Anyone use Amazon Pharmacy?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Medicare isn’t going to cover a pricey prescription that I need. I’ve looked at Canadian pharmacy pricing for this drug and it’s not much better than what an American pharmacy would charge.

i thought to price it on Amazon Pharmacy, and they’re quoting a price that’s considerably lower. I’m skeptical - does anyone here use their pharmacy service and have any advice?

2

I’ve never used them, but FWIW, I have used Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs and been happy with them.

3

Cuban’s is an excellent choice. IME … A minor snag with them is they only take electronic scrips. If you have an old-fashioned doc who refuses to play with anything but a paper pad, a goose quill pen, & maaaybe one of them thar new-fangled fax machine thingies, Cuban’s won’t do.

A similar legit US online discount pharmacy that will take faxes (or snail-mails!) of goose quill prescriptions is https://gogomeds.com. I’ve used these folks for some time and they seem fully reliable and capable.

4

You have to be cautious because not everything Amazon sells is actually “Amazon”. They host 3rd party vendors who sell through their site. Is the drug you want “Amazon”, or is it coming from a 3rd party vendor selling through Amazon? If the latter is the case, I’d be very cautious if I were you.

5

I am quite happy with Amazon Pharmacy. They deliver quickly, give timely reminders, and their prices without insurance beat all my med prices with insurance from other pharmacies.

6

Have you checked GoodRx or RxSaver as well?

7

As I recall, I compared prices of many online pharmacies, and searched via GoodRx and RxSaver a couple years ago and Amazon Pharmacy was best for me. Maybe it helps that I’m a Prime member.

8

That’s how it’s looking for me, Tibby. I’m looking at all the suggestions everyone is making here, and all of them are showing a discount for the drug in question, but the difference between them and Amazon is minimal. And I already like dealing with Amazon and am familiar with their website. We have Prime, so I’m thinking that’s the way I’m going to go.

9

My thinking is that no one discount pharmacy is always going to have the best price, so you should probably check all of them, if possible; Mark Cuban’s company, Amazon Pharmacy, GoodRX, Singlecare, Costco, Walmart, etc.

10

Solid advice. I have found that any one medication might be cheaper on GoodRx, but then another pharmacy or prescription savings plan will be the cheapest for a different script. I have changed my Medicare drug plan from year to year for the same reason, depending on which meds I anticipate using for the next year.

GoodRx tends to be the one I settle on most often, for my meds, in my area, with my range of pharmacies available.

Express Scripts, on the other hand, is the one that I avoid with a purple passion, given my experiences working with them (well, trying to work with them) as a home health nurse. YMMV.

11

Well, sure, some online pharmacies may offer some discounts, sometimes, that beat Amazon’s prices on some meds. But, for my ~10 regular Rxs, Amazon’s prices are low enough to not compel me to constantly check online prices in order to save a couple dollars. None of my scripts from Amazon are over $15 for a 3-month supply. I like the convenience of getting all my meds delivered together, reliably, by one pharmacy. I use my comparison shopping time looking for the best prices of groceries. That saves me a lot of money.

12

I’ve considered getting one of my prescriptions through Amazon pharmacy. It’s one that can sometimes be in short supply, and cost can vary a lot between pharmacies.

Does anyone have experience with Amazon getting a drug that is subject to shortages? The options near me were all some degree of unhelpful to just plain refusing to make any effort. Amazon showed the drug as available and at a good price. I’m just not sure if that would go away once they actually got my prescription.

13

I use Amazon Pharmacy for a handful of prescriptions, mostly drugs for common conditions. I have excellent insurance that covers almost everything, and Amazon has the best prices for these. I can also get 90-day supplies and they’re still cheaper than my insurance copays.

You may want to look into manufacturer’s programs. I take a medication that is covered but expensive. The manufacturer’s program covers the drug so it costs me nothing out of pocket. Another was only $10 a month for the brand name.

14

I use Amazon Pharmacy for my one regular (very conventional and cheap) prescription for two reasons:

  1. My previous brick and mortar pharmacies all have a substantial line lately, with very few pharmacists at the front of that line, so every pick up takes at least 45 min.
  2. For some bizarre reason, my insurance will only pay for a 30 day supply even though my doctor prescribes a 90 day supply. The B&M pharmacies always “helpfully” reduce my refills to a 30 day supply so my insurance will let me have it for a slightly lower price (Like $1 off a $3 refill) at the cost of sitting in that aforementioned 45 min line three times as many times. I always order a a 90 day supply when calling in the refill (which is like $10 – barely more than three 30 day supplies), and always when I come to the counter its a 30 day supply they hand me, all proud of how helpful they’ve been.

Amazon pharmacy of course has no line, and when I order “90 day supply” I get a 90 day supply.

15

Do you ever reject the thirty-day supply and insist they fill the prescription for the ninety-day supply you ordered?

Also, does your pharmacy offer automatic refills?

16

I did, with maternity vitamins. The pharmacist told me that meant insurance wouldn’t pay. So i asked how much it would cost without insurance. $29.50 for a 90 day supply, instead of the $10 copay for 30 days with insurance.

He sold me the 90 day supply.

The insurance company does this because they want you to use their own branded mail order service, and want the pharmacy to be inconvenient. The pharmacies okay along both because they don’t have much power and because they hope to make up some of the difference in other purchases, driven by the (hopefully) increased foot traffic.

17

At the end of a 45 minute line, no. And I’m sure the person standing behind me was thankful for that. I channeled my rage into switching to Amazon pharmacy instead.

18

Having lived 60+ years in several states in this benighted country I cannot fathom the idea of a pharmacy with a 45-minute line to talk to a clerk ever, much less routinely. Nor can I imagine ever returning to such a facility after the first time through that line.

I’m not disputing your personal experience. I just wonder where it is so I can stay a long way away from it. Your location says Boulder CO which would seem a modern and convenient enough place. What am I missing?

19

I haven’t experienced that either but I believe there is a shortage of pharmacists, nationwide.

20

And, perhaps even moreso (I’m not sure) pharmacy techs. A year, year-and-a-half, ago, pharmacies near me had signs out advertising signing bonuses for pharmacy techs, in the low five-figures.

Last year, I waited in line for an hour for an urgent Covid-related Rx for my spouse, only to be told that there were over 300 Rx’s ahead of hers. Luckily the tech and pharmacist listened when I explained why it was urgent, and they filled it. But it was really crazy.