If you are like many of the millions of people in the United States without insurance coverage for health care and prescriptions, you will surely know the value of a dollar when it comes to filling prescriptions. This can be a very costly situation, especially for those people who may be living from paycheck to paycheck or those who are suffering from an illness or condition that requires an extensive amount of medications to be taken. Even if you have insurance, the medications that you need may not be covered, leaving you with a large amount to pay towards your much needed prescriptions.
I took seven common prescriptions and compared the prices of the generic equivalents at a Walgreens pharmacy to those at a CVS pharmacy. Now let’s take a look at the comparison in prices for these medications between these two pharmacies.
1. Lasix (Furosemide) 40mg – This is a drug that is common prescribed to try and relieve the body of excess water gain. It increases your urine output and acts a diuretic. If you were to purchase the generic form of this drug from CVS, you would be spending $12.29 for 90 pills. Purchasing this same drug at Walgreens costs $15.13 for 100 pills.
2. Zoloft (Sertraline) 25mg – This is a very common drug that is prescribed by physicians to treat depression and mood disorders. Buying the Zoloft in generic form would only cost you $29.99 for a 1 month supply. By taking a trip to your local Walgreen’s, you will end up paying $32.99 for the same one month supply.
3. Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate) 10mg – This drug is intended to help people who are having problems sleeping. This is usually a short-term drug as it has the potential to become habit forming. Depending on what you and your doctor discuss, you can purchase the 30 day supply of this generic medicine for only $17.99 from both CVS and Walgreens.
4. Coumadin (Warfarin Sodium) 5mg – Coumadin is an anticoagulant that is used to prevent blood clots from forming or it is also used for treating blood clots by thinning the blood. If you are one of the people that need to take this medication, you would pay $15.39 for this prescription at CVS, while only paying $13.99 for the same 1 month supply at Walgreens.
5. Toprol XL (Metoprolol Succinate) 50mg – If diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe this medication in hopes of lowering it. If you were only taking this medicine one time a day, you could buy an entire one month supply from CVS for $7.99, whereas you would be paying a whopping $28.99 for the same medicine at Walgreens.
6. Synthroid (Levothyroxine Sodium) 125mcg – If you are experiencing problems with your thyroid, and after different blood tests you are told that your levels are low, your physician will prescribe this drug. A one-month supply of this pill will cost you $10.99 at Walgreens and $13.79 at CVS.
7. Xanax (Alprazolam) 1mg – This is another medicine that is frequently given to people who suffer from depression and also may experience anxiety and/or panic disorders. You can purchase 90 pills from Walgreens for $15.97 or you may go to CVS for $21.69.
Both drugstores seem to offer a discounted price on some of the medicines listed above in comparison to their competitor. There really is no clear cut winner of this comparison shopping. While one offers a significant discount on one medication, the other comes back and offers the same on a different medication. In the end, what it will truly boil down to is convenience and location. Walgreens seems to be a lot more common in most areas than CVS. If you have to travel to purchase a prescription that is a few dollars cheaper than at another pharmacy, chances are you are going to spend as much, if not more than just buying it at the closer store once you factor in your travel expenses, such as gas.
It might also be beneficial to look into the savings clubs that the pharmacies offer. For example, Walgreens offers a prescription savings program, where you can pay a certain amount of money based on your status (single or family) and receive discounts when purchasing your medications. For example, if you were to purchase the generic equivalent of Toprol XL at Walgreens, and you became a member of the prescription savings program, your cost would be a flat $12.99. This flat cost applies to 117 different types of generic medicines.
CVS also has a discount club, however, it applies to everything that you purchase in the store. You earn Extra Bucks in CVS’ ExtraCare club. It’s free to enroll and when you purchase your medications from them, you will earn 2% back when you buy something in store and in addition, you will receive 1 extra buck when you make 2 pharmacy purchases. These extra bucks can be used towards purchases at the store, including the pharmacy.
In the end, it truly comes down to convenience and what is easier and more beneficial for you. Sometimes the dollars that you think you are saving, you are actually spending them in just trying to obtain the discount. Walgreen’s and CVS both have a great basis for purchasing generic prescriptions. With the inclusion of their savings programs, it is up to you what will work best for you and your family.
