Get More for Your Health Care Dollar
You might save big bucks if your doctor has prescribed Nexium, Prevacid, Protonix, Aciphex or Prilosec - the drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). According to Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs, Prilosec OTC, the kind you can get without a prescription, is just as effective. If you must pay the full cost of your prescription drugs, ask your doctor whether you can safely try Prilosec OTC instead of your prescription PPI. The nonprescription drug costs so much less you might save up to $200 a month.
On the other hand, if health insurance pays for your prescription drugs, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs suggests you ask whether your health plan offers a discount coupon for Prilosec OTC. If not, work with your doctor and insurance company to figure out which GERD medicine you can get for the lowest out-of-pocket cost. Research shows that all of these drugs are equally effective at their starting doses.
And here's a bonus tip. If you already take a PPI twice a day and still get overnight heartburn, don't waste your money on a nightly round of H2 blockers, like Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac, or Axid. Although these drugs reduce stomach acid production, research shows adding them probably won't help.
© FCA Publishing
Excerpt from FC&A's 1,001 Prescription Secrets for Seniors.
