How to Save Money on Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications

Have you ever found yourself staring at a seemingly endless array of pain relievers or allergy medications trying desperately to figure out which one you should purchase?

It's no wonder that shopping for over-the-counter (OTC) products can be overwhelming. There are more than 100,000 OTC products competing for your hard earned cash. Those 100,000 products are variations on approximately 1,000 active ingredients.

Only 1,000? That means that some OTC medications come in many, many brand names and product combinations. Some of the most popular products available in a multitude of names include pain relievers, allergy medications and heartburn formulas.

One way to make the search less daunting is to take a look at what your medicine cabinet contains right now. Look at the active ingredient for the products you use the most. Make a list of products and active ingredients.

Pain relievers typically contain acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Motrin), aspirin or a combination. Caffeine is often added to headache formulas. Once you know which of these works best for you and what active ingredient it contains, you can recognize the base product when reading labels. Prices often vary considerably between the base or generic form and the brand name product.

Diphenhydramine is the generic equivalent of Benadryl. It's found in many of the OTC sleep-aids, including Tylenol PM. If you need a sleep aid without the pain reliever, opt for generic Benadryl. It's cheaper and you won't expose your body to unnecessary drugs. If you are looking at three different sleep aids and all contain diphenhydramine as the active ingredient, and all feature the same strength, the only difference is cost. Assessing the difference in cost is easy.

Many allergy medications are nothing but the same active ingredient in boxes of varying color and price. There is often a wide gap between brand name price and generic price.

Many pharmacies stock generics right beside brand name products, making it easy to see if generics are available and to compare price. If generics are shelved in a section of their own, you can still find the best deal if you know the active ingredient you are searching for.

Some generic OTC products can be purchased from the pharmacist in quantities larger than what's available on the shelf. This can be good news for allergy sufferers when only small quantity containers are on the shelf.

(Of course, allergy products containing Sudafed (ephedrine) are only available in limited quantities by producing copious amounts of ID and signing paperwork stating you are off to treat your suffering body, not to whip up a batch of meth.)

Many popular heartburn products are now available under several brand names as well as the generic name. Find out which active ingredient works best for you then look at what's available. The price differences may be a pleasant surprise.

You don't necessarily have to suffer because money is tight and the brand name OTC product you've been taking is high priced. See if a generic is available. Ask your pharmacist. Sometimes the pharmacist can suggest an alternative product.

Price differences on some OTC products are negligible. Others vary by several dollars. Pain relievers, allergy products and heartburn products are often available in an almost endless number of names and price savings can be significant when the generic is purchased. Some people find that generic or house brand medications seem to work better than brand name. Others find that certain generics don't work for them at all. If you haven't tried a product before, purchase a small size or quantity first. Try the product. If it works well, put the money you'll now be saving into a vacation fund. You've earned it.