Up to 45% of Americans have trouble paying for the prescription medicines they require, and 26% of Americans don’t fill prescriptions because they simply can’t afford it. Simply put, the #1 reason Americans don’t take their medications as prescribed is cost.

Before you turn to the Internet—where there are more than 30,000 illegal online pharmacies that sell medicines that may contain little or no active ingredients or deadly poisons like paint thinner, arsenic and chalk—there are ways to safely buy your medicines without breaking the bank.

First, shop around and talk to a local pharmacist to see if they have recommendations. People think that every pharmacy sells every medicine for the same price. That’s not true! Also, consider filling your prescriptions at small community pharmacies or specialty pharmacies – they often have the best prices in town.

In addition, here are some websites we recommend to safely save money on prescription medicines:

• RefillWise.pharmacy negotiates on patients behalf so that they have access to lower prescription drug prices at their local pharmacy. RefillWise is accepted at all major pharmacies across the country, including CVS, Costco, Kmart, Kroger, Rite Aid, Safeway, Sam’s Club, Target, Tom Thumb, Walgreens, Walmart, and many others.
• BlinkHealth.pharmacy negotiates with pharmacies to determine one low price for each medication and is accepted at over 57,000 pharmacies nationwide, including every major chain (except Walgreens) and almost all independent pharmacies.
• GoodRx.pharmacy collects and compares prices for every FDA-approved prescription drug at over 70,000 retail and mail-order pharmacies located nationwide; offers 100% free coupons to use at your pharmacy; and shows the lowest price available at each pharmacy near you. GoodRx is 100% free to use and requires no credit card information to utilize the discounts.
• NeedyMeds.org offers a drug discount card that can save patients up to 80% on many prescription medicines; coupons and rebates; and Patient Assistance Programs that provide free or discounted medicines to eligible patients who are unable to afford them.

If you are going to order your medicines online:

• Look for .pharmacy in the website address since these websites have been approved as safe and legal through the NABP’s .Pharmacy Verified Websites Program; or
• Visit BuySafeRx.pharmacy and verify that the pharmacy you are ordering from is safe.