Pros and cons of meds through the mail

Does having your medication mailed to your door sound appealing? More than one-third of respondents in a 2013 Consumer Reports survey got at least some of their prescriptions through a mail-order pharmacy during the previous 12 months with the expectation of paring their costs.

The discounts often are significant, especially for drugs that people take regularly, such as those for diabetes or high blood pressure, notes Consumer Reports. Depending on your insurer’s pharmacy-benefit manager (who buys in bulk from manufacturers and passes along the savings), you might be able to order a three-month supply of some drugs for a co-payment of just a few dollars. In some cases, you might be eligible to get some generic medications for a $0 co-pay, including free shipping. Plus, there’s no need to go to a drugstore.

Great deal?

Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it? It certainly can be – but not always. Here are the pluses and minuses:

Not all meds should be mail-ordered. Because mail programs usually ship a 90-day supply at a time, they’re ideal for drugs used on an ongoing basis, not those you need immediately or briefly. And certain drugs, including some for pain and insomnia, have shipping restrictions.

Savings aren’t guaranteed. Before ordering, see what your insurer’s plan will charge for mail-ordering and shipping your meds. Consumer Reports suggests checking your local pharmacy’s prices, too; many now offer 90-day prescriptions with low co-pays. And chain and big-box stores have many generics at deep discounts. Kmart, Sam’s Club, Walgreens and Wal-Mart, for example, offer a 90-day supply of dozens of generics for only $10, and that usually includes free shipping. (In some cases, there’s an annual membership fee.)

You might have to request generics. Mail-order pharmacies can sometimes be slow to make generics available to customers, though that gap has narrowed. To ensure that you don’t get stuck with a pricier brand-name drug, ask your doctor to prescribe a generic – and to state it clearly on the prescription.

You might need two prescriptions to start. To ensure that you’ll have enough medication while you wait for your insurer to process your new order – which can take up to two weeks – ask your doctor for two prescriptions, one for a 30-day supply to be filled right away at a local pharmacy and one for a 90-day mail-order supply.

You should keep your pharmacists in the loop. It’s best to fill all prescriptions at one pharmacy so your pharmacist can alert you to possible drug interactions, recalls and more. If you get maintenance medication via mail-order and drugs you need occasionally at a walk-in pharmacy, let each one know all of the medication you’re taking and update them regularly about any changes.

Automatic refills can be useful, but ... if you know you’ll be taking a medication at a set dosage for a long time, consider getting automatic refills so you don’t have to renew that prescription every three months. But if you stop taking the drug or your dose changes, you might have to inform the mail-order pharmacy. Otherwise, you might get drugs you don’t need. Consumer Reports says to ask your insurer whether its service will alert you before shipping medication. (Medicare Part D drug plans require mail-order pharmacies to get the OK from a patient or caregiver before shipping a new prescription or refill.)

Timing can be tricky. Because medication might not always arrive on time, make sure you set up orders online or over the phone at least two weeks before you’ll run out if you don’t have automatic refills.

To learn more, visit ConsumerReports.org.

Consumers Union Inc.