You’re ready to pick up your prescription at the pharmacy. But how expensive will it be? And is there anything you can do to save money? Let’s discuss how to use pharmacy discount coupons and manufacturer savings cards to help you save on the medications you need. First, what’s the difference between pharmacy discount coupons…

One of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States is lisinopril, a blood pressure medication that’s been around for nearly three decades. Lisinopril relaxes the blood vessels and lower blood pressure by blocking the production of a hormone called angiotensin II. But as it turns out, lisinopril has many additional upsides for you….

Where burgers and fries go, diabetes and pharmacies are likely to follow. So suggests a new GoodRx analysis of pharmacy locations, overlaid with fast food restaurant locations and diabetes rates across the US. Less surprising: the more fast food restaurants (and therefore pharmacies) a place has, the higher the diabetes rate. Adding diabetes rates by…

My hands are shaking. Is it Parkinson’s? Something else? Shakiness, or tremors, is a common problem that brings patients to my office. If you start having shaky hands, you may worry that you have Parkinson’s disease, but many other things can cause tremors—like medications. The good news is, drug-induced tremors go away with lower doses…

As drug makers are facing increasing scrutiny over high drug prices, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) Express Scripts announces that they will be excluding 48 new drugs from insurance coverage in 2019. If you have insurance, it’s time to pay attention. Every year, PBMs like Express Script evaluate the clinical value and financial cost of prescription…

Over the past nine months, prices for brand drugs have spiked substantially—by about 30%. According to the GoodRx Index, the average cash price for a 30-day supply of the top 100 brand-name drugs increased from $300 in October to over $400 in July. One of the biggest pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), Express Scripts, just announced…

When I decided to stop taking birth control pills and switch to a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) about four years ago, the Nexplanon implant seemed like an easy choice. What surprised me at the time, and even now, is that the implant is far less popular than other birth control methods. Now that I’m on…

Doctors are increasingly faced with questions from patients about marijuana and its medical uses. A common question we hear is, “What’s the difference between the pill forms like Marinol (dronabinol) and medical marijuana?” Let’s start with the fact that dronabinol (Marinol, Syndros), nabilone (Cesamet) and cannabidiol (Epidiolex) are medications approved by the FDA. Currently, there…

Pain medications like opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a major cause of constipation, often creating a bigger struggle than the original illness that led you to start taking them. So, why does medication-induced constipation happen and how do you treat it? Why does constipation happen? Opioids like Vicodin, Norco and Tylenol with codeine and…

The Trump administration recently issued a rule that allows a new kind of health insurance: short-term plans that offer some healthcare coverage for a lot less money than most other health insurance plans. These short-term plans can now last just under a year, with renewals for up to three years. But that lower price means…