Today I bought my first 1-month's supply of prenatal vitamins. At Walgreens, they were $45.00, even after my insurance paid part of the cost. They told me that there is no generic alternative. However, I see that GNC has prenatal vitamins that are over-the-counter, offered for less that $15.00. The two vitamins seem to have the same main ingreedients for the most part, and in very close percentages. Is there an outstanding reason that the prescription vitamins are better for me? Please don't tell me to "ask my doctor"....that is a given---I am just trying to plan how to pay for all these vitamins.
What do you think?
Also, as a tip for those of you reading this... did you know that you can use your AAA membership to get discounts on prescriptions? I learned that today. like a 20% disount. I was impressed!
Okay,,,, now tell me what you think about my question:
2007-03-10 17:13:51 · 6 answers · asked by dasielady 2 in Health ➔ Women's Health
One likely issue is because the prescription ones are chemically assayed to prove they contain consistent levels of the nutrients you need. Most supplements you find in stores are not assayed and may vary from the amount of nutrients listed on the bottle by 100s of percent.
2007-03-11 05:23:36 · answer #1 · answered by David S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The OTC ones are in basic terms as sturdy because of the fact the prescribed ones. The OTC ones have each and all of the supplementations which you and infant want. The prescribed ones often have slightly extra supplementations in them. So the two way your sturdy. i'm getting the only an afternoon prenatal supplementations, $13 for a month grant. Missy Oldest son Dylan (4), 20 weeks 5 days with Daniel
2016-09-30 12:28:19 · answer #2 · answered by bebber 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's no difference. By having a "prescription" allows you to have them covered by your insurance, which is different for everyone, some insurance plans will cover the whole cost, others will only pay for part.
When your doctor fills out a prescription, it's like telling the insurance company that you need this as you would an antibiotic or a drug for hypertension and they have to pay for it as they would for any other "prescription" drug. You obviously know that you can't go to GNC, buy the vitamins and then tell your insurance company to pay for it if you don't have a prescription, they won't believe that you need it for health reasons, but rather as a perk, as if you went and bought a bag of chips.
Be absolutely certain that whatever you buy contains exactly the same ingredients and percentages. Vitamins/supplements don't help, especially during pregnancy, when you don't take the recommended dose and they can actually harm you if you take too much.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your pregnancy!
2007-03-10 17:26:25 · answer #3 · answered by Doudou 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nothing really , you can take the gummy "kids" vitamins , or the chewables. But I do know that prenatal vitamins have a little more folic acid in them. Talk with your OB doctor about your options....
2007-03-10 17:21:11 · answer #4 · answered by pure_sweetness1984 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think if you've read the labels carefully and the ingredients are the same and the percentages are pretty much within 5% of each other (folic acid and iron being the most important), you should go for the cheaper brand. :) You could ask the pharmacist what he/she thinks too.
2007-03-10 17:19:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My OB/GYN told me that children's multi vitamins are the best. The only thing prescription prenatals offer is TONS of iron - which made me puke like mad. I ended up taking the Gummy-Vits. They are gummy bear vitamins.
2007-03-11 03:02:09 · answer #6 · answered by dropkickchick 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