IN THIS ARTICLE: Subscriber Login Checklist Introduction What Our Shoppers Have Found Local Stores Online/Mail-Order Outlets Prescription Drug Cards Canadian Online/Mail-Order Outlets Saving with Generics and Substitute Brands Other Ways to Cut Costs Getting Good Service Using Prescription Drugs Safely

Go to Ratings of 297 Chicago Area Drug Store Prices Checklist  Prescription drug prices our surveyors found at Chicago area drug stores averaged about four percent lower than the average for the five major metro areas we surveyed—the Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Seattle areas.  Within the Chicago area there are big store-to-store price differences. Some stores, including both independents and chains, had prices more than 40 percent lower than the area’s highest priced stores.  The area’s lowest priced chains were Sam’s Club and Costco, with prices more than 30 percent lower than the area’s highest priced chain, Dominick’s. Among the area’s chains, Basinger’s, Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, Target, and Wal-Mart also had relatively low prices.  The area’s biggest chains, Walgreens and Jewel-Osco, had prices roughly in the middle of the all-store range, with Walgreens about five percent more expensive than Jewel-Osco.  Some independents had prices as low as the prices of the lowest priced chains, and on average, independents’ prices were slightly lower than the chains’ prices.  The lowest priced U.S.-based online/mail-order pharmacies—Familymeds.com and AARP Pharmacy Service—had prices lower than even Sam’s Club or Costco, but only a few percent lower. On the other hand, some online/mail-order pharmacies had prices that were only about equal to—or even higher than—the average for local brick-and-mortar stores. For maintenance drugs and other prescriptions that you can order in advance, you might, of course, want to use an online/mail-order pharmacy for convenience even if its prices are not lower than the prices of the few lowest priced stores in the Chicago area.  Canadian online/mail-order pharmacies beat the average prices at U.S.-based online/mail-order outlets by 70 percent for one drug we checked and by 53 percent for another drug. But for some drugs, you would pay much more in Canada. For one of the drugs we checked, the Canadian price was more than double the average U.S. online/mail-order price.  Among Canadian online/mail-order pharmacies, there is substantial price variation. The highest priced Canadian outlets’ prices for the drugs we compared averaged 25 percent higher than the lowest priced Canadian outlets’.  You might save money or time by signing up for a prescription drug discount card, which you can use to get a discount at your local pharmacy. We found that on average using a card at a local pharmacy would yield prices only about comparable to the prices you would find at Sam’s Club or Costco. And some of the cards have annual fees, ranging as high as $50, so you have to be sure you will be making substantial drug purchases for them to pay off. On the other hand, for many shoppers, using a prescription drug card at a nearby pharmacy will be much more convenient than shopping at Sam’s Club or Costco (which also have annual fees) or even at Target, Medicine Shoppe, or one of the other relatively low-priced local pharmacies. And the beauty of these cards is that you can get Sam’s Club-like prices at your nearby Jewel-Osco or Walgreens.  Wherever you shop, you will want to be sure to take advantage of generic substitutes whenever possible rather than more expensive brand name drugs. For a sample of five brand name/generic price comparisons we did, the average savings with the generic was more than 60 percent. In some cases generics will save you even more than that.  Introduction  Prescription drug prices get worse and worse. Retail prices for drugs increased more than seven percent per year from 1992 to 2002—nearly three times the average rate of inflation. Prices for existing drugs rose and newer, higher priced drugs came into increasing use.  If you pay simply a $5, $10, or $20 copayment every time you get a prescription filled, you may not have felt the pain. But if some or all of your drugs are not covered in this way, it’s enough to make you sick.  To help you suffer as little as possible, we have identified the lowest cost dispensers by shopping a wide range of drugstores and their alternatives—Chicago area chain and independent drug stores, online and mail-order pharmacies, drug purchases from Canada, and use of prescription drug discount cards. We also suggest a range of ways to keep down costs wherever you shop.  What Our Shoppers Have Found  Local Stores  The first step in our shopping was to check prices at Chicago area pharmacies. We surveyed nearly every independent drugstore in the area and a representative selection of stores from each chain. We checked prices for 17 prescriptions—12 brand name drugs, and nonbrand (generic) alternatives for five of the brand name drugs. We did a similar survey at the same time in four other metropolitan areas—the Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Seattle areas—so we could see how Chicago area prices compared to prices in the other areas.  As this table shows, Chicago area stores are relatively low-priced. For a mix of drugs that would cost $100 on average across all the stores in the five areas we surveyed, you would expect to pay $96 on average at Chicago area stores. That is close to the $94 low found in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and roughly nine percent lower than what you would pay in the highest priced area, Boston.  