Prescription medications like Vyvanse make a big difference in the daily life of many people. These daily prescriptions are expensive. Sometimes the people who need them struggle to be able to pay for them.
There are many different ways someone can save money when getting their Vyvanse prescription each month.
Vyvanse Savings
Prescription medications are expensive, especially brand-name drugs. There is no generic version of Vyvanse. The retail price for a thirty-day supply is $432.54 (pricing as of June 2022).
If someone does have insurance but the prescription coverage is not very good they can still be paying a lot of money for their medication. There are a few ways to save money on Vyvanse.
1. Patient Assistance Programs
These are programs offered by prescription manufacturers. If a patient qualifies they don’t have to pay for their prescription from the pharmaceutical company. There are income guidelines for many of the programs, people will need to qualify to get in.
These programs can help people with little or no health coverage. Patient assistance programs can also help people with high prescription copays or a high deductible save money. These programs are not always advertised, many people don’t know they exist.
If a patient does know about the program there is a lot of paperwork to complete and phone calls to make to be approved for the program. This can be a stressful process for many people and they might give up before being approved.
2. Vyvanse Free Trial Offer
As of February 2022, there is a Vyvanse free trial available. It is offered by the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. This is the company that makes Vyvanse.
Patients must have a valid prescription for the trial offer. Using a free trial can give patients some time to find the best place to continue buying their prescription.
3. Vyvanse Savings Card
There is a Vyvanse savings card that can be obtained through the company’s website, but there are restrictions. Someone with Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, or other federal or state health programs can’t use this savings card.
This savings card can’t be used with a non-insurance plan or a cash discount card.
If the patient is eligible to use the savings card they will pay at least $30. The savings card pays the next $60 of the prescription. If the Vyvanse prescription costs more than $90 with the insurance the patient is responsible to cover anything over $90.
The Vyvanse savings card is valid for 60 uses unless it expires first.
4. Discount Card Programs
If someone doesn’t have prescription insurance coverage they can look for discount cards on the internet. There are several different websites that offer cards someone can print and use.
Patients can use these discount cards at most large pharmacies to save money. Using a discount card, patients will pay anywhere from $330 to $360 for a one-month supply of Vyvanse.
5. Internet Discount Vouchers
There are Vyvanse savings available on the internet. Some vouchers claim to save 75% off the retail price. That would drop the prescription down to around $100 per month.
Most savings vouchers can be used at large pharmacies like Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid.
Vouchers can’t be combined with insurance in most cases. The patient would have to choose between the two, using whichever would save the most money.
Some vouchers might only be able to be used once and also have expiration dates, so the patient will have to find another one to use after the expiration date.
6. Ask About Other Prescription Medications
Vyvanse is not the only prescription medication available to treat ADHD symptoms. Concerta and Mydayis are a couple of options. There are over thirty medications that can be used other than Vyvanse.
Patients should talk with their health care provider to see if there is another medication option that will work for their symptoms. If Vyvanse is not covered on their insurance plan a different medication might be covered. It is possible that a different medication could cost less.
7. Compare Local Pharmacy Prices
Many people always use the same pharmacy to fill their prescriptions. But, different pharmacies can have different prices for the same medication.
The price difference of a one-month supply of Vyvanse can be $20-$30 depending on which pharmacy someone uses. It can be a good idea to call around or check prices online.
8. Order Vyvanse Online
There are many online pharmacies that can fill a Vyvanse prescription. Most online pharmacies will mail the prescription to the patient’s home. This can be less expensive than going to the local pharmacy.
Patients need to be careful when looking into online pharmacies. They should make sure that the pharmacy is legitimate. There are frauds online.
If an online pharmacy offers to send medications without a prescription they are likely fake pills. These medications probably will not work and can even be dangerous.
9. Ask If the Doctor has Samples
Pharmaceutical company representatives will talk to doctors about what medications are available. They do sometimes leave samples with the doctors for patients to try. This can be helpful while someone is still looking for the best price for their monthly medication.
10. Try Getting a 90 Day Supply
For most medications asking the doctor for a 90 day supply is no problem. Often getting three months’ worth at once comes with a discount. This is a little different for a Vyvanse prescription.
Because Vyvanse is a controlled stimulant drug, it is a bit more difficult to get more than a 30 day supply at one time. A doctor can write a prescription for some controlled substances if the patient goes through a mail-order pharmacy.
An adult must sign for the delivery. This is also helpful in a possible crisis situation, or during a stay-at-home order.
11. Use a Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are offered by some employers. With these accounts, money is taken out of the paycheck before taxes to be used for medical costs.
These accounts can be used for prescription medications and other medical expenses.
12. Ask for an Insurance Formulary
A formulary is a list of medications that are covered by a health insurance policy. When a prescription has a very high price tag, it may not be covered by insurance. In this case, a patient can ask their doctor if they can switch to a medication that is on the formulary.
If Vyvanse is the best option for a patient, they can ask for an exception. This is when the doctor confirms with the insurance that a drug on the formulary will not work as well as Vyvanse for that patient.
Doctors and patients can ask for an exception if the covered drugs are likely to cause harmful side effects. It is still the decision of the insurance company to allow the exception or not.
13. Saving Money on Vyvanse With The Rx Advocates
The Rx Advocates help people get connected to the patient assistance programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. The Rx Advocates are not a discount card or savings program.
The Rx Advocates work with the patient and doctors to fill out all the paperwork for the patient assistance programs and submit it to the pharmaceutical companies. Any phone calls are also handled by the professional staff at The Rx Advocates.
Once the application is filed with the pharmaceutical company, The Rx Advocates do all of the follow-ups. This includes handling refills.
There is a one-time enrollment fee of $35 with The Rx Advocates. When the patient assistance programs approve the application, the prescription doesn’t cost anything. Patients pay a service fee to The Rx Advocates for the continuing paperwork, including refills.
The monthly service fee for Vyvanse is $80 per month. There are no other fees or hidden charges.
The Rx Advocates can help with other prescriptions as well. Adding one more prescription-only raises the monthly service fee to $10, for a total of $90 each month. Three monthly prescription medications would be $100.
If someone needs four or more daily medications, The Rx Advocates only charge $110 per month. The savings can be hundreds of dollars every month.
No one should have to choose whether or not they can afford the prescription medications to live their best life. Contact The Rx Advocates today for help connecting with patient assistance programs.