Online Pharmacy Medicine Blog

The cost of brand name drugs can be nothing less that ridiculous, and why? The answer is simple: because big pharma wants to take as much money from the consumer as possible. Even worse, the government is allowing them to do it.

That leaves everyone trying to save money on their brand name medication asking the same question, how can I save on my meds?

The first thing I would suggest is to see if there is a generic equivalent available. If you don’t want to use a generic, or even want if you want to find the generic version cheaper, then you should give ePharmacies.com a shot. Here is an example of the type of savings you can expect.

9 Most Expensive Brand Name Drugs

Brand name                                Brand Average                ePharmacies.com Price

PROZAC 20 mg                           $169.49                           $42.00
ZOCOR 20 mg                             $164.02                          $16.27
PRILOSEC 20 mg                         $160.40                          $22.68
WELLBUTRIN XL 150 mg            $159.16                           $62.81
CARDIZEM CD 240 mg               $147.06                           $25.67
ZANTAC 150 mg                         $111.33                           $18.00
IMDUR 60 mg                             $96.52                             $16.43
ZIAC 5/6.25 mg                          $91.66                             $46.00
BUSPAR 15 mg                           $89.54                             $15.00

The rising cost of health care is an issue that America must deal with. And one of the main factors for the rising cost of health care is prescription drugs.  Medications can improve quality of life, treat life threatening conditions,  and help prevent costly hospitalizations. The bottom line  is that health care consumers must educate themselves about  less expensive alternatives to brand name medications.

Depending on what your body needs and the problems you are experiencing will determine what type of cholesterol medication your doctor will prescribe for you. These medications will help by:

• Lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Decreasing your triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood that also increases the risk of heart disease
• increasing your HDL (good) cholesterol which helps protect against heart disease.

One of the most common classes of cholesterol medication are statins. Statins decrease LDL and triglycerides and slightly increase HDL. Altoprev, Crestor, Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, and Zocor can all be found in this class.

Some of the side affects that you should look out for when using any of these statins are constipation, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps, and muscle soreness.

According to the Mayo clinic

most cholesterol medications are well tolerated, but effectiveness varies from person to person. If you decide to take cholesterol medication, your doctor may recommend periodic liver function tests to monitor the medication’s effect on your liver. Also remember the importance of healthy lifestyle choices. Medication can help control your cholesterol — but lifestyle matters, too.

I think the main thing to remember when taking cholesterol medication is that it is not an end- all cure- all, and should be used in conjunction with a healthy diet. Often times once the user changes his diet, the medication can be decreased or is no longer needed.