But what you will actually pay depends on the specific store you use. There are big store-to-store price differences. The price index scores on the price comparison tables show how much more or less expensive each surveyed Chicago area independent or chain was compared to the average price we found for the same drugs across all the stores in the five areas we surveyed. We have adjusted the price index scores so that the all-store/all-area average equals $100. So, for example, the $80 price index score for Archer Pharmacy in Chicago means that its prices were 20 percent less expensive than the all-store/all-area average; and the $102 price index score for Medical Park Pharmacy in Aurora means that its prices were two percent higher than the all-store/all-area average. That tells you that the prices at Archer Drugs were roughly 22 percent lower than the prices at Medical Park Pharmacy. (Click here for more information on our price index calculations and other research methods.)  You can see that some stores had prices more than 20 percent above average but others, including a number of independents, had prices more than 20 percent below average. On this table, you can see the range of price variation we found on individual prescriptions. For example, Good Shepherd Outpatient Pharmacy had a price of $48.69 for 100 .625 milligram tablets of Premarin, compared to $129.75 for the same prescription at Krafft’s Drug Store.  The lowest priced of the chains were Sam’s Club, Costco, and Basinger’s Pharmacy. The prices at Sam’s Club, for example, were 29 percent below average. Some chains had very consistent prices from store to store within the chain. Others had substantial store-to-store price variation. This is true of Cub Foods, Doc’s Drugs, Fagen Pharmacy, Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, Parkway Drugs, Walgreens, and Walt’s Food. For these chains, the score shown on the price comparison table tells you how the chain stacks up on average, but you might do substantially better or worse depending on the particular store you use on a particular day for a particular drug. Interestingly, the prices we found at independents averaged slightly lower than the prices we found at chains.  Online/Mail-Order Outlets  We also checked prices at online/mail-order outlets. You won’t want to use mail order to get the short course of antibiotics your doctor wants you to start immediately. But for drugs you take month after month—especially for maintenance drugs that you’ll be taking for months or years to control conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure, or epilepsy—mail order might save you a substantial amount.  While some mail-order buying is done under arrangements set up by employers, unions, health insurance programs, or membership groups, there are plenty of online and mail-order vendors that sell to the general public.  The prices you’ll pay depend on the online or mail-order firm and on the arrangement under which you qualify to purchase. If your medical insurance is accepted by the firm, you may get all drugs for a modest copayment—say, $10 per prescription. Of course, you will have to check exactly what arrangement your insurance company has set up. If you are making your purchase simply as a member of the general public and, therefore, have to pay more than a minimal copayment, you’ll want to compare prices among different online and mail-order pharmacies and also to what you’d pay at a local pharmacy.  Online and mail-order pharmacies have several cost advantages: they can locate where real estate and labor are inexpensive; they can use their staffs efficiently because they aren’t subject to the peaks and valleys of customer traffic experienced at a local retail outlet; and since they are typically large organizations, they can buy at favorable, high-volume prices. On the other hand, they face postage and handling costs that local pharmacies don’t have to worry about.  As this table shows, we found that several online/mail-order pharmacies had prices more than 25 percent below our all-store/all-area retail store average. But some had prices that were roughly the same as, or higher than, the average we found at local brick-and-mortar retail stores. Even the lowest priced online/mail-order outlets were in roughly the same price range as the lowest priced Chicago area brick-and-mortar stores.  You must keep in mind that you will have to pay for shipping with some of the online/mail-order outlets in addition to the price of the drugs. But some of these outlets offer free shipping—as indicated on this <table [chicago drug stores online table]>>—and almost all charge less than $5 per order. So shipping is not a major consideration if you are ordering expensive drugs or several drugs in the same order.  In addition to possible cost savings, online/mail-order buying may have other advantages for you. Delivery may be an important convenience—of particular value for persons who are disabled, are too sick to travel to a local store, or lack the time to make regular trips to a store for maintenance drugs. In addition, if you use one of the more user-friendly online pharmacies, you will be able to access the firm’s website 24 hours a day, find information about specific drugs and drug interactions on the website, and ask the pharmacist questions by e-mail. With e-mail, you can avoid asking embarrassing medical questions in public and you’ll have a written record of the pharmacist’s answers.  But online/mail-order pharmacies are useless if you need a drug immediately and can’t wait for it to be shipped. Also, controlled substances might not be available through these pharmacies. In addition, consumers who have a personal relationship with a local pharmacist or who want to support a nearby independent drug store might prefer not to buy prescription drugs through the mail.  