Well Tn is very sensitive to drug prices because of Tenncare and the state pays for a good amount of the prescription drug costs though they are attempting to scale back and its changing.
Not all generics are equal. I might suggest doing a bit of research on the generics from Barr labs before you use any of them. Im sure that your doctor would be happy to allow branded prescriptions if you ask for them and request them and he could make a short notation on the script giving you the choice.
Some smaller pharmacies are so used to the proliferation of generics that they dont carry large supplies of the non generics or if they do the inventory may be old. I would ask your pharmacist about it.
There is a real struggle with the new laws in the tenncare realm and frankly pharmacists are having to check with the government on dispensing many of the prescriptions and the rules regarding compensation for them.
In some cases pharmacists have to turn people away from life saving medicines because the funds arent there to pay for them and its a heartwrenching experience for them.
The pharmacy business is tightly regulated and profit margins are relatively slim. There is almost no variance between price between any of the pharmacies in the Tn area because of stringent price controls from insurers and governments so pharmacies have to compete on service, quality, and convenience.
IMO for what its worth there are certainly drugs that are worth the extra cost in buying brands versus generics and if you are paying for them then it shouldnt be a problem. Your pharmacist can pick up the phone and make a call and confirm it with the doctor. It usually only takes a few minutes to get this done. There are also a good amount of drugs where generics are a good idea.
Different generic firms have different levels of quality and different agendas in their business model and its never a bad idea to do some research and study what you are putting into your body.
Right now the pharmacy situation in Tn is in a high state of flux and there is a lot of concern on a wide variety of fronts as to how it will shake out and land. Tenncare is confusing pretty much everybody in the state.
My advice would be to find a small family owned firm that will work with you and explain your options rather than a chain store where you hand them a script, get back a bottle, and get herded to a cashier to pay for it.
Happy Motoring to You,
Bugshu
