The cost of our Migraine medications is one of the biggest issues we face with Migraine disease. Even with “good” insurance, sometimes those costs are prohibitive. Even generic medications aren’t as affordable as they once were.
Other Issues with Prices of Migraine Medications:
- There are patient assistance programs available for most brand name Migraine medications, but not for generics. I’ve been seeing entirely too many online discussions in which people are disclosing that they’re not able to fill some of their prescriptions for Migraine medications because they can’t afford them.
- Many insurance companies limit the number of doses they’ll cover on Migraine medications such as the triptans.
- Another issue we face is the huge variation in medication cost from one pharmacy to the next. We may find a pharmacy that has a great price on one prescription only to find that their price on a different prescription is outrageous. Calling around to different pharmacies to compare prices is time-consuming and frustrating. What’s a person to do?
This May Help:
Have you heard of a website and mobile app called GoodRx? If not, I strongly urge you to check it out. My husband and I have been using it, and it has definitely saved us money, time, and frustration. GoodRx has collected prices for every FDA-approved prescription medication at more than 70,000 pharmacies in the United States.
When you go to their website or use their app, you enter the information for your prescription – medication name, dosage, number of doses, etc. GoodRx will then show you a list of pharmacies in your area, along with the prices on the prescription. Sometimes, there’s a coupon you need to use, but it’s right there on their website or on your phone.
Even in our relatively small city, the pharmacists have been familiar with GoodRx and more than willing to work with the coupons. In a couple of cases, my husband showed the pharmacist at his favorite pharmacy that another local pharmacy had a lower price, and the pharmacist met that price.
I should also mention that there have been times when it’s been to our advantage to use GoodRx and pay cash because it was less expensive than using our insurance and paying the co-pay.
There are many medications that patients with Migraine use. I’ve looked up the average price of a few of them, then looked them up on GoodRx to give you some examples:
- sumatriptan (Imitrex) 100 mg, nine tablets: average price $154.99; GoodRx price $12.40
- rizatriptan (Maxalt) 10 mg, nine orally disintegrating tablets: average price $305.99; GoodRx price $21.04
- ondansetron (Zofran) 4 mg, 10 orally disintegrating tablets; average price $57.99; GoodRx price $9.17
- topiramate (Topamax) 100 mg, 60 tablets: average price $251.99; GoodRx price $12.13
- Trokendi XR (new, no generic yet) 100 mg, 30 capsules: average price $759.99; GoodRx price $656.00
Prices are bound to vary from one area to the next, but as you can see, some of the savings are quite significant.
You can use GoodRx from their website, or get the app for IOS or Android. If you register for their email newsletter, you’ll get notifications of new drug approvals as well as helpful articles about medications. It’s worth checking prices for your Migraine medications as well as other medications. The savings can add up quickly.