If you do decide to try online/mail-order buying, you’ll find variation in how the firms work. Some expect you to make all inquiries and orders by phone or mail; some have websites that provide information on prices and products but don’t take orders; some expect you to get all the information you need from their website and place your order on the Web—though most of these have phone numbers you can call with questions or to place an order. Most online and mail-order stores expect you to have your purchased items shipped to you, but with some of the outlets you can pick up your order at a local store.  If you decide to use an online pharmacy, here is the typical process after you connect with the firm’s website. First, you fill out a patient profile, giving the firm information needed to fill and mail a prescription, such as medical conditions and allergies, current medications, credit card information, and address. Next, if the medication will be covered by insurance, you provide information on your coverage. The pharmacy will then check whether it accepts your insurance plan; this might take as much as several days. If it does accept your insurance plan, it will bill you for copayments and charge the remainder to your insurance provider; if not, it will inform you that your plan is not accepted and ask whether you still wish to order and be charged for the full price of your medications.  Keep in mind that even if an online/mail-order pharmacy has no special relationship with your insurance company, you may be able to order from the pharmacy and then get partial reimbursement from your insurance company; you will simply be responsible for the same types of deductibles and coinsurance that apply if you use a nonparticipating local pharmacy.  Once insurance coverage questions are answered, you will need to get the actual prescription to the pharmacy. Online pharmacies usually offer several options: you can mail or fax the prescription to the pharmacy; the pharmacy can call the doctor for verification; or the doctor can phone or fax the prescription to the pharmacy. If you would like to have an existing prescription transferred from another pharmacy, the online pharmacy usually will call your current pharmacy or will accept the prescription by phone or fax from the other pharmacy.  Getting a refill of a prescription you have previously filled with an online/mail-order pharmacy is simpler than getting the prescription filled initially. At CVS.com, for instance, you just enter a prescription number.  Although many online/mail-order pharmacies charge less than $5 for standard shipping, which is typically three to five business days, two-day shipping will cost you about $6 to $7, and overnight delivery starts at about $10.   If you need medicine right away, be sure you know what the firm means by “two day” or “overnight” shipping. Often, overnight means the next business day. Also, some online pharmacies warn that verifying a prescription may take several days if the doctor or other pharmacy is hard to reach.  Among the many online pharmacies, how should you decide which to use? Not all online pharmacies deserve your business. Some have sold unapproved drugs, mislabeled drugs, or phony versions of medications.  To be certain you are dealing with a legitimate online pharmacy, you will want to limit your selection to firms that have gone through the certification process sponsored by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to become a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS). To become VIPPS-certified, an online pharmacy must be licensed in good standing in all states where it does business, undergo an inspection by NABP, and meet standards for such things as filling prescriptions, shipment of drugs, and patient confidentiality. Certified online pharmacies display the VIPPS seal on their websites. You can confirm that an online pharmacy has VIPPS certification by contacting the NABP at 847-698-6227 or by checking the NABP website (www.nabp.net).  Even among legitimate online pharmacies, it’s worthwhile to compare site quality as well as prices before choosing a firm to use. Some sites have extensive information resources, including detailed information on each drug, available in an easily used format. Some have simple, streamlined ordering procedures. Some provide prompt, helpful answers to your questions either by e-mail or by phone. Others fall short on all these features. You will form judgments of the sites with a quick visit to each. Keep in mind, of course, that you can use one site for information and a different one for your purchases.  Prescription Drug Cards  Another approach you might consider in search of savings is use of a prescription drug card. Some prescription drug cards are offered by drug manufacturers to certain individuals who qualify, on an age and/or income basis, to get discounts on drugs made by those companies. Other cards are available to the general public either free or for a fee. These cards negotiate with drug manufacturers and stores to get special prices for you when you use the card to purchase drugs at local stores. This type of card represents the general concept that will be implemented during 2004 and 2005 in Medicare-approved prescription drug cards, which are envisioned under the new Medicare legislation as a transitional phase before the full Medicare prescription drug benefit goes into effect in 2006.  