Diclofenac Epolamine Coupons & Prices

A diclofenac epolamine coupon from Rx.com can lower what you pay at the pharmacy counter for the diclofenac epolamine topical system 1.3% (the generic of the Flector Patch), a prescription anti-inflammatory patch used for acute pain from minor strains, sprains, and bruises. Cash prices for this patch vary widely from one pharmacy to the next, even across the street, so the only way to know what you would pay is to compare. Enter your ZIP above to see today's price near you across the 60,000+ pharmacies Rx.com compares, then show the free coupon at the counter.

What is diclofenac epolamine and how does it work?

Diclofenac epolamine is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) delivered through the skin. It comes as a 10 cm x 14 cm topical system (a patch) at a strength of 1.3%. Diclofenac is a nonselective COX inhibitor, meaning it blocks the enzymes your body uses to make the chemical messengers behind pain and swelling. Because the patch is applied over the sore spot, more of the medicine works where it is placed and less circulates through the whole body than with a tablet, though it is still absorbed and still carries NSAID risks.

The FDA approved this topical system for treating acute pain due to minor strains, sprains, and contusions in adults and children 6 years of age and older. Diclofenac itself was first approved in the U.S. in 1988.

Important: there are two different diclofenac epolamine topical systems, and they are not dosed the same way. Read the label on the product you were actually dispensed.

• Flector (and the diclofenac epolamine topical system 1.3% generic of it) contains 180 mg of diclofenac epolamine per system. The labeled dose is one system applied to the most painful area twice a day, about every 12 hours.
• Licart is a separate product approved under its own FDA application (NDA 206976). It contains 182 mg of diclofenac epolamine per system, and the labeled dose is one system applied to the most painful area once daily. It is marketed as the only once-a-day topical NSAID.

Applying a once-daily system twice a day would double your daily dose of a medicine that carries a boxed warning, so follow the directions on your own prescription and ask your pharmacist if you are unsure which product you have.

What diclofenac epolamine costs without insurance

An FDA-approved generic diclofenac epolamine topical system 1.3% is marketed in the U.S. as a generic of the twice-daily Flector product, and YARAL Pharma markets an authorized generic of it. Even so, do not assume the price is settled. Cash prices for the same box of patches can differ a great deal between a chain drugstore, a grocery pharmacy, and an independent down the road, because each pharmacy sets its own cash price. That spread is exactly why comparing before you fill is worth the two minutes. Enter your ZIP above to see today's price at pharmacies near you and print, text, or show the free Rx.com coupon.

A few honest notes. The Rx.com coupon is a cash-discount card, not insurance, and you cannot combine it with your insurance benefit on the same fill, so it is worth checking your copay too and using whichever is lower. If you were prescribed a brand-name product, each brand runs its own copay savings program on its own official website: Flector's is at flector.com, and Licart's is at licart.com. Those programs typically exclude people with Medicare, Medicaid, or other government coverage, and the terms and eligibility rules vary, so read them before you count on one.

Diclofenac epolamine vs. other topical and oral options

People often mix up the topical diclofenac products, and the differences matter because each has its own FDA-approved use and its own dosing:

• Flector Patch is the brand-name diclofenac epolamine topical system 1.3% containing 180 mg, applied twice a day. This is the product the FDA-approved generic corresponds to.
• Licart is a separate brand under its own FDA application, containing 182 mg, applied once daily. It shares the same indication, but it is not the same product as Flector and a generic of it is not established.
• Voltaren gel and Pennsaid use a different salt, diclofenac sodium, in a gel or solution rather than a patch. It is topical diclofenac sodium gel, not the epolamine patch, that carries the osteoarthritis indication.
• Oral diclofenac and diclofenac sodium tablets treat different, systemic conditions and are swallowed rather than applied to the skin.
• Other oral NSAIDs your doctor might discuss include meloxicam and naproxen.

These are not interchangeable, and switching between them is a conversation for your prescriber or pharmacist, not a substitution you should make on your own. One safety point worth knowing: you should avoid using this patch together with oral NSAIDs or aspirin unless your doctor specifically tells you to.

Safety information you should know

The diclofenac epolamine topical system carries a two-part FDA boxed warning. First, cardiovascular thrombotic events: NSAIDs increase the risk of serious cardiovascular clotting events, including heart attack and stroke, which can be fatal. The risk may appear early in treatment and can increase the longer you use the drug. It is contraindicated for pain around coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Second, gastrointestinal bleeding, ulceration, and perforation: these can happen at any time, without warning symptoms, and can be fatal. Older adults and anyone with a history of ulcers or GI bleeding are at greater risk. The label advises using the lowest effective dose for the shortest time needed.

Do not use this patch if you are allergic to diclofenac, or if aspirin or other NSAIDs have ever caused asthma, hives, or other allergic-type reactions. Do not apply it to broken, damaged, infected, or rash-covered skin, and keep it away from the eyes, mucous membranes, and open wounds. Do not wear it while bathing or showering, and avoid external heat sources over it. The label also warns about liver injury, kidney problems and high potassium, high blood pressure, heart failure and swelling, anaphylaxis, serious skin reactions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, DRESS, and blood-related effects including anemia.

On pregnancy, the label is specific. Use of NSAIDs at about 20 weeks of pregnancy or later may cause fetal kidney problems leading to low amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios); if an NSAID is needed at that point, the label says to limit use to the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration possible, and to consider ultrasound monitoring of amniotic fluid if treatment goes beyond 48 hours. From about 30 weeks of pregnancy onward, the label says to avoid NSAIDs altogether because of the risk of premature closure of the fetal ductus arteriosus. Be cautious if you take anticoagulants, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or diuretics. This page is information, not medical advice; talk with your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation, and get emergency help for chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness on one side, black or bloody stools, or a spreading rash with blisters.