The $5 Gadget That Can Save You Thousands of Dollars
By Paul Michael
Economically, times are still tough. And with healthcare being at the top of a long list of concerns about money, anyone taking medication should invest in a small gadget that can literally save you a small fortune every year. The gadget in question…a simple pill splitter.
Recently I changed jobs and with the change came a rise in my healthcare costs, particularly for medication that I have to take. But never one to just accept the change and pay the extra price, I looked at my options.
I wondered…could I just split a higher dose of the medication in half and get 60 days out of a 30-day supply? After all, when I was weaning myself off a medication a few years ago, my doctor instructed me to cut my pills in half. But instead of going down to a lower dosage, I could request a bigger dosage and simply chop it in half. Double the pills, half the price.
The overall cost would be the same as before my insurance costs went up (actually, a tiny bit cheaper) and I’d only have to pick up my meds once every two months.
It couldn’t be that easy, could it?
Well, it turns out it really was that easy for me. I take a medication that can be safely cut in half and therefore it was the perfect option for me (more on that in a second). A medication with a $50 monthly co-pay becomes a $25 co-pay. That adds up to a healthy $300 per year savings. If I’m on this for the rest of my life (I sure hope not) it would save me thousands and thousands of dollars.
But even if it’s just for another 3-4 years, that’s still a savings of at least $1200 on what is basically the same medication. All it takes is a $4.99 pill splitter from your local drug store, or Amazon if you prefer.
If you take more than one medication per year, you can see how the savings start to add up quickly, especially if you have no insurance whatsoever. Some of these drugs cost hundreds of dollars per month, and if you can chop that in half, you’re getting amazing savings.
So, are there any pills you can’t split?
YES. This is a major aspect of pill splitting that you need to be aware of. Some drugs can be split safely with no problems at all (often, the pill will have a small groove down the center to facilitate the splitting process). Others CANNOT be split, as this could cause serious side effects. There are four main types of pills that can’t be spilt safely, as noted by About.com:Health Insurance
Capsules
Capsules may contain a liquid, powder, or tiny pellets. If the capsule is split, the medication inside may spill and be impossible to divide evenly.
Extended-release ...
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