We checked out the potential for savings using five prescription drug cards available to the general public. Most of these cards allow you to go to any of a large number of local pharmacies to purchase prescriptions. The cards have negotiated a price for each available drug. When you go to the pharmacy, you pay either the card-negotiated price or the pharmacy’s regular retail price, whichever is lower. The lower the price the card provider has negotiated, the better the deal for you.  For our comparison, we assessed how much we would pay for each of the 17 drugs in our market basket at each of the hundreds of brick-and-mortar pharmacies we shopped. For each prescription at each pharmacy, we assumed we would pay the lower of the card’s negotiated price for that prescription or the pharmacy’s regular price, which we had earlier determined by our shopping.  This table shows how the cards stacked up. The card that got us the best deals on average was the RxDrugCard, which would enable us to buy for $70 drugs that would cost us $100 without the card at the average brick-and-mortar store.  In assessing whether getting one of these cards makes sense for you, keep in mind that you could expect to pay $71 for the same drugs at Sam’s Club, the lowest priced local brick-and-mortar chain in the area. But the RxDrugCard and other drug cards enable you to get savings at any of many pharmacies that may be convenient to you.  Canadian Online/Mail-Order Outlets  In addition to looking at U.S.-based online/mail-order outlets, we also looked into the option of buying drugs from Canada. Governor Blagojevich and many other state and local leaders have given this option enormous visibility.  Many drugs are less expensive in Canada than in the U.S. because the Canadian government regulates drug prices. Federal law lets pharmacists and wholesalers import drugs from Canada, but only with the approval of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. As of our press date, that Department had never given such approval—citing concerns about safety. The U.S. government has generally looked the other way when individuals have had drugs shipped by mail from Canada to the U.S. for “personal use.” The personal use standard generally assumes that the drugs are for not more than a 90-day supply. But as we go to press, it appears that the federal government may become more aggressive in discouraging importation of Canadian drugs.  If you want to order drugs from Canada, it’s not hard to do so. You can get the names of reputable online Canadian pharmacies through websites such as www.canadiandrugstores.com. You can check out the pharmacy to be sure that it is accredited by the North American Pharmacy Accreditation Commission (www.napac.org) or by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (www.ciparx.com), that there are no hidden fees, and that the pharmacy offers customers consultation with the pharmacist as part of the process.  Once you have chosen a pharmacy, you proceed much as you would in dealing with a U.S.-based online/mail-order pharmacy, as described above. Canadian law prohibits Canadian pharmacies from filling U.S. prescriptions for U.S. patients, so the online Canadian firm will have a Canadian physician review your U.S. doctor’s prescription against the health questionnaire and profile you have provided, and then write a Canadian prescription for the medications.  If you have insurance, most Canadian pharmacies will send you a copy of your Canadian prescription and/or an invoice to submit to insurance. Most U.S. insurers will reimburse for Canadian prescriptions.  But will your effort be rewarded with significant savings? That depends. Some drugs are much cheaper when ordered from Canada, even after shipping. For others, the Canadian price is higher than what you would pay at almost any brick-and-mortar pharmacy in the U.S.  This table shows how the average prices we found at 24 Canadian online/mail-order pharmacies stacked up compared to prices at U.S. brick-and-mortar stores and U.S. online/mail-order pharmacies. As you can see, the Canadian pharmacies would sell the Premarin prescription we checked for, on average, just 30 percent of the prices we found at U.S. online/mail-order outlets—a 70 percent savings. On the other hand, for the Amoxicillin prescription we checked, the Canadian prices were, on average, more than twice as high as the prices we found at U.S. online/mail-order outlets.  If you want to order from Canada, it makes sense to select a pharmacy that not only is legitimate but also has good prices relative to other Canadian outlets. This table compares the prices we found at the 24 Canadian outlets we checked. Some were roughly 20 percent less expensive than others.  Saving with Generics and Substitute Brands  As important as picking a low-priced pharmacy is picking a low-priced product at that pharmacy. You can save by purchasing “generic” prescription drugs.  Nonbrand, or “generic,” alternatives are available for many popular brand name prescription drugs. Prices for these generics typically beat brand name prices by 30 percent or more, and sometimes by well over 60 percent. This table shows the big savings with generics for five common drugs at the area’s five largest chains.  For some drugs, there is no generic alternative. These usually are drugs that are still protected by a patent. A drug patent, which can last a maximum of 17 years in most cases, gives the developer of a drug a monopoly and thus an opportunity for substantial profits. The intent is to give manufacturers an incentive to develop, test, and bring to market new drugs. Only after the patent expires can other qualified drug manufacturers begin producing the drug.  