Cut Your Prescription Costs

3. Visit drug Web sites and get coupons.
If the generic equivalent is not available because it's not yet being produced, you can still save money. Many prescription drug makers offer coupon incentives to encourage consumers to try their specific brand-name medication over competing brands.

These coupons can offer hefty discounts on the medication and more coupons usually arrive while you are taking the drug. The biggest obstacle to using this saving opportunity is finding them. Most "sign-up" programs do not tell you the details about what medication they are promoting or the discounts you'll receive. Most are written in general terms describing the ailment and include such words is "information, gifts and savings."

It is only after you register for these programs that you receive the information about the discounts they offer and which specific prescription drug is being promoted. The best opportunity to find these savings is on TV and in magazines where the ads will Web site where they can be found.

4. Switch dosage or split pills.
One way to cut prescription prices in half is if you can find the correct dosage or split pills. This is possible because most prescription drugs cost the same per tablet, regardless of their strength. For example, a prescription drug manufacturer that produces a pill with a strength of 50 mg and another of the same medication at 100mg will usually charge the same price for each of the pills. In most cases, stronger dosages aren't more expensive.

If you currently take multiple tablets at the same time each day (for example two 50 mg tablets) and the manufacturer -- Pfizer (PFE Quote) or Merck (MRK Quote), for example -- makes the same medication in a stronger dosage, switching to a single 100 mg tablet will reduce your prescription cost by 50%. You can also do the opposite by "splitting" medication. If you need a medication of 50 mg, you can purchase 100 mg tablets and then split the tablets in half. This will give you the same 50 mg of prescription medication you need for half the price. Be sure to consult with your doctor before doing any tablet splitting on your own.

5. Frequent different pharmacies.
When it comes to reducing your drug costs, you can save money by thinking beyond the actual medications. Pharmacies, including the large ones like Walgreens (WAG Quote) and retailers like Wal-Mart (WMT Quote), want your business and many are willing to give you a discount to do so. Keep an eye for newspaper inserts and mailings, where pharmacies will give dollars off for bringing in a prescription to them. By switching between a number of different pharmacies in your area, you may be able to get a discount on your prescription orders most of the time.