Prescription drugs

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  • February 18, 2012 at 12:00 am #170733
    dixongoogle
    Member

    Can you please tell what savings if any are available in Costa Rica for the most popular prescription drugs?

    Are there savings compared to what I would pay here for prescription drugs in Florida?

    February 18, 2012 at 11:02 pm #170734
    maravilla
    Member

    too broad a question. some drugs are not even available here. some drugs are cheaper and some are more expensive. depends on what you’re taking. the advantage is that most drugs except narcotics ands tranquilizers are available OTC — you can buy antipsychotics OTC here — so you’d save not having to get a doc to write an rx.

    February 18, 2012 at 11:22 pm #170735
    Andrew
    Keymaster

    I don’t take any drugs whatsoever so I’m not much help here but according to:

    [ http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/19/americas-10-most-popular-prescription-drugs/ ]

    These are America’s 10 Most Popular Prescription Drugs

    10. Hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDIURIL).
    Type of drug: diuretic (water pill)
    Used to treat: high blood pressure
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 47.8 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 47.9 million

    The tenth most popular drug treats high blood pressure, one of the major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. About 1 in 3 American adults currently have .

    9. Metformin HCL (Glucophage).
    Type of drug: anti-diabetic
    Used to treat: diabetes
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 48.3 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 44.3 million

    Type 2 diabetes, the kind linked with obesity, affects 25.8 million Americans, or about 8% of the total population, and an estimated 7 million people are undiagnosed.

    8. Amoxicillin (Amoxil)
    Type of drug: antibiotic
    Used to treat: bacterial infections
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 52.3 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 52.4 million

    Antibiotics can be used to treat infections of the nose, throat, skin and urinary tract — but they cannot cure colds or flu, which are caused by viruses.

    7. Azithromycin (Zithromax)
    Type of drug: antibiotic
    Used to treat: bacterial infections
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 52.6 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 53.8 million

    Like amoxicillin, azithromycin is used to treat common bacterial infections, including lung infections and some sexually transmitted infections.

    6. Omeprazole (Prilosec)
    Type of drug: proton pump inhibitor
    Used to treat: acid reflux
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 53.4 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 45.4 million

    About 20% of Americans suffer from stomach pain and burning related to acid reflux at least once a week, resulting in the popularity of Prilosec. Risk factors for acid .

    5. Amlodipine besylate (Norvasc)
    Type of drug: calcium channel blocker
    Used to treat: high blood pressure
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 57.2 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 51.3 million

    The risk of developing high blood pressure increases with age, affecting about two-thirds of people over 60 (note: the oldest of the country’s 77 million Baby …

    4. Levothyroxine sodium (Synthroid)
    Type of drug: thyroid hormone
    Used to treat: low-functioning thyroid gland
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 70.5 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 66 million

    A common cause of low thyroid hormones, primary hypothyroidism affects 9% of women and 1% of men. Symptoms include slow speech, lack of energy, weight gain,

    3. Lisinopril (Prinivil)
    Type of drug: ACE inhibitor
    Used to treat: high blood pressure
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 87.4 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 82.8 million

    Out-of-control stress contributes to high blood pressure, which helps explain why the condition may be more common in the poor and in people whose jobs have high levels …

    2. Simvastatin (Zocor)
    Type of drug: statin
    Used to treat: high cholesterol
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 94.1 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 83.8 million

    Nearly 36 million Americans have high cholesterol levels, high enough to more than double their risk of heart disease and stroke — and to keep rates of prescriptions for .

    1. Hydrocodone with acetaminophen (Vicodin)
    Type of drug: opioid
    Used to treat: pain
    Number of prescriptions in 2010: 131.2 million
    Number of prescriptions in 2009: 128.2 million

    Vicodin is prescribed to treat chronic pain, which affects 20% to 30% of adults and is twice as common in women as in men. The pill is also commonly prescribed to treat pain following

    Are the prescription drugs you use included here Dixon?

    Scott

    February 19, 2012 at 1:11 am #170736
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    [quote=”maravilla”]too broad a question. some drugs are not even available here. some drugs are cheaper and some are more expensive. depends on what you’re taking. the advantage is that most drugs except narcotics ands tranquilizers are available OTC — you can buy antipsychotics OTC here — so you’d save not having to get a doc to write an rx.[/quote]

    “too broad a question” indeed, maravilla. The Merck Manaual, which lists all the drugs available in the U.S., is well over an inch thick. To what you wrote I must add, too, that some drugs which are not available in the U.S. are available here.

    Now if the originator could just narrow down the list a little . . .

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