Very likely your doctor will write your prescription using a brand name. This name is usually shorter and easier to remember than the generic name, which is simply the chemical name of the compound. Also, the brand name is likely to be more familiar because that was the name used for many years before generic substitutes for the drug became available.  Your pharmacist is legally permitted to substitute a generic drug even if your prescription names a brand name drug unless your doctor specifies that only the named brand is to be used. But not all druggists make such substitutions. To be sure of getting the best-priced alternative, tell your doctor to write your prescription so that it allows generic substitution; then tell your pharmacist that you want a generic if it will save you money.  You might hear industry propaganda about the riskiness of generic substitutes. Ignore this propaganda. The large drug companies that develop patented drugs just want to hang onto their big profit margins long after the patents have expired.  To be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as therapeutically equivalent to an already-approved brand name drug, a generic substitute must differ only in such superficial characteristics as color, taste, tablet shape, and packaging. The FDA says a generic must:  Contain the same active ingredients (inert ingredients may vary).  Be identical in strength, dosage form (tablet, solution, and so on), and route of administration (for example, taken by mouth or injected).  Be used generally for the same illnesses with the same precautions, warnings, and other instructions on the label.  Be bioequivalent. That is, based on test results provided to the FDA, it must release the same amount of drug into the body at the same rate and affect the body in the same way as the brand name drug.  Along with the results of bioequivalence studies, a generic drug manufacturer must submit details about its manufacturing plant and personnel, and how it will make the drug. FDA inspectors visit the plant to determine whether it has the capability to produce the drug properly; and samples of the drug, from the plant and from the marketplace, are tested periodically in an FDA laboratory to ensure they meet appropriate standards.  Not only must each generic drug meet FDA requirements; so must each drug company. All drug manufacturers, including those that manufacture only generics, must register with the FDA, must inform the FDA of any reported adverse reactions to their products, must be open to periodic FDA inspection, and must follow the FDA’s “Good Manufacturing Practice” regulations. In fact, most generic drugs are manufactured by the very same big manufacturers that make brand name drugs. In some cases, a single manufacturer makes both the brand name drug and a generic substitute; it simply makes a bigger profit on the former.  The only note of caution regarding generics is that there are a few “critical” drugs for which there is a narrow range of blood levels at which the drug goes from being ineffective to effective to toxic. The slight change (up or down) in strength that might result from shifting from a brand name to a generic substitute for one of these drugs warrants the monitoring of blood levels at the time of the switch. Ask your doctor if a drug you will be taking is of this critical type. It probably won’t be. For the vast majority of drugs, there is no reason not to switch to a generic and save.  Other Ways to Cut Costs  Although your major savings will come from choosing the right pharmacy and buying generics, a few other steps may help you reduce your costs still further—  If your needs are small, ask your doctor for free samples. Your doctor frequently gets samples from manufacturers’ sales representatives and may be willing to pass some along to you.  If your doctor approves, buy in quantity. The per-pill cost for 90 pills is often less than that for 30 pills. But remember that medications deteriorate over time.  Find out from the company or companies that make drugs you regularly use whether there is a program that would enable you to get your drugs free or at a reduced price based on your age and/or income.  Don’t feel you have to buy drugs from your doctor. Some doctors dispense drugs (at a fee) directly to patients, cutting out the drugstore. This is a source of additional income for the doctor and may save you time, but be sure to compare the doctor’s charges to what you’d pay at the drugstore. Also, be aware that this practice injects a new conflict of interest into your relationship with your doctor, since prescribing more medicine makes the doctor more money.  Be sure to ask for a senior discount if you qualify. Many stores offer senior discounts, usually 10 percent off.  Be sure to use all of the insurance coverage to which you are entitled. In many cases, stores participate in plans that allow you to pay nothing or only a small copayment while the store collects from your insurer. If you have one of these plans but don’t purchase at a participating store, be sure to submit a claim to your insurance company for at least partial reimbursement.  Ask your doctor whether a lower priced drug will work just as well. When a new drug is released, it is often heavily marketed to doctors and widely discussed. A doctor may prescribe it just because it is on his or her mind although a cheaper, older drug—possibly even one that has a generic substitute—might be equally effective. An established alternative might also be less risky since its effects might be better known.  