There’s a cool new online tool that allows people to compare prescription drug prices by location. It’s called Pharmacy Compass and it’s by Pacific Blue Cross a private health insurance company. It’s just available in BC. Canada wide
I’m sure some ADHD Adults and parents of ADHD children in BC & Canada will want to check it out.
No user identification or password is required — simply agree to the terms of reference, type in the drug’s name or identification number, dosage and pharmacy location…
The Compass is updated monthly and drug prices shown are calculated based on prescription claims submitted to Pacific Blue Cross over the previous three months.
To try it out, I put in the ADHD stimulant medication Vyvanse, a newer and more expensive ADHD medication, picked a medium dose, 40 milligrams, put in my city, Vancouver BC, and here are the results.
Pharmacy | Location | Average Price Per Pill | Dispensing Fee |
SHOPPERS DRUG MART | 370 BROADWAY E SUITE 100 | $4.25 | $10.60 |
URBAN FARE | 177 DAVIE ST | $3.85 | $10.99 |
SHOPPERS DRUG MART | 4590 FRASER ST | $4.06 | $10.60 |
SAFEWAY PHARMACY | 4255 ARBUTUS ST SUITE 109 | $4.00 | $11.00 |
SAFEWAY PHARMACY | 650 W 41ST AVE SUITE 185 | $4.02 | $11.00 |
You can click on the get more results button and get even more pharmacies and prices in your area.
The cheapest price for Vyvanse is at Urban Fare in Yaletown. 30mg of Vyvanse costs $3.85 per pill x 30 pills = $115.50 plus $10.99 dispensing fee, total $126.49 for a month’s supply of Vyvanse.
The most expensive price for Vyvanse is at Shoppers Drugmart on East Broadway. 30mg of Vyvanse costs $4.25 per pill x 30 pills = $127.50 plus $10.60 dispensing fee total $138.10 for a month’s supply of Vyvanse
So if you bought 30 mg of Vyvanse at Shoppers Drugmart on East Broadway, it would cost your $11.60 more per month or $139.32 a year than if you bought it at The Urban Fare in Yaletown, a more expensive neighbourhood than the Mount Pleasant area Shoppers Drug Mart.
If you could afford to buy a 3 months supply of the pricey Vyvanse ($346.50 to $382.50 just for the pills), it’s would be cheaper at both places because you’d be saving on the dispensing fees.
20 mg of Ritalin by comparison, (lasts 2-3 hours vs up to 13 hours for Vyvanse) costs 73 to 79 cents per pill.
You can click on your pharmacy of choice and it will list the name, address, phone number, website and live Google Map where you can zoom in and out.
Urban Fare Yaletown
DAVIE ST, VANCOUVER, BC V6Z 2Y1
Phone Number: 604-975-7544
Vyvanse is just one of many medications for ADHD.
Here’s a list of some medications to treat ADHD and links to the manufacturing company’s websites
Check out some ADHD medication articles on my adult ADHD website.