Splitting Pills to Save Money... But Ask Your Doctor First!

Splitting pills can be a good option to save money, but check with your doctor first – not all pills can be split. Here’s a story about how Mrs. H saved money by splitting pills.

Mrs. H was prescribed 40 mg Lipitor to control her cholesterol. She was spending $115 a month -and was having trouble affording this cost. So, she started skipping days to make her supply last longer. She discovered that even though she was skipping days, she was still feeling fine. Of course, you all know from my previous post that this is a dangerous practice.

Sure enough, at her next visit to her doctor she discovered her cholesterol levels were getting worse – even though she felt fine. Drugs like Lipitor may not make you feel any different, but they are important medications that help you live longer.

A lot of people don’t realize this, but many drugs cost the same regardless of dose. So 40mg of Lipitor might cost the same at 80mg, even those 80mg is twice as strong. That’s why pill splitting can be a money-saving option for some people… but always ask your doctor first!

Mrs. H’s physician prescribed her an 80mg dose of Lipitor, and Mrs. H bought a $5.00 pill splitter from the local drug store and began cutting the 80mg tablet of Lipitor in half. This was a savings of 50% – and a much better, safer option than skipping treatments. But I’ll say it again –don’t ever split pills without first consulting your doctor!

Comments

[Lily]

I pay less than $9 for 30 tablets of Simvastatin 80 mg using the prescription discount card that I found at www.rxdrugcard.com. That’s less than my insurance co-pay was! The RxDrugCard costs me $4.50 a month. They show drug prices on their website to check your meds before you enroll. Check it out!