Ask about nondrug alternatives. It might be that weight loss, reduction of salt intake, drinking more fluids, or some other change in your habits can be tried as an alternative to drug treatment.  If you’ve been taking a drug for a long time, ask your doctor if continued use still makes sense. Sometimes doctors simply forget to stop the use of drugs after a long-term problem has been relieved.  Getting Good Service  In addition to good prices, you also want good service.  If delivery is important to you, check which stores will accommodate you. Some may deliver for $5 or less per prescription.  It is standard practice for pharmacies to keep patient profiles. That is a good service, but the idea of patient profiles requires a little explanation.  A patient profile system uses a computer to keep track of every prescription you’ve had filled. By reviewing this record each time you present a new prescription, a pharmacist can spot potentially harmful combinations of drugs that may have been prescribed by different physicians. It may also be possible to catch problems of overuse, errors in a doctor’s prescription, and potential allergic reactions. In addition, the computer can produce a report of past purchases as an aid in filling out tax returns or health insurance claims.  Although a great idea, patient profiles are in practice far from perfect. One problem is that many systems don’t allow a pharmacy to enter records for prescriptions you’ve had filled elsewhere. Also, nonprescription drugs aren’t ordinarily included in the system although they can interact with prescription drugs. In short, even if your pharmacist keeps patient profiles, it is still essential for you to communicate thoroughly about your drug usage with both your physician and your pharmacist.  Another service factor, bearing on the convenience of using a store, is its breadth of stock. Most stores will be able to supply you with common prescription drugs, but with some, stock is limited and there may be delays of several days getting prescriptions for less-common drugs filled.  You can judge for yourself many other aspects of service—whether service is prompt, whether the pharmacist is easily accessible by phone and in person, whether the pharmacist is helpful in answering your questions, whether the pharmacist is conscientious in checking your records to minimize the chances of problematic drug interactions, and whether the store does as much as possible to make it easy for you to collect on your insurance. You may also care about the availability of large-print labels, easy-to-open containers for seniors, a blood pressure monitoring device on the premises, and various other features.  Using Prescription Drugs Safely  There is, of course, much more to know about prescription drugs than where and how to buy them. The following are a few points to help you get the maximum benefit from your prescriptions with the least possible risk.  Be sure any doctor or pharmacist you use knows about all drugs other doctors have prescribed and all nonprescription drugs you are taking or plan to take. If you want to take a new nonprescription drug while taking something else your doctor ordered, check first with your doctor.  Keep a record of any adverse drug reactions you’ve had and of any apparent allergies, and share this information with your physician and your pharmacist.  Don’t take any more drugs than you need. Any drug can have undesirable effects and the more you take, the greater the chance of unfavorable interactions.  Take prescription drugs only under the direction of a physician. Don’t take someone else’s drugs.  Learn the facts about any drug you’ll be taking. Find out its name (brand name and generic name), its purpose, the dosage, any precautions, and possible side effects. Find out if it will be safe to drive a car, drink alcoholic beverages, and eat your normal diet. One way to get the facts is to check package inserts, but bear in mind that these are prepared by manufacturers and therefore may not be as objective or as thoroughly researched as other sources. You can also buy a home reference book. A good choice is Consumer Reports Consumer Drug Reference 2004, available for $44.95 (plus postage and handling) by calling 1-800-500-9760 or online at www.consumerreports.org.  Follow closely your doctor’s and pharmacist’s instructions with regard to dosage schedules, careful measurement of medications, diet, duration of therapy, and follow-up visits. If you have failed to follow instructions, let your physician know; otherwise, he or she may assume the drug isn’t working and may change the medication unnecessarily.  If you think you may be having an adverse reaction, tell your doctor right away. Stop taking the drug until you get medical advice.  If you are pregnant or nursing an infant, be sure to let your doctor and pharmacist know.  Store all drugs out of the reach of children.  Keep medicines closed tightly in their original containers in a cool, dry place unless the instructions say otherwise. Once your physician tells you to stop taking a medication, flush it down the toilet.  Always keep the label on each medication and always read it carefully before taking the medication. Never take medication in the dark when you can’t be sure what you’re taking.  If you sometimes forget whether you’ve taken your required doses, get a weekly pill box. These boxes have a compartment for each day. Some even break down each day into morning, mid-day, evening, and bedtime. You can put the required doses into the compartments at the start of the week and then know whether you’ve taken what you should by checking the applicable compartment.  Go to Ratings of 297 Chicago Area Drug Store Prices Back to top