Saving Money on Drugs without Harming Health

Everyone who pays for health care, whether it is an individual, an insurance company or a government agency, is complaining about the rising cost of health care. The exception is prescription drugs.
Generic drugs now dominate the marketplace. They account for more than three fourths of the prescriptions dispensed. The savings are enormous.
There is no other consumer item where the spread between the brand name and the generic is so great. Take the sleeping pill Ambien, for example. A three-month’s supply costs more than $500. You could get the same amount of the generic zolpidem for about $12 from a discount drugstore.
As long as the generic is identical to the brand name and works as well, we are all in favor of saving money. The problem is that Americans have no way of knowing where the generic drugs are made and what quality control was used.
We recently heard from a veteran pharmacist with 40 years of experience: “I am very disturbed about the generic drugs that are coming into this country from who knows where. The FDA considers the country of origin to be confidential information. In many cases, I cannot even tell where the drug was manufactured to advise patients. I find this outrageous. Every consumer has a right to know where his drugs are made.”
Even brand-name pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson and Johnson or GlaxoSmithKline have gotten themselves into terrible manufacturing problems despite FDA onsite inspections. We are concerned about small generic drug manufacturing plants in India and China where the FDA doesn’t visit.
Many readers of this column have reported complications with generic medications. One says: “I had been using Ambien successfully for years. I was switched to the generic three months ago. I wake up after only a few hours and stay awake just looking at the clock. I have headaches and feel like a walking mummy.”
Another reader reported: “I have taken Valium for chronic vertigo for 30 years. This year I was forced by my insurance company to take diazepam. Within two days on this generic, I had severe vertigo, tremors and lack of sleep. I could not function.
“My doctor protested that I must have the brand due to failure of generic diazepam. The insurance company said it would cost me $656 for a 90-day supply, as opposed to $12 for the generic. I can’t afford $656.”
Many people find themselves facing this type of dilemma. We have prepared a Guide to Saving Money on Medicines to help people use generic drugs wisely.
Here are some tips:
* Keep a diary of your response to your medicine.
* Track the numbers such as blood pressure, blood sugar or thyroid function.
* If anything changes while taking a generic, contact your doctor.
* Experiment by switching back to a brand name or a different generic manufacturer.
* Enlist your doctor as your ally to appeal to your insurance company if you can verify a problem with your generic drug.