Skip to main content
AAPM&R 2025 Main banner
JFK
Final Program


Official Program
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
On Demand
On Demand
In-Person
In-Person
Livestream
Livestream
Invite Only
Invite Only
Ticketed
Ticketed
Coffee Break
Coffee Break
Meal
Meal
Reception
Reception
Rate ePoster

Pain and Spine Medicine

A Comparison of Medication Prices for Common Pain Management Drugs Across Major Retail Pharmacies

Saturday, October 25, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM MT
Location: Kiosk 10

    Primary Author(s)

  • JD

    Jenny Duong, Other

    Student
    UCR
    Santa Ana, California

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Brian Nguyen, BS

    Medical Student
    California University of Science and Medicine, School of Medicine
    Santa Ana, California

    • Poster Presenter(s)

  • Jerome Torres, BA (he/him/his)

    3rd year Medical Student
    California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine
    Rowland Heights, California

    • Co-Author(s)

  • VC

    Vincent Chiang, Other

    Medical Student
    California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine
    Jurupa Valley, California

Disclosure(s):
Brian Nguyen, BS: No financial relationships to disclose
Jerome Torres, BA: No financial relationships to disclose
Vincent Chiang, Other: No financial relationships to disclose
Background and/or Objectives: It is well-known that the price of a given medication varies significantly between brands and retailers. This is important because many patients pay out-of-pocket for pain medications, with as many as 14% of patients in Texas doing so. Previous studies indicated that physicians and patients are often not fully aware of the costs of prescribed medications, which can lead to financial burden or decreased compliance. Therefore, this study aims to identify and compare the prices of commonly prescribed pain management medications at major pharmacy retailers to inform financially responsible prescribing practices.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medication prices at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Albertsons, Vons, Ralphs, Walmart, and Costco.

Setting : Retailer websites.

Participants : N/A

Interventions: N/A

Main Outcome Measures: Retail prices, standard deviation, and variability of ten common pain medications at equivalent dosages and quantities between stores were reported. Cross-retailer analysis examined prices, coefficient of variation, and pricing trends among retailers.

Results: Grocery store pharmacies, including Albertsons, Ralphs, and Vons, typically had the highest prices, with average medication costs recorded at $27.84, $27.18, and $27.94, respectively. Pharmacy retailers, CVS and Walgreens, followed up, averaging $27.26 and $26.06, respectively. The most affordable medications were found at general stores like Costco ($22.14) and Walmart ($20.48), though Costco has a $65 annual fee. Rite Aid, a pharmacy retailer, didn’t follow this trend, averaging $32.63. Prescription medications were generally more expensive with lower variability compared to OTC drugs, such as Tramadol at $21.00 (CV = 13.56%) versus Acetaminophen at $7.49 (CV = 55.22%).

Conclusions: We demonstrate significant out-of-pocket price differences between stores, with OTC drugs showing greater variability than prescription medications. For cost-effective medications, general stores, like Walmart and Costco, offer the best savings, while grocery store pharmacies remain the least affordable. Physicians and patients should consider these pricing disparities when prescribing to improve medication access, reduce costs, and enhance adherence.