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Getting a prescription filled

Prescriptions - how to fill; Medications - how to get prescription filled; Drugs - how to get prescription filled; Pharmacy - mail order; Pharmacy - internet; Types of pharmacies

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Your health care provider may give you a prescription in different ways, including:

You also need to find out if your health plan will pay for the medicine your provider prescribed.

Once you get a prescription from your provider, you may buy the medicine in different ways.

LOCAL PHARMACIES

The most common place for filling a prescription is at a local pharmacy. Some pharmacies are located inside of a grocery or large "chain" store.

It is best to fill all prescriptions with the same pharmacy. That way, the pharmacy has a record of all the medicines you are taking. This helps prevent drug interactions.

Your health plan may require you to use certain pharmacies. This means they may not pay for your prescription if you do not use one of these pharmacies. To find a pharmacy that takes your health plan:

To help the pharmacist fill the prescription:

MAIL-ORDER PHARMACIES

Some people and insurance companies choose to use mail-order pharmacies.

INTERNET (ONLINE) PHARMACIES

Internet pharmacies can be used for long-term medicines and medical supplies.

References

HealthCare.gov website. Getting prescription medications. www.healthcare.gov/using-marketplace-coverage/prescription-medications/. Accessed August 1, 2023.

US Food and Drug Administration website. BeSafeRx: your source for online pharmacy information. www.fda.gov/drugs/quick-tips-buying-medicines-over-internet/besaferx-your-source-online-pharmacy-information. Updated September 21, 2020. Accessed August 1, 2023.

US Food and Drug Administration website. Buying and using medicine safely. www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs/buying-using-medicine-safely. April 09, 2024. Accessed April 19, 2024.

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Review Date: 7/8/2023  

Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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