Altafrin, Phenylephrine Inj

Introduction

Written by Patricia Weiser, PharmD
Medically reviewed by Brittany A. Duke, PharmD, RPh
Updated on February 13, 2024

Phenylephrine is a generic medication that’s used for dilating the pupils. It’s not available in a brand-name version. The cost of the drug with or without insurance can depend on several factors. It might be lowered by using a coupon.

Eye doctors and other healthcare professionals use phenylephrine eye drops to dilate the pupil. It’s used before an eye exam or certain procedures involving the eye.

Note: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved phenylephrine. This is because the drug has been available since before the FDA began its drug approval process. If you have questions about this, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Read on to learn about phenylephrine and cost. You’ll also find available coupons and suggestions for ways to save on your prescription. If you’d like more information about phenylephrine, including its uses, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. 

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Cost of phenylephrine

Like other medications, the cost of phenylephrine can vary. Certain factors may affect its price, such as:

• your insurance plan, if you have coverage
• the pharmacy you use
• the cost to visit an eye doctor or other healthcare professional, who will use these eye drops to dilate your pupil before an exam or procedure

To find out how much phenylephrine costs, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. They may be able to suggest ways to save money on your prescription, including those described in this article. To find out what you’d pay using savings coupons, read the “Coupons for phenylephrine” section.

Coupons for phenylephrine

Prescription drug coupons can help you save money by lowering the cost of phenylephrine. The Optum Perks coupons above can provide significant savings on your prescription costs.

Note: Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with insurance copays or benefits.

Available app for coupons

To make finding and using these coupons easier, you can download the Optum Perks app. To learn more about this prescription discount app, see this article.

Insurance and other considerations for phenylephrine

Here’s a list of things to consider about the cost of prescription drugs:

• Prior authorization: If you have prescription drug insurance, your insurance company may require prior authorization before it covers the cost of phenylephrine. In this case, your doctor will communicate with your insurance company regarding your prescription for phenylephrine. The insurance company will decide whether to cover the medication. If a drug requires prior authorization and you begin using it without this, you may have to pay the full price of the drug.
• Insurance coverage: Even if your policy has prescription drug coverage, the price of phenylephrine may instead be billed through your medical coverage. This is because an eye doctor or another healthcare professional gives doses of phenylephrine eye drops. The cost of your doses will depend on your specific insurance plan and whether you receive the doses at your doctor’s office or a hospital. If you have questions about this process, contact your doctor or your insurance provider.
• Savings accounts: If you’re eligible for a health savings account (HSA) or a flexible spending account (FSA), you can likely use funds from these accounts to pay for copays. These include copays for visits to the eye doctor’s office to receive doses of phenylephrine. HSA and FSA plans allow people to save money by using pretax dollars to pay for eligible healthcare expenses, such as copays, and prescription and over-the-counter drugs. To learn more about whether you’re eligible for these savings accounts and how to use them, talk with your insurance provider or employer.

If you have questions about any of these considerations, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Or contact your insurance company and talk with a representative.

If you don’t have a health insurance plan, let your doctor or pharmacist know. They may suggest online pharmacy options you could use. You can also ask them about ways to obtain health insurance coverage.

Generics vs. brand-names

Phenylephrine is a generic medication. It’s not available in a brand-name version.

A generic medication is an identical copy of the active ingredient in a brand-name medication. An active ingredient is what makes medication work. Brand-name products associated with this active ingredient are AK-Dilate and Altafrin, but these products are no longer available.

Generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs. And they’re believed to be as safe and effective as the brand-name versions.

Common questions about phenylephrine and cost

Here are some common questions and answers about phenylephrine.  

Is phenylephrine covered by Medicare?

It should be.

Phenylephrine is a prescription drug, but it’ll likely be covered under your medical coverage with Medicare instead of your prescription coverage. This is because phenylephrine eye drops are mainly administered by eye doctors and other healthcare professionals.

The drops are placed in the eye to dilate the pupil before an eye exam or before certain procedures. So, the cost of the drug will likely be billed to Medicare as part of the exam or procedure.

Talk with the billing department at your healthcare system or doctor’s office if you have questions about this.

Why are costs different for brand-name drugs vs. generic drugs?

Brand-name drugs can be expensive because of the studies needed to test how safe and effective they are.

Makers of a brand-name drug can sell their drug for up to 20 years. When the patent for a brand-name drug expires, other drugmakers can make and sell generic versions. A generic medication is an identical copy of the active ingredient in a brand-name medication. An active ingredient is what makes medication work.

This competition may help keep the costs of generic medications lower. Also, generic medications contain the same active ingredients as brand-name medications. So they don’t require the same testing, which can be costly.

If you’d like to know more about the cost differences between brand-name and generic drugs, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

What to ask about phenylephrine

This article provides cost information related to phenylephrine. It also offers suggestions for ways to save money on prescriptions.

If you have more questions about paying for this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You can also contact your insurance company.

Here’s a list of questions you may want to ask regarding the cost of your medication:

• Does the strength of phenylephrine affect the cost?
• How does the cost of this eye drop compare with the cost of similar eye drops?
• What are my options if I don’t have insurance?

Resources

• Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Orange Book: Approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence evaluations. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm
• Phenylephrine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution, USP 2.5% and 10%. (2022). https://nctr-crs.fda.gov/fdalabel/services/spl/set-ids/49558551-cbed-4518-a6d4-16cfd893eab0/spl-doc

Disclaimer: Optum Perks 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.