Famotidine and Cost: What You Need to Know

Famotidine is a generic drug that’s used to treat conditions caused by increased stomach acid. Famotidine’s cost may depend on factors such as your dosage, whether you have health insurance, and the pharmacy you use.

Famotidine decreases the amount of acid your stomach produces. It’s used in adults and certain children to treat conditions such as:

• peptic ulcers
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• esophagitis
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

Famotidine is available over the counter as a generic drug and as the brand-name drugs Pepcid AC and Zantac 360. The generic form is also available as a prescription. This article will focus on the prescription forms of famotidine.

Famotidine comes as a tablet you swallow and a chewable tablet. It also comes as a liquid suspension (a type of liquid mixture) and an intravenous (IV) injection (an injection into a vein).

For more details on famotidine, see this in-depth article.

The price you pay for famotidine can vary. Your cost may depend on your treatment plan, your insurance coverage, and the pharmacy you use. If you are receiving famotidine by intravenous (IV) injection, your cost will also depend on how much you have to pay for an office visit.

As it is, health care taxes are higher in the United States than in any other country in the world – even those with universal healthcare programs, according to Physicians for a National Health Program. The full amount of health care taxes American taxpayers cover includes government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration as well as tax subsidies and the cost of private health insurance for public employees.

To find out how much you’ll pay for famotidine, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Note: If you have insurance, you may need to get prior authorization before your insurance provider will cover famotidine. This means your insurer and your doctor will discuss famotidine in regard to your treatment. Then the insurance company will determine whether the drug is covered. If famotidine requires prior authorization and you don’t receive it before you start treatment, you could pay the full cost of the drug.

Be sure to ask your insurance company whether famotidine requires prior authorization.

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about famotidine and cost.

Do the famotidine 20-mg or 40-mg tablets cost less than the famotidine 40 mg/5 mL liquid suspension?

Maybe. If you have health insurance, your insurance plan may cover certain forms of famotidine and not others. Your specific dose may also be cheaper in one form than another.

To find out the cost difference between the liquid suspension and the tablets, talk with your pharmacist or insurance provider. Your doctor may have a reason for prescribing one form over another. So, if there is a cost difference, talk with your doctor before switching forms.

Do prescription famotidine tablets cost more than the over-the-counter tablets?

The cost of prescription famotidine tablets depends on your insurance coverage (if you have it) and the pharmacy you use. The cost of over-the-counter famotidine tablets can depend on where you purchase them.

The cost of famotidine also depends on the number of tablets you need. Because prescription and over-the-counter famotidine come in different strengths, one may be cheaper for you if you can take fewer tablets.

To find out how the costs of prescription and over-the-counter famotidine compare, talk with your pharmacist. Your doctor may recommend taking one form of famotidine over the other. Talk with your doctor about which form is best for you.

Famotidine is a generic drug. This means it’s an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. A generic is considered to be just as safe and effective as the original drug, but it usually costs less.

Famotidine comes in two brand-name versions: Pepcid AC and Zantac 360. They’re both available over the counter.

Pepcid AC and Zantac 360 are approved to relieve and prevent occasional heartburn. On the other hand, prescription famotidine is usually used for long-term conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A common symptom of GERD is heartburn.

To find out how the costs of Pepcid AC, Zantac 360, and famotidine compare, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

If you’ve been prescribed famotidine and you’re interested in taking Pepcid AC or Zantac 360 instead, talk with your doctor. They may prefer that you take one version instead of the other. In addition, you’ll need to check with your insurance provider. This is because it may only cover one drug or the other.

Why is there such a cost difference between brand-name drugs and generics?

Years of research and testing are needed to ensure that brand-name drugs are safe and effective. This testing can make the drugs expensive. The drugmaker of a brand-name drug can sell the drug for up to 20 years. After that, other drugmakers can create generic versions. This competition in the market can lead to lower costs for generics. And because generics have the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs, they don’t need to be studied again. This can also lead to lower generic costs.

If you take famotidine long term, you may be able to lower your costs in the following ways:

Look into getting a 90-day supply of your medication. You may be able to get a 90-day supply of famotidine if approved by your insurance company. This could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help lower the cost of famotidine. If you’re interested in getting a 90-day supply of this drug, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Use a mail-order pharmacy to get your medication. Using a mail-order pharmacy might help lower your cost for famotidine. Plus, you could get your medication without leaving home. Some Medicare plans may help cover the cost of mail-order drugs. You may also be able to get a 90-day supply of the drug through mail order. If you don’t have health insurance, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to suggest online pharmacy options that could work for you.

If you need help covering the cost of famotidine or understanding your insurance, check out these resources:

On these sites, you can find insurance information, details on drug assistance programs, and links to savings cards and other services.

If you have questions about how to pay for your prescription, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

If you still have questions about the cost of famotidine, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to give you a better idea of what you’ll pay for this drug. But if you have health insurance, you’ll need to talk with your insurance provider to learn the actual cost you’d pay for famotidine.

Examples of questions you may want to ask your doctor or insurance provider include:

• Are there coupons for over-the-counter famotidine?
• Does my insurance plan cover certain strengths or forms of famotidine and not others?
• Which other medications are approved for my condition that are covered by my insurance plan?
• How can I get over-the-counter famotidine covered by my insurance?
• How does the cost of famotidine compare with and without insurance?

To learn more about famotidine, see these articles:

• Famotidine, oral tablet
• Side Effects of Famotidine: What You Need to Know

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Disclaimer: Austra Health has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.

Last medically reviewed on March 23, 2023