Safe Savings Tip: Buy Generic Abilify to Save Money Safely

After receiving a diagnosis of a brain disorder like schizophrenia or Bipolar 1 disorder, a doctor might prescribe a drug like Abilify, a second-generation or atypical antipsychotic, which is frequently prescribed for both of these conditions. If your doctor has prescribed Abilify for you, you may be worrying about the safest and most sensible source for your medication. Did you know that there is a FDA-approved generic version of Abilify that does exactly the same thing and has been available in the U.S since 2015? It is called aripiprazole and the cash price is almost 96% cheaper than the brand-name version of the drug at your local U.S. pharmacy.

We wanted to make a price comparison to see how much a 90-day supply of generic version of Abilify, aripiprazole, would cost in the U.S. versus in Canada. The best price we could find on GoodRx.com for a 90-day supply of 5-milligram aripiprazole cost $96.18 at Costco. When we called a brick-and-mortar pharmacy in Canada to see how much the same 90-day prescription would cost there, we were told that there is no generic version of Abilify available for purchase in Canada. A 90-day supply of 5-milligram brand-name Abilify would cost $459.26 CAD. After converting to USD and including the foreign transaction fee, the total cost would be $372.73. Patients in Canada have no choice but to pay over four times what Americans pay for the same medication.

Are generic drugs a big part of medications dispensed in America?

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately 85% of all prescriptions filled in the U.S. are for generic drugs. Generics have the same effectiveness, strength, purity, safety, and active ingredients as brand-name drugs. The only differences in a generic are the inactive ingredients, appearance, and price. Generics can cost 85% less than the brand-name drugs they are virtually identical to. Of the 50 drugs on LowestMeds.com’s list of most prescribed medications in the first quarter of 2016, 47 of them, 94%, were for generics.

How can I use this tip to save money for my family?

According to Consumer Reports, about 40% of the people they surveyed said they had cut corners with their prescription drugs to make ends meet – splitting pills, skipping doses or not filling their prescriptions at all. If you are concerned about the price of their medication, the first person you should speak to is your doctor to see if a lower-cost alternative in the same class of drugs is available. The fastest way to dramatically lower your prescription costs is to always get the generic version if one is available.

If a generic version is not available, speak with your doctor to see if there is another drug within that same class that does have a generic version that you could try. We searched GoodRx.com to find the best prices available for both some first generation/typical and second generation/atypical antipsychotics which are frequently prescribed to treat both Bipolar 1 disorder and schizophrenia and found multiple reasonably priced options:

• A 90-day supply of haloperidol, generic Haldol, costs $10 at Walmart
• A 90-day supply of risperidone, generic Risperdal, costs $14.06 at Kroger
• A 90-day supply of olanzapine, generic Zyprexa, costs $21.10 at Kroger
• A 90-day supply of quetiapine, generic Seroquel, costs $15.34 at Kroger
• A 90-day supply of perphenazine, generic Trilafon, costs $43.85 at Walmart
• A 90-day supply of thiothixene, generic Navane, costs $61.59 at Walmart

If there are no generic options available or if your doctor feels that a particular medication is the best option for you, we recommend you see if there is a patient assistance program available from that pharmaceutical manufacturer. Abilify, for example, is available through a patient assistance program on NeedyMeds.org’s website. This particular program makes a determination on a case-by-case basis. Other programs may determine if someone is eligible based on income. Your doctor will need to be involved in filling out the paperwork, but depending on your finances, you may be able to get the medication you need at no cost.