Medicine and Prescriptions

What it is

How to fill a prescription, take medicine safely, and get refills — including for mental health.

Why it helps you

The right medicine, taken right, helps you heal. There are programs that make it affordable.

This opens up

Steady health.

Where to get help

A few basics

• A prescription is a doctor’s or nurse’s order for a medicine. They send it to a pharmacy, or give you a paper.
• The pharmacist is trained in medicines. You can ask them anything, for free: how to take it, side effects, or whether it mixes badly with other things you take.
• Ask for the generic version. It has the same active ingredient and usually costs much less.
• Don’t stop a medicine suddenly, especially one for mental health, without asking your prescriber or pharmacist first. Some need to be stopped slowly.

Pay less at the pharmacy

NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card A free card from a nonprofit. Show it at the pharmacy to lower the cash price of many medicines.

• Cost: Free card. You still pay the discounted price.
• Who can use it: Anyone. No income rules.
• How to start: Get the free app, or print the card from the website. Show it to the pharmacist before you pay.
• Good to know: You can’t use it together with insurance or Medicaid. You can ask the pharmacist which price is lower and pick one. NeedyMeds also lists free-medicine programs from drug companies. The helpline is 1-800-503-6897 (Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern).

GoodRx A free website and app that compares cash prices at nearby pharmacies and gives you a coupon.

• Cost: Free to search and use coupons. You don’t need the paid membership.
• Who can use it: Anyone.
• How to start: Search your medicine’s name, pick the pharmacy with the lowest price, and show the coupon there.
• Good to know: GoodRx is not insurance. Prices can be very different from one pharmacy to the next, so compare.

Medicine by mail

Rx Outreach A nonprofit mail-order pharmacy with low cash prices on many common medicines.

• Cost: Low cost.
• Who can use it: Anyone with a valid prescription. There’s no income test or sign-up application.
• How to start: Call 1-888-796-1234 (Mon–Thu 7 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri 7 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Central), or start online. Your prescriber can send the prescription to them.
• Good to know: You need a mailing address (a PO box is okay). They take debit or credit cards, checks, and money orders. They don’t bill insurance.

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs An online pharmacy that shows exactly how each price is made: its cost, a markup, and a fee.

• Cost: Low cost on many generics. Check the price on the website first.
• Who can use it: Anyone with a valid prescription.
• How to start: Search your medicine, make a free account, and ask your prescriber to send the prescription there.
• Good to know: You need a mailing address and a payment card. It takes only some insurance plans.

Low-cost clinic pharmacies

Find a Health Center (HRSA) Community health centers charge based on income. Many have their own low-cost pharmacy or a partner pharmacy.

• Cost: Based on your income.
• Who can use it: Anyone.
• How to start: Become a patient. Ask, “Do you have a pharmacy program for people without insurance?”
• Good to know: Staff can also help you apply to a drug company’s free-medicine program. These programs often need a doctor’s signature and proof of income.

Buy online safely

Safe Site Search (NABP) The group that supports state pharmacy boards checks online pharmacies. Type in a website address to see if it is safe.

• Cost: Free.
• Who can use it: Anyone.
• How to start: Paste the pharmacy’s web address into the search box.
• Good to know: NABP says nearly 95% of websites selling prescription-only drugs operate illegally. A web address ending in .pharmacy has been checked by NABP. If a medicine looks wrong or makes you sick, you can tell the FDA at MedWatch or 1-888-463-6332.

If you only do one thing first

Next time you get a prescription, ask two questions before you pay: “Is there a generic?” and “What is the cash price with a discount card?” Then compare with GoodRx or NeedyMeds. This one habit can save a lot of money.

Watch out for

• Online pharmacies that don’t ask for a prescription. A real pharmacy always needs one. Fake ones sell pills that may contain the wrong drug or deadly fentanyl. Check the site with NABP first.
• Pills from friends or social media. Pills that look real can be fake. Only take medicine from a licensed pharmacy.
• Paying for a “free” discount card. NeedyMeds and the basic GoodRx coupons are free. You never need to give bank details to get a basic discount card.
• Paying someone to apply for free medicine. Some websites charge to fill out drug company forms for you. Your clinic can help you find and fill them out for free.
• Medicine that looks different. If pills or packaging look strange, ask the pharmacist before you take them.