Get professional advice before cutting back on prescription medications
October 22, 2008
The New York Times had an article this morning about people who are cutting back on their prescription medications in order to save money. You can read the whole article here.
Some of these people have decided to take their medication every other day instead of daily. Some people are cutting pills in half. Still others have stopped taking their prescriptions all together.
When money gets tight, health care is one of the first things that people let slide. They ignore that pain in their back or put off getting new eye glasses. People assume that can wait.
I have two suggestions for anyone is a financial crunch who is considering altering the way they take their prescription medications.
The first suggestion is to get financial advice. Schedule a free credit counseling session and let a certified credit counselor look at your budget and help you determine if there is any way to free up some money to put towards your medication. At the very least, you will walk away from the session with some good advice and a plan for the future.
The second suggestion is to talk to your doctor. If you determine that there is absolutely no way to pay for all of your medications, don’t decide what to cut out or how to cut back without professional advice. Be honest with your doctor about your financial situation and ask if he or she can help you figure out how or what to adjust. Maybe there is a generic form of the drug you can take. Maybe some medications would be less detrimental to take every other day than others. Don’t play doctor to yourself.
You don’t want to end up in a situation where you cut back on a medication and end up with a more serious medical problem. Your health should be your number one priority.
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