Top 6 Medication Problems and How to Prevent Them

For elderly people, medications can be a lifeline to good health…or a disaster waiting to happen. When doses are skipped, or too much medication is taken, the results can be deadly.

Medication problems are widespread. According to the Department of Health and Human Services:

• 55 percent of the elderly are "non-compliant" with their prescription drugs orders, meaning they don't take the medication according to the doctor's orders

• Approximately 200,000 older adults are hospitalized annually due to adverse drug reactions

There are many reasons why seniors don't take their medications as prescribed. Here are some common causes of medication mistakes, and what to do about them.

Vision Problems
For elders who have vision problems, not being able to read small print on labels or distinguish between pills can lead to potentially dangerous misuse.
Solution:

• Ask for Large Print. If your parent has vision problems, ask the pharmacist for medications labels in a larger print size.

Memory Loss
Elders who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's disease may simply forget to take their medications, causing them to skip doses. The opposite is also true: if they can't remember whether they took their medication, they might take it again, causing overdose.
Solution:

• Use a Pill Organizer. There are many types of products available: computerized pill box dispensers that ring a designated number if the pills have not been taken, watch alarms and necklaces that ring a reminder.

Income
Low-income elders, or those on fixed incomes, may not have the money to buy the medications they need. Some will split pills or cut back on the prescribed dose; others will go without for long stretches of time with no medication.
Solutions:

• Use Generics. Generic drugs are the same medications as their brand-name counterparts, but are less expensive. Ask if a generic alternative is available.

• Find Financial Assistance for prescription medication. Research Prescription Assistance Programs. Also, ask your pharmacy about discount programs that are available. Go to the drug manufacturer's website, to see if discount programs are available. And look for low-cost prescription savings plans.
• Visit Benefits Checkup.org to find out if your parent is eligible for financial assistance or prescription savings plans.

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Comparison Shopping For Prescription Drugs

Studies have shown that as many as one in five older patients with chronic health problems are cutting back on their medications simply because they cost too much.

Despite the costs, too many people get into the routine of going to the same, often closest pharmacy every month to have prescriptions filled. But driving a mile or two down the road could save hundreds of dollars a month. That's because the price of drugs varies according to pharmacy, and in some cases, the variance is significant.

Here are the results of the pharmacy comparison:

	Walgreens	Costco	Target
Levoxyl, 50 mg	$41.95	$35.13	$14.00
Lisinopril, 30 mg	$81.95	$22.64	$44.49
Atacand, 32 mg	$279.95	$235.12	$255.49
Sular, 10 mg	$196.95	$194.93	$209.49
Toprolxl, 50 mg	$94.95	$63.53	$81.99
Nortriptylin, 10 mg	$27.95	$10.00	$14.00
Warfarin, 3mg	$58.95	$32.51	$51.49
Total	$782.65	$593.86	$670.95

*Pricing is per 100 tablets.
*Note: your health insurance plan, Medicaid, Medicare or Medigap may pay for some or all prescription drugs costs. Check with your provider for coverage information.

 

Prices varied by as much as 35% -- even with gas prices factored in, it's well worth the drive to take advantage of the extra savings.

Because pharmacies compete with each other, they often run special promotions that can save consumers even more.

For example:
Target and Wal-Mart both have $4 generic prescription programs in all U.S. pharmacies. Each store offers over 300 different drugs for $4 per prescription fill or refill, up to a 30-day supply.

View a printable list of all qualifying drugs at Target
View a printable list of all qualifying drugs at Wal-Mart

here are a lot of new drugs out there to keep patients healthy, but more than half of patients don't tell their physician or nurse when they stop taking a medication. They're not only risking their health, but they're also missing out on real opportunities to get help finding cheaper medications or programs that can assist them with medication costs.

Doing your homework and working with your physician to manage prescription medication costs can result in substantial savings -- and could mean the difference between whether or not a patient gets needed medications. It's also important to weigh the benefits of having one pharmacist manage all the medications a person takes versus driving to different pharmacies to avoid potentially dangerous drug interactions.

Resources
State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs
21 states and one territory offering help pay drug costs. Find out if your State has a program.

RX Assist
RxAssist offers a comprehensive database of patient assistance programs, as well as news and articles.

RX Hope
Research government and corporate sponsored patient assistance programs for over 1000 medications.


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How to Save Money on Prescription Drugs

Not paying attention to where you're buying your prescription drugs could cost you—to the tune of $100, or more, says a new Consumer Reports analysis.

Secret shoppers posing as uninsured consumers called 200 pharmacies nationwide in order to uncover the cost of a month's supply of each of the five popular prescriptions that recently went generic: Lipitor, Plavix, Lexapro, Singulair, and Actos.

Costco proved to be the most cost-effective for consumers overall. The wholesaler's pharmacies offered a 30-day supply of Lipitor for $17, Lexapro for $7, and Plavix for $15.
On the other end of the spectrum, shoppers who went to CVS risked paying up to five times more for some prescriptions. CVS charged $150 for a month's worth of Lipitor, $126 for Lexapro and $180 for Plavix.

Why such a huge price difference for the exact same bottle of pills?
It all depends on how important the pharmacy is to a store's overarching business model, Lisa Gill, a prescription drug editor for Consumer Reports explained in a company press release.
For example, a big-box wholesaler who boasts a wide product offering that ranges from chicken breasts to flat-screen TVs is likely aiming to entice consumers with their low-cost pharmacy, with the hopes that they will purchase other items.

How to Save Money on Prescription Drugs

• Medicare will help cover the cost of an older adult's prescription medications, but the program won't pay for everything. (Learn what is and is not covered by Medicare, as well as the pros and cons of Medicare coverage)
• Once you factor in monthly premiums, the plan's deductible and the various co-payments involved, the cost of prescription medications can quickly add up.
• Given that many of these men and women take at least half a dozen different prescriptions to help them manage everything from heart disease to diabetes, finding ways to keep medication costs down is vitally important for seniors and their caregivers.

Consumer Reports offers a few strategies for taming medication costs:

• Opt for generics: Generics can be an extremely cost-effective alternative to brand-name drugs, if a senior can tolerate them. The patents preventing many popular senior medications from being able to be produced generically have recently expired. Talk to your loved one's doctor to see whether any of their prescriptions can be swapped for generics.

• Buy in bulk: People taking long-term medications (i.e. Lipitor to manage high cholesterol) may be able to reduce their costs by buying a 90-day supply versus a 30-day supply. Most retailers offer discounts for those who can purchase pills in bulk.

• Ask for a lower price: Many of Consumer Reports' secret shoppers weren't provided with the lowest price for a particular drug right away, they had to dig a bit deeper and inquire about discounts and special offers before they hit upon the best price. Don't be afraid to negotiate and try to unearth the best price for a given medication. According to Gill, "A consumer can't assume that the price of their prescription medications is set in stone. One of the big takeaways is that you have to ask for the best price and see if your pharmacist will work with you."

• Don't shun mom and pop drug stores: People assume that chain retailers automatically present the most cost-effective options when it comes to most items, including prescription medications, but Gill says this isn't always the case. Independent pharmacies have an incentive to maintain a solid relationship with their customers, she says. Thus, they are more likely to help their regulars get the optimum price for their prescriptions.

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