Pills, pills, pills

Mirtazapine 15mg – 1 at bedtime (anti-depressant)

Citalopram 20mg - 1 at breakfast (anti-depressant)

Diazepam 10mg – 1 at bedtime (sedative)

Lithium Carbonate 300mg – 1 at breakfast and 1 at bedtime (anti-mania)

Risperidone 1mg - half at breakfast and half at bedtime (anti-psychotic and anti-bipolar)

Lovaza 1000mg – 1 at breakfast and 1 at bedtime (cholesterol)

Niaspan 500mg – 1 at bedtime (cholesterol)

Omeprazole 40mg – 1 at breakfast (ulcer)

That's what I take every day, in addition to vitamins and supplements. I'm a crazy insomniac with an ulcer and elevated cholesterol.

I decided to do my due diligence and shop around for my prescriptions. I told the pharmacies that I had no insurance to get the raw prices they charged. I figure that would be the best way to find who was charging the least overall.

The Walmart Experience

Wally World was first on my list and there were lines at the pick-up counter and at the drop off counter, but not the consultation counter. I walked up to the counter and looked in expectantly. In the next ten minutes, I fiddled around with everything, including other people's prescription bags and diabetic syringes. I wasn't helped until I yelled, “Hey! I can reach the syringes!” Then someone scooted over and took my list of medications.

Out of the eight prescriptions on the list, three were incorrectly quoted back to me.

Total: $366*

*Cost lowered by mistakes made and recommendation of Niacin over Niaspan.

The Publix Experience

I like going to Publix for prescriptions. The pharmacists are on a raised platform. It's like walking up to the judge's seat in court. And since they hand down pills, it's like getting ambrosia from the gods. Friendly and helpful, they got all the prescriptions right.

Total: $305

Walgreens

Walgreens was the least fun pharmacy to go to. There was one window and two windows were blocked off with boxes. So uninviting. They did have a special card that if you pay $20 a year, you get a special PSC price on your pills.

Total: $579

With PSC: $471

CVS

CVS had the friendliest, most helpful pharmacists who answered the most questions and seemed genuinely interested in my concerns. This is the only pharmacy where my pharmacist introduced himself by his first name, Naresh. Naresh pointed me in all the right directions to get the best prices. CVS had good prices, but they got even better with a Health Savings Pass, a $10 card that got me a bunch of pills for free.

Total: $394

With HSP: $316

Of course, I do have some insurance and even though there's an ungodly deductible before the benefits “kick in,” pharmacutical companies give a benefit even if you have insurance. So I ended up going with CVS with the HSP card and my insurance kickbacks.

Total: $60