Fluconazole (Diflucan) and Cost: What You Need to Know

Fluconazole price and savings

The price you pay for fluconazole can vary. Your cost may depend on your treatment plan, your insurance coverage, and the pharmacy you use. It can help to compare prices across pharmacies to find the lowest cost.

The cost also depends on which form you use. Fluconazole comes as a tablet, an oral suspension (a type of liquid mixture), and an IV infusion. An IV infusion is an injection given into a vein over a period of time by a healthcare professional. If you’re having fluconazole infusions, your price will also depend on how much you pay for your healthcare visits to receive doses at a clinic or hospital.

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

Coupons and savings

You may be able to find drug coupons on prescription discount websites that can reduce the cost of fluconazole. These coupons cannot be used with insurance copays or benefits, but the discounted price may be lower than what you’d pay through insurance.

Frequently asked questions about fluconazole’s cost

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about fluconazole and its cost.

Can I buy fluconazole over the counter?

No, fluconazole isn’t available over the counter. It’s only available by prescription in the United States due to some risks associated with taking it. For example, it can cause serious side effects and can interact with some other medications.

Does fluconazole come as a cream or syrup? If so, how much do these forms of the drug cost?

No, fluconazole doesn’t come as a cream or syrup. But it does come as a liquid suspension that you swallow. The suspension is also available as the brand-name drug Diflucan.

Your cost for the fluconazole liquid suspension can vary depending on the pharmacy you use, your dosage, and your insurance coverage (if you have it). A higher strength of fluconazole suspension usually costs more than the lower strength suspension.

If you have questions about your specific cost of fluconazole, talk with your doctor.

What’s the price of fluconazole tablets (50 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, and 200 mg)?

The price of fluconazole tablets can vary. It’s possible that the higher strength tablets of fluconazole cost more than the lower strengths. The price for fluconazole tablets can also vary depending on the pharmacy you use.

To find out the exact cost of your dosage of fluconazole, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

How much does fluconazole cost without insurance?

Prescription drugs usually cost less with insurance coverage. But if you don’t have insurance, your cost will depend on certain factors, such as:

• the pharmacy you use
• your dosage and treatment plan
• the form of the drug you’re prescribed
• whether you take your dose at home or receive it in a healthcare facility

To learn what you’ll pay for fluconazole without insurance, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

For resources that could help you save on the cost of fluconazole, see the “Financial and insurance assistance” section.

Generic vs. brand name

Fluconazole is a generic drug. This means it’s an exact copy of the active ingredient in a brand-name medication. A generic is considered just as safe and effective as the original drug. And generics generally cost less than brand-name drugs.

Fluconazole comes in a brand-name version called Diflucan. To find out how the costs of Diflucan and fluconazole compare, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

If you’ve been prescribed fluconazole and you’re interested in using Diflucan 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 manufacturer 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.

Ways to reduce long-term drug costs

Fluconazole may be taken either short term or long term. If you take fluconazole 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 fluconazole if approved by your insurance company. This could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help lower the cost of fluconazole. 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 of fluconazole. 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.

Financial and insurance assistance

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

• NeedyMeds
• Medicine Assistance Tool

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.

Insurance considerations

Prior authorization: If you have insurance, your insurance company may require prior authorization before it covers fluconazole. This means the company and your doctor will discuss fluconazole in regard to your treatment. The insurance company will then determine whether the medication is covered. If a drug requires prior authorization, but you start treatment without the prior approval, you could pay the full cost of the medication. You can ask your insurance company whether fluconazole requires prior authorization.

Type of insurance coverage: If you receive fluconazole infusions and you have insurance, the price of your doses may be billed through your medical coverage instead of the prescription drug portion of your insurance plan. This depends on your specific insurance plan and where you receive your fluconazole doses, such as at your doctor’s office, an infusion clinic, or a hospital. If you have questions about this process, contact your doctor or your insurance provider.

Next steps

If you still have questions about the cost of fluconazole, 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 fluconazole.

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

• If I can’t afford my medication, what are my options?
• Do the different forms of fluconazole vary in price?
• Are there any other lower cost drugs that can treat my condition?

To get information on different conditions and tips for improving your health, subscribe to any of Healthline’s newsletters. You may also want to check out the online communities at Bezzy. It’s a place where people with certain conditions can find support and connect with others.

Disclaimer: Healthline 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.