling counterfeit or illegal drugs. To protect against this, go to the FDA’s website and check their list of secure pharmacy sites.

Look for Legitimate Deals

While there are scams out there, with a little common sense you should be able to avoid them. Once you know what site you’d like to place your order with, search online for any extra deals for that site and for your specific medication. Companies and sites often have promotional deals and coupons that you can find and use online, significantly reducing your costs when you purchase the item.

Medication costs can be burdensome, but if you make smart choices and discuss your options with people knowledgeable on the subject, like your doctor or insurance provider, and if you’re willing to put in some effort to research ways to reduce the cost of your purchase, you can often find easy ways to save a large amount of money on your prescriptions.

Michael Winters writes for health blogs and suggests going to AccessRx.com for information on the dangers of Canadian online pharmacies.