Some pharmacists are worried people may be cutting costs by splitting or even skipping prescription pills.
Darren Murphy has owned his pharmacy for just under a year and already he has heard about some dangerous things people are doing to save money.
Murphy says those things include splitting tablets, to making a prescription last longer or even taking their medication every other day instead of daily.
He says he has even heard of cases where people simply do not take their prescribed medication unless they are experiencing specific symptoms.
Chuck Cruden worked for an organization that focused on seniors issues.
He too has heard stories of people skipping their meds because of cost.
"I think that there are a lot of times that people skip taking their drugs because of the expensive," said Cruden.
Murphy says some people may keep their old drugs to save money too.
He says all of those things can be dangerous.
Keeping old drugs is a bad idea because pills may begin to lose their potency after the expiry date.
Splitting a pill in half, taking one today, the other tomorrow will not necessarily save you money in the end.
"Some are control released and therefore release medication over the full day so by splitting that you can interrupt that mechanism," explains Murphy.
Murphy says that means the condition you are trying to treat will not be treated properly.
Cruden believes some seniors may be forced to do this because they live on a fixed income and the cost of living is going up.
In Manitoba people have to pay a certain amount for prescriptions before Pharmacare kicks in.
Cruden says on top of that his Pharmacare deductible continues to rise.
"About five years ago it was about $450 and now it's over $900," says Cruden.
Murphy says there are solutions including generic drugs that typically come at a much lower cost than name brands.
"Generally generics can go anywhere from 60 to 70 percent of the brand name cost," says Murphy.
Murphy says talk to your doctor about a prescription for a cheaper generic brand.
He says if you are not sure talk to your pharmacist.
"We know the cost and expense of all medication and we know them very well and we might be able to make a recommendation to your physician as well," said Murphy.
The alternative is simply too risky.
"It's not something to gamble with," says Cruden.
Another option to help cut down on drug cost is to pay your Pharmacare deductible in monthly installments on your Manitoba Hydro bill rather than in a lump sum payment.
For information on this program call 945-1733 (in
With a report from CTV's Rachel Lagac�
