We have just updated the “links” page on this site with information about prescription medication savings and costs based on online research and an online discussion on the Psychopharmacology listserve.
Pharmacist Stephen Saklad summarized information about local pharmacies –
“Many of the Pharmacy Benefits Managers that are used by the insurers forbid the pharmacy to charge the lowest price, but instead the usual insurance copay unless they ask. Community pharmacists complain about this prohibition all the time. If someone is paying without insurance for their prescriptions, Costco is usually the lowest cost as they sell medications using the same formula as all other items they sell (gross cost to sell the item; all profits are made from the membership fees). Costco doesn’t require membership to use the pharmacy service.”
Previously, we had a number of links previously on this website to Canadian pharmacies that often offered significant cost savings. [The FDA considers this to be illegal, but has agreed not to prosecute individuals who import medications for their own use. In addition, the FDA has published an advisory warning about the practice.]
The “Canadian pharmacy” market has changed and, if you check on almost every company that claims to be an online Canadian pharmacy, you will find that they also operate pharmacies in other locations. Your prescription will often, or usually, end up coming from a non-Canadian pharmacy, which puts you at risk of receiving counterfeit pills or pills manufactured by companies that don’t follow industry standards. In August 2016, when I checked most recently, there appeared to be one exception: You Drugstore.
You Drugstore is listed in Pharmacy Checker as an online pharmacy that only has one, Canadian, location. It is also a Better Business Bureau accredited company. However it appears to be a relatively new company.