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Nowadays, money spent on prescription drugs can add up quickly, especially if someone has a long-term condition to manage. Being able to ensure that you...
Nowadays, money spent on prescription drugs can add up quickly, especially if someone has a long-term condition to manage. Being able to ensure that you can access the medication you need when you need it is very important, and in the UK there are several ways to access affordable prescription medication. Read on as we go through some ways to save money on prescription drugs as well as the options available here at Meds for Less.
| NHS prescription charge | Free prescriptions | Private prescription |
| A standard and fixed fee for medication. Most people will fall into this category. | Certain groups are eligible for free prescriptions, some examples include:childrenolder adultsif someone is pregnantif someone is on benefitsif someone has an exception certificate | For a faster and more convenient experience, many people choose private healthcare. The cost of medication can vary a lot between healthcare providers. |
If you are in England and you are given a prescription by your doctor, most people will be charged a standard NHS fee per item. This means that regardless of whether the medication actually costs a lot more (e.g more specialist medications for rheumatological conditions) or less (e.g paracetamol) than the standard fee, everyone will pay the same amount for NHS medication. This is part of government efforts to make healthcare accessible and affordable to as many people as possible.
However, if you are getting your medication from a private healthcare service, the cost of medication can vary quite a lot between services. To help you find the best prices available, it might be worth doing a prescription cost comparison across different online pharmacies. It will only take a few minutes to search but it could save you a fair amount of money.
Another top tip to get cheaper prescription medicines is to choose generic medicines. If you are not sure about the generic name (or official name) of your medication, a quick online search of “what is the generic name of ‘brand name’?” should lead you to your answer. For example, Valium is the brand name for the generic drug name ‘Diazepam’ and Viagra is the brand name for the generic drug name ‘Sildenafil’ (for more information on Men’s Health Medicine follow this link)
Clinically speaking, there is no difference between a branded drug compared to a generic one. The active ingredient is the same. However, generic prescription drugs are usually much more cost-effective.
| Feature | Generic medicines | Brand-name medicines |
| Cost | Lower–Usually costs less than brand-name medicines. | Higher–Usually costs more than generic medicines. |
| Active ingredients | Same active ingredient and doses. | Same active ingredient and doses but sold under a trade name. |
| Effectiveness | Has the same absorption and effectiveness as brand-name medicines. | Has the same absorption and effectiveness as generic medicines. |
If you have a long-term condition and require prescription medication regularly, check to see if you are eligible for any discount programmes or pharmacy savings offers. You may or may not have heard of the NHS Prescription Prepayment Certificate (also known as PPC). This functions like a subscription service and covers prescription charges for a set period of time. For example:
These NHS prescription discount programs can help reduce your annual expenses on medication. Some private healthcare providers or online pharmacies may also offer discounts. These may look like price-matching schemes or loyalty schemes for private prescriptions.
Another helpful tip is to ask for a 90-day supply of medication. Again, this will cost the standard NHS prescription fee but it will mean that you will not need to go to the pharmacy as often and thus you can reduce prescription medication costs. Ultimately, it will be up to your GP to assess whether a 90-day prescription is safe or clinically appropriate.
Key benefits of obtaining a 90-day prescription supply:
As we discussed earlier, there are several public and private healthcare plans available that can help reduce prescription costs or even provide free medication. If you are buying prescription medicines for an extended period, check if you are eligible for any of these schemes. For example:
Explore Patient Assistance Programmes for Expensive Medications
In addition to NHS exemption schemes or workplace schemes, there are also various patient assistance programmes to address expensive or specialist medicines. For example:
It is not uncommon for even the process of collecting medication to be a challenge. Many people may struggle to collect medication due to their job, childcare, the cost of travel, or physical limitations. Hence online pharmacies and prescription services have become more and more popular due to the convenience of home delivery services.
Potential Cost-Saving Advantages of Mail-Order and Online Prescription Fulfilment
Overall, as we discussed, there are several steps you can take to access the most cost-effective healthcare. To support long-term prescription drug savings, avoiding some of these common mistakes is key:
If you have concerns about being able to pay for your prescription medication costs or any other cost concerns in your treatment, it is advised that you speak to your pharmacist or raise this concern at your next GP appointment.