Pay Less for Medicine by Buying More at One Time

There are some easy ways to save money on prescription medication costs, and one often overlooked way to save money is by splitting pills.

Having been diagnosed with CTEPH, a rare, terminal condition, as well as congestive heart failure and other related conditions that are secondary to the main ones, I take a lot of medication to make it through my day. Without insurance, these medications can cost a small fortune, and they take a sizeable chunk of my disposable income (as if any income is disposable!)

One trick I’ve learned to save money is splitting pills. Before thinking you understand this advice, it’s important to note that splitting pills is not the same as reducing or cutting your dosage in half. Online, there’s a growing trend by some patients to share advice with others that doctors prescribe too much medication, and that you can reduce your prescription in half and save money. This is almost universally not true and it’s a really bad idea.

What I mean by pill splitting is this: Some medication comes in tablet form, scored so it can be split in half or fourths, and smaller dosages can be taken at one time than the size/dosage of the tablet itself. However, the right amount of medication-the amount the doctor prescribed-is still the amount you will take.

For example, if your doctor prescribes 20meq of potassium, twice per day, you typically would receive a prescription bottle with 60 pills in it each month, two pills, 20meq each, each day-for a total of 40meq per day. The label would likely read: “Take one table, twice per day, by mouth.” That prescription, for me, would cost around $49 at my local pharmacy.

However, if the doctor instead wrote the prescription instead to be for 40meq, one pill per day, you’re receive a bottle with 30 potassium pills in it for the month, still for the total of 40meq per day. The label would then read: “Take ½ pill, twice per day, by mouth.” That prescription, for me, would cost $22 at my local pharmacy.

I would still be taking 40meq per day, still taking it twice per day, just like my doctor wanted me to do. The only two differences would be that I have to cut the pills in half and I get to cut my spending in half too! I save $27 per month, or about $324 per year on just one prescription.

Do this for two or three prescriptions, and the savings can be quite significant. The reason for this is, the cost of manufacturing one pill is about the same, regardless of the strength in mg. of the medication. Sure, a slightly higher dosage will likely cost a little bit more, but it won’t cost nearly as much as doubling a lower dosage. If you combine this pill splitting technique with things like asking your doctor for 90-day supply prescriptions, asking for coupons for free one-month trial supplies, and asking your doctor to give you free sample packets from his office, your annual prescription medication savings could be tremendous, particularly if you have medication you take on a regular basis. Throw mail-order savings for prescriptions in on top of that, and even those without insurance are better able to absorb the cost of prescriptions.

Keep in mind, you should never change a prescription on your own without consulting your doctor or healthcare professional. Not all medication is safe to split in this way, and your doctor can decide which are safe and which are not made to split. If you’re unsure about any of your medications, your pharmacist can always answer many of your questions or act as a liaison with your doctor about your prescriptions. Don’t forget to ask your pharmacist if they have any money-saving tips for your prescriptions too. Mine is always able to help me find reduced rates on my medications each month.