Let’s face it, if we choose to go the medication route, in the treatment of our mental health issue, it can get very expensive. Many mental health patients do not have insurance, and even if they do, many insurance companies do not pay for the medications we need. Before my medication mix was figured out, I bounced around from one type of medication to another, I remember that one would have cost me over a thousand dollars a month if it had worked out.

Part of me wants to be mad at the pharmaceutical companies. How can they expect people to realistically afford their medications? What about people, me for example, who need to take several prescription medications daily? I realize the companies who make these medications have to make a profit, and there is time and research money involved in creating them, but still….I know people who go without their medications, including the medications they need for their mental health problem. I have gone without medications, when I could not afford them.

Then there is the other part of me that wants to praise the pharmaceutical companies. Several of them have given me free medications for over a year now. I have gotten free allergy meds, free insulin (two different types), free restless leg syndrome meds, free blood pressure meds, and two different medications for my depression.

Most people do not know about these programs that help you with your medication needs. I know that I did not. They are not advertised any where. I found out about them when I started going to a free clinic for my medical needs. I was fortunate and they handled all of the paperwork that needed to be sent to the pharmaceutical companies. However, it is possible to fill out that information yourself, or even have your doctor’s office do it for you.

When filling out these applications, be prepared to give them financial information, sometimes they base their approval on your income tax return.  Or they need you to have a relative or friend sign a form stating that you currently have no income.When applying, your doctor will need to write a prescription for a year’s worth of the medication.  Once everything has been approved the pharmaceutical company will automatically send the medication, usually enough for three months.  Most of the time they also send out refills automatically.  Be prepared to have to pick up your medications from your doctor’s office.  Most companies will prefer to send your meds to your doctor’s office, rather than straight to you.

Many pharmacies are now offering generic medications for $4 for a 30 day supply or $10 for a 90 day supply.  In my area, Kroger and Walmart are the ones that have the most extensive list of these discounted medications.  You and your doctor may have to get creative when writing your prescriptions for medications that might be on those lists.  For example, recently my primary doctor put me on a new high blood pressure medication.  The dosage I needed did not come in a generic form, so he wrote me two prescriptions with different dosages, when they are combined I get the amount he wants me to take.

There are discounts cards for prescriptions.  There are a couple ways you can obtain these prescription discount cards.  There are discount cards available from programs that are not affiliated with any pharmacy, and several that are affiliated with the pharmacies.  I have a drug discount card through Walgreens.  I pay $20 a year for it, and it has saved me a considerable amount of money.

Most extended released (XR) medications do not come in a generic form.  If you have no problem taking medications, you can ask your doctor to write your prescription for the regular form of your medicine, which often comes in a generic form.  However, you need to be aware that you will have to take the medicine two or three times a day, instead of just once, like you would with an XR form.

In another post, I will have a list of places you can go to find online applications for free and/or discounted medications, a well as links for some prescription discount card programs.