{"id":131734,"date":"2025-11-13T20:45:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T20:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/131734\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T20:45:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T20:45:09","slug":"how-to-save-money-without-sacrificing-effectiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/131734\/","title":{"rendered":"how to save money without sacrificing effectiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>PHOENIX \u2014 With flu cases rising overseas in countries like the United Kingdom and a new variant identified in Japan, experts warn that the United States could face an earlier flu season this year.<\/p>\n<p>This has some consumers thinking carefully about how to protect themselves and how much they\u2019re willing to spend on over-the-counter medications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrand names work faster,\u201d Shatrefa Wilson, a consumer in Phoenix, Arizona, said. \u201cI\u2019m willing to pay the extra cost for my health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some are committed to brand-name medications, while others hope to save money using generic drugs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have an intellectually disabled daughter, and we&#8217;ve gone to the generic prescription because it does save a lot of money. Hundreds a year,\u201d Andrew Tighe of Phoenix said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m all about generic,\u201d George Pasisis, a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident, said. \u201cI believe the products come from the same place. You just put a label on it and sell it for more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stephanie Schneck, the System Director for Pharmacy Quality, Safety, and Clinical Operations at <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.honorhealth.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">HonorHealth<\/a> in Phoenix, says generics are just as effective as brand-name products in most cases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a lot of cases, the generic products will serve the same need as the brand name,\u201d Schneck said.<\/p>\n<p>She explains that generics are less expensive because they do not go through the same clinical trials that bring brand-name drugs to the market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only thing they really have to do is compared to the brand name, have to show that the drug works the exact same way in the body, and so in these cases, generic products would be a really good way to save some costs,\u201d Schneck said.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re still deciding she recommends comparing the active ingredients. To know if there is a situation where you should spring for the brand name, check the inactive ingredients to see if there are any dyes or fillers that could provoke a sensitivity or allergic reaction.<\/p>\n<p>Schneck also notes that many over-the-counter products combine several medications into one that could save you even more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo this has multiple ingredients in it, something that helps with cough, something that helps to kind of decongest your nose and your chest,\u201d Schneck said. \u201cCould I potentially save money by combining all of my medicines in one pill versus taking separate, different drugs?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Consumers report major savings from choosing generics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think upwards of 75% sometimes,\u201d Pasisis said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just makes you feel a little better when you have some money stashed in your account,\u201d Tighe said.<\/p>\n<p>For many, generics are a way to keep both their health \u2014 and their wallet \u2014 protected.<\/p>\n<p>This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOENIX \u2014 With flu cases rising overseas in countries like the United Kingdom and a new variant identified&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131735,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[163,85,46,482],"class_list":{"0":"post-131734","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-medication"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}