As I’ve mentioned before, we’re now giving Chip eye drops instead of patching his good eye. For those of you who have asked, the drops are Cyclogyl 1%, also known as Cyclopentolate HCl. And just so you know, depending on your insurance, it may be cheaper for you to pay cash!

Every time I get a prescription for myself or the kids I ask at the pharmacy how much it would be if I paid cash. Now that my drug copay is $20 this is especially important. Many older drugs are really inexpensive if you pay cash, and with your copay you might pay more than you should!

Think your lovely neighborhood pharmacist might mention to you that paying cash is cheaper? Don’t count on it. I was taking that medication for years, and paying the copay every time.

One day I wondered if it would be easier to buy it online, so I went to Drugstore.com. They don’t take my insurance (Pacificare), so I was bummed, but then I saw the cash price. It was less than $25 for a six month supply. Hell! I felt like a moron! Since then, I’ve been getting 6-month supplies in the mail, saving time and most importantly money.

Want a more recent example? Let’s take this Cyclogyl / Cyclopentolate HCl. With our insurance, I get a 5ml bottle for our $20 copay. Online I can get a 15ml bottle for $8.74 and discounts for buying more than one bottle.

I suck at math, but even I know that paying $4/ml is insane when I could be paying 58 CENTS / ml or less.

I’m not a shill for Drugstore.com, this is just me relaying to you something I’ve found that saves me a lot of money. Oh, and wherever you shop, be sure they’re reputable and check out their shipping rate to factor that into your cost. I hope this helps you save money.