Prescribing Reminder
BWPO urges members to keep in mind their patients' out-of-pocket prescription costs when making pharmacy choices. Some patients may have annual deductibles before being eligible for drug coverage. Some may have monetary caps and must pay the cash price upon reaching their cap limit. Some do not have co-payments and pay cash. In some cases, higher co-payments often lead to medication non-compliance or misuse.
Recommendations include:
• For allergy patients in need of a non-sedating antihistamine, loratadine is the least costly option, and it is available over-the-counter (OTC). Loratadine often costs less than the lowest co-payments for many patients. For proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), Prilosec OTC is recommended along with the generic omeprazole, the only generic PPI in its class.
• For selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), fluoxetine is recommended and the three generic product choices in the SSRI class are: fluoxetine, citalopram and paroxetine.
• For angiotensin converting enzyme Inhibitors (ACEIs), lisinopril is recommended as a cost effective, generic option.
• For non-steroidal anti-inflammatory dugs (NSAIDs), we recommend naproxen or ibuprofen. Please use OTC or generic NSAIDs whenever clinically appropriate.