Same price if not a few bucks cheaper on 800 Pet Meds (they always run a 20% off deal).
https://www.1800petmeds.com/Capstar+Flea+Treatment+Tablets-prod10325.html?Ntt=CapstarBut I agree you likely need the stuff that breaks the flea's lifecycle. You're being penny wise/pound foolish in using a cheap flea treatment that doesn't actual treat anything but the ADULT fleas on the animal within a day's time. Capstar is a short-duration flea adulticide. It does not prevent fleas from returning, and does nothing to prevent reproduction and reinfestation.
I get my meds from 800 Pet Meds, but I have seen some folks selling dog meds they no longer needed due to animal death/rehoming on my local Nextdoor or OfferUp occasionally. I just don't think it's consistent enough to count on, but you could take a look. You could also check your local shelter/non profit spay/neuter programs to see if the sell pet meds for cheaper or have deals/coupons. I know my vet occasionally does offer a "buy 6 tubes, get 2 free" and I snap those deals up.
I use Revolution which is expensive compared to that stuff, but I don't have to worry about tons of fleas getting in and laying thousands of eggs in the house... Capstar just kills the ones that get on there within a 24-36 hour period, but it does not stop those fleas from hopping off your dog, laying 11 billion eggs in your house and yard, and then reinfesting your dog a week later. The way the topical flea treatments like Advantage and Revolution work is that they will not instantly kill adult fleas - they make them infertile so they don't lay eggs. Fleas have to feed off a host before making eggs, so they hop on your dog, feed, and if the dog was treated with one of the drugs I mentioned... they hop off and die within 24-36 hours without ever reproducing. So it will take out the immediate infestation, but also prevents it from reoccurring. It may take 2-3 months for total removal of all fleas from your home/yard, but you can take steps to prevent it by treating both in the month starting the comprehensive treatment.
If you're not treating the house and yard, there's little help in treating the animal using the basic flea med like Capstar, because they just get reinfested the instant the go out or lay around the house. But it is
extremely helpful to do the following no matter what treatment you're using.
First, get one of the cheap spreader treatments for your yard (I use
Spectracide in the early Spring and maybe have to retreat early fall if the weather stays nice). As it is entering late fall/winter in the U.S., you may want to hold off on the yard treatments, but be prepared the first sign of spring to prevent this from becoming an issue again.
Bomb the house with a good flea fogger and then clean the hell out of it. If you have carpet or stuff that can't be washed, sprinkle borax powder on/around it and add some to your vac bag. Borax will kill fleas. Frequent vacuuming will cause the flea eggs to hatch (vibration/movement) and having some borax in the carpet and vac bag will get those fleas, otherwise they just stay dormant for months/years) and reinfection can occur.
I foster animals and also take care of a stray/feral cat colony in my neighborhood, so I am all too familiar with nasty flea/worm cycles. Sigh. It sucks that it costs so much to get things clear.
