Publix has been giving away generic medications for years, and now Sam’s Club is offering its members free monthly supplies of five pricey drugs.
Get the freebies with a Plus membership, which costs $100 a year; regular and business memberships are $45 a year.
Free drugs, in various strengths, include: donepezil (generic of Aricept), used to treat Alzheimer’s disease; escitalopram (generic Lexapro), which treats depression and anxiety; pioglitazone (generic Actos) for diabetes; Vitamin D (50,000 IU) for bone density; and finasteride: (generic Proscar), used to treat prostate issues.
The public is welcome to use the Sam’s Club pharmacy (the prices are great) without a membership, but you need to be a Plus member to get the freebies.
If you take any of these medications, just about one visit will pay for the membership.
I called a few pharmacies and was quoted cash prices as high as $523 for a 30-day supply of Aricept. Its generic equivalent was $75 a month. Lexapro was $229 for 30 pills and its generic equivalent, escitalopram, was $116 a month.
Plus members also get special pricing on the Sam’s Club Extra Value Drug List, which offers a 30-day supply of 200 medications for $4 each and 800 medicines for $10 each.
Eight drugs on Sam’s value list are free at Publix.
Pharmacies inside Publix markets offer 30-day supplies of amlodipine and lisinopril (for high blood pressure) and metformin (diabetes), as well as two-week supplies of the following antibiotics: amoxicillin, ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, cipro and penicillin.
Once you have the Sam’s Club membership, a mix-and-match approach with the Publix pharmacy could save you big bucks.
Go to for more info.
Like Doreen’s Deals on Facebook; follow Doreen Christensen on Twitter@PrettyGoodIdeas and sign up for Deals text alerts.
