Generic drugs online

Points for Consideration by the Patient

• Be certain all drugs you take are "in date" (have not expired).
• Effective and timely control of pain is a basic right to which you are entitled. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research has released Clinical Practice Guidelines which outline management of cancer pain, but also apply to management of pain in general. Demand that your pain is respected as much as a high fever. The American Pain Society wants pain to be the fifth vital sign.
• If you are facing a terminal illness, ask if the hospital you are considering has a palliative care program as well as a hospice program.

Suggestions for Containing the Costs of Drug Therapy

• Cooperate fully with your doctor to ensure an accurate diagnosis. This helps ensure that the any medicines needed will be as safe and effective as possible.
• Ask your doctor to prescribe the drug that is most appropriate for you, selecting the product which offers the best balance of price and outcomes. If you have several chronic diseases at the same time, what appears to be a more expensive antibiotic may have a better outcome for you than a less costly one.
• Ask your doctor if an acceptable generic product is available.
• Ask your doctor if there are any vitamins or minerals (such as folic acid to help prevent some heart attacks or calcium for osteoporosis) that you should be taking based on family history.
• Follow your doctor and pharmacist's advice about your prescriptions.
• Many HMOs and physician groups use a concept called dual-product substitution. This is a measure that I agree with. For example: some prescription products are merely different names for the same medicine (Vanceril or Beclovent; Normodyne or Trandate). It makes perfect sense that the lowest-priced brand be freely substituted for a particular prescription. Ask your doctor about this idea when he or she is writing a prescription for you.
• Ask how the HMO or physician group measures up against other groups in your area. Remember, many groups are benchmarked or measured by groups such as the NCQA.