If you’ve recently been to a doctor, chances are you may have been prescribed a medication. Do you remember the feeling you had as you walked up to the counter at the pharmacy to pay? Perhaps you were thinking, will this medicine cost me $5, or $25, or $250?

Medication prices can vary widely, and it’s always a cause for a little anxiety right before the number displays on the payment screen. We never seem to know how much the prescription may cost us, and if there is an alternative, more affordable option available.

We asked Honeybee Health expert,Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi, to weigh in on her top tips for lowering costs at the pharmacy:

1) Switch from brand to generic medications

Brand-name medications are often significantly cheaper than their generic versions, even though both contain the same active ingredients, strength, dose, and number of pills. In an analysis of ten popular maintenance medications by our medical research team at Honeybee Health, we found that switching to generic medications saves an average of$237 a month.

2) Pay out-of-pocket (cash prices) instead of co-pays

Many people assume that their health insurance company is giving them a fair deal on prescription medications. However, there are many cases where your copay is actually much higher than the true cost of the medication. Especially for generic medications, you can save significantly (up to 80% at Honeybee Health!) if you pay out-of-pocket (in other words, the cash price) instead of going through your insurance.

3) Switch to an online pharmacy

We chose to make Honeybee Health an online pharmacy because it reduces overhead, allowing us to pass even more savings onto our customers. The out-of-pocket cost of generic medications tends to be significantly cheaper at online pharmacies compared to retail pharmacies.

For example, glucophage (Metformin) is a popular generic prescription drug with an average retail cost of $12.58 for 30 tablets at retail pharmacies. At Honeybee, the cash price for 30 tablets of glucophage (Metformin) is only $4. That means you could be saving $102.96 a year by switching to an online pharmacy.

4) Switch to a 90-day supply

This tip is helpful for anyone on maintenance medications, such as those used to treat chronic conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, anxiety, depression, type 2 diabetes, and more. Instead of having to worry about getting a refill every month, it is much more affordable and convenient to buy a 3-month supply at a time. To use this trick, you often have to order from an online pharmacy that doesn't require insurance, as insurance companies sometimes put restrictions on the number of refills you can pick up at a time.

These are just four ways you can save, but there are many more! Visit Honeybee Healthfor more cost-saving tips.

P.S. For even MORE savings on your first purchase, use the code ANSWERS10 at check out.

We would never back or recommend a product or service that we do not trust and use ourselves. But full disclosure,FertilityAnswersis a Honeybee Health affiliate and may earn money on your purchase.