Prenatal vitamins -- OTC vs Rx

[Anonymous]

I am just starting TTC for kiddo #2 and at an appt today, the doc asked about prenatal vitamins, and I said I planned to take the same OTC ones I took for my last pregnancy (Whole Foods generic prenatals) plus my usual fish oil supplements. And he was like, no no no no, don't take OTC, here, I'll give you 5 Rx samples, when you find one you like, call me, and I'll prescribe it for you.

I haven't had time to stare at the fine print on the back of all these packages, and at the time he said it, we were in a rush and I didn't get my question formulated in time -- and he's not my usual provider, so I don't have a relationship with him nor do I expect to see him again -- but I do want to start taking something promptly.

But what's the big deal? Why would he be so much more in favor of Rx ones? Are there any real differences? Any thoughts on this? (As far as the expense, I'm planning to check re my insurance coverage -- I suspect Rx would be more expensive for me with my terrible copays.)

[Anonymous]

The first thing I did when I found out I was pregnant was call the doctor and ask what prenatals to take. I was hoping she'd give me a specific brand, recommendation, rx... something. Instead, she said to just go to the store and any generic brand would work. I now take the whole foods ones and I know a friend who took harris teeter brand ones throughout her pregnancy. I have no idea why your doctor would recommend rx's so strongly, especially in light of the fact that he isn't your regular care provider so wouldn't necessarily know if you had a special need (ie stool softner, extra iron due to anemia last time, etc).

[Anonymous]

OP again: Right, he didn't know me at all, so this was definitely just his standard recommendation. And I don't have any special needs (iron, stool softener, etc) and had a totally normal pregnancy last time.

[Anonymous]

i got a scrip and at another appt. when i told my doc how expensive they were ($40/month) they apologized profusely and told me to go OTC. watch the fish oil, though. i get the Spectrum DHA Omega 3s prenatal derived from algae to make sure there's no mercury/lead/etc. just a suggestion, as they mimic the Rx DHA by Citracal.

[Anonymous]

That is bizarre. I saw 2 different OB/GYNs and they both said that OTC and Rx prenatals are the same thing, it's just a matter of personal preference.

[Anonymous]

If I have a prescription, it is cheaper for me than OTC (I only have a $5 copay). That is the ONLY reason my OB gives me a prescription. He said he normally tells people to save their $ and buy OTC.

[Anonymous]

I use the Trader Joes prenatals and love them. Also drink the milk with dha.

[Anonymous]

My OB explained it to me like this: Rx prenatals are like "brand bags" while OTC prenatals are like regular bags. They are both just bags!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I have a prescription, it is cheaper for me than OTC (I only have a $5 copay). That is the ONLY reason my OB gives me a prescription. He said he normally tells people to save their $ and buy OTC.

How are rx prenatals cheaper? I assume you mean $5/month. I bought 200 Target brand prenatals for like $8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I have a prescription, it is cheaper for me than OTC (I only have a $5 copay). That is the ONLY reason my OB gives me a prescription. He said he normally tells people to save their $ and buy OTC.

How are rx prenatals cheaper? I assume you mean $5/month. I bought 200 Target brand prenatals for like $8.

My rx prenatal is $30 a month with BCBC. My regular meds are more like $5 to $10 with BCBS. The Trader Joes meds I bought cost $16.99 for 200 pills with the same vitamins. I am not paying $1 a pill just to get a brand name, especially since I eat well to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I have a prescription, it is cheaper for me than OTC (I only have a $5 copay). That is the ONLY reason my OB gives me a prescription. He said he normally tells people to save their $ and buy OTC.

That is true and one of the reasons to choose Rx verse OTC prenatals (although if you have flex spending you can use that).

Also, some Rx prenatals have an anti-nausea coating to help ease the 1 trimester yuck feeling.

Does your doc office (or doctor) get a "commission" if X number of patients pay/use a certain Rx pretnatal (hence the sample packs)??

[Anonymous]

My fav prenatal vitamin is the OTC "Rainbow Light Just Once Prenatal One" multivitamin. I've been pregnant and/or nursing for 7 years and this brand seems to help me feel better overall.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does your doc office (or doctor) get a "commission" if X number of patients pay/use a certain Rx pretnatal (hence the sample packs)??

Yeah, that's sort of what I was wondering. It just seemed so odd for him to be so dismissive of OTC vitamins when all I've ever heard is what you all are saying: they're basically the same, just cheaper.

I think I'm just going to use the same OTC kind I did with my last pregnancy... Thanks, everybody!

[Anonymous]

OP again, here is what I was trying to say:


Yeah, that's sort of what I was wondering. It just seemed so odd for him to be so dismissive of OTC vitamins when all I've ever heard is what you all are saying: they're basically the same, just cheaper.

I think I'm just going to use the same OTC kind I did with my last pregnancy... Thanks, everybody!

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine the pharmaceutical companies have any way of knowing which scripts the doctors write and of those which are filled. Do pharmacies provide this info to drug makers? They would only be able to tell the the dr and what meds were filled and which dr wrote out the script. They can't give out patient info, can they?