Get the most out of your prescription-drug dollars

When you get a prescription from your doctor, make sure you check:
• the dosage and how it works,
• how it interacts with your other medications and
• how often and how long to take it.

Physicians’ handwriting is often illegible, and pharmacists may make a mistake reading your prescription. After you get the filled prescription, always read the descriptive printout that comes with it. That printout could save your life.

The generic equivalents of some over-the-counter brand-name drugs are covered under the HMO plan. However, the PPO plan excludes drugs for which there is an over-the-counter product with the same active ingredients. The FDA requires generic and brand-name drugs to have the same active ingredients. They must also have the same quality, strength, purity and stability as brand-name drugs. The chart below shows over-the-counter brand-name drugs that have a generic equivalent.