Pharmacy costs here and abroad

SeaSide

I have been on the LTI scheme for diabetes supplies for about five years now.

A month ago following some investigation I was put on Nexium 40 which sets me back €76.07 for a 28 day course or just short of €1,000 a year. Just had a look at the boots.co.uk site and the same course is £30.23 or €32.35 an outrageous difference.

I know that people have written about picking up meds in Spain but what experience do users of this forum have of shopping around.

Will a Republic of Ireland prescription be accepted in NI??

edit: just found this guidance to NI pharmacies

taram

I've picked up a lot of otherwise expensive otc stuff for pretty much nothing in Spain, but never prescription stuff. I've also had my prescription renewed in England, as a private prescription once, but only worked out about a fiver cheaper, and had to pay my montly DPS cost anyway here. :pac: But it seems according to that document that you can get your 'scripts in NI if the pharmacist agrees to it, so go for it if it'll save you money!

robinph

Prescriptions for diabetics are free in the UK for any other drugs that you get as well, diabetes related or not.

Emerald Lass

I was on Lexapro for a while - for 28 days of 5mgs cost me €42 in Ireland. When in Turkey I went into a chemist, showed my prescription and they sold me a 28 day supply of 10mgs for 21 lira (€10). I took simply 1/2 a tablet, so got 56 days medication for €10 as opposed to €82 in Ireland! I also get b12 prescriptions, 5 ampules in Ireland cost about €7-10. In turkey I get 8 ampules for 6 lira (€3). contraceptive pill costs €7.5 in Ireland (and you need a prescription), Turkey €2 and no prescription needed. Antibiotics (amoxycillin, penecillin etc) costs around 14 lira, (€7) for 50 tabs and can be bought over the counter with no prescription.

Now I know that standards a different in different countries, and costs are different etc etc etc. I am not getting into why or how the prices are different - I am just pointing out the SIGNIFICANT differences available abroad, so it might be worth taking your prescriptions with you when going on your summer hols! They don't actually 'officially' fill your prescription, but just need to look at your prescription to confirm you have actually be prescribed this by a doc. Most chemists in tourist areas will speak english (anyway, the brand name will be the same in most countries). I also stock up on a week or so of penecillin as every winter I get a strep throat and have had it so many times now that i know the drill - always get prescribed penecillin. So now I have a week or twos supply at home, if I get strep I take a day or two antibiotics, and if no improvement THEN go to the doc.

I am not suggesting that anyone NOT go to the doc, nor am I supporting taking meds willy-nilly, or advocating getting meds without a prescription. I am just saying that some prescriptions can be filled abroad, so it is worth taking your prescriptions with you when on holiday - while picking up your bargain handbags, and shoes etc, you might even get some bargain healthcare!

colrow

Emerald Lass wrote: »

I also get b12 prescriptions, 5 ampules in Ireland cost about €7-10. !

Hi, i'm a diabetic type 2, and I've been prescribed vitamin b12 injections and folic acid tabs, I was origonally prescribed to have the injection every 3 months, but I slow down again after 2 months, do you have any comment to make on that, the doc gives me the injection every 2 months now, how long do you go between injections ?

Nonoperational

Government sets the price of drugs in agreement with the pharmaceutical industry. We do get caught for some things especially drugs like PPIs where there is a generic available.

Phototoxin

as a diabetic you should be able to get any of the LTI stuff you need free.

panadol for headache NO, insulin, needles, glucagon, lancets, test strips, glucometer, ketometer, ketone strips, glucogel... all free if you need it

Emerald Lass

Hi colrow - I can't really comment on your situation as I'm not a doc, obviously, but I need injections every month. I have a genetic condition called pernicious anemia, where my body physically cannot absorb B12 via diet etc so an injection is the only option. I also have CFS, so those two things together mean I need an injection every 4-5 weeks. My sis also has pernicious anemia, but she only needs injections once every 3 mths.

However how long your dose will last depends on why you are getting the B12 - if it is just for an energy boost then AFAIK every 2-3 mths is the average. Some docs seem to have jumped on the B12 bandwagon and give these injections for pretty much everything - they can't do you any harm, and do increase energy fora lot of people, but rather than encourage people to change their lifestyle and diet the offer injections - my doc charges €10 per injection! I think the financial gain to some docs may be a factor in how willing they are to offer B12 injections. since living part time in Turkey my doc in turkey has shwn me how to inject myself, so now I save money on that too!

Just so you know when I am going through a CFS crash I might need B12 twice a week. If my levels are very low (seen in a blood test) then I will get 1 injection every 2 days for a fortnight, then one every 3 days, then 2 a week, then 1 a week, then 1 a fortnight, 1 a month, and so on until I am back at normal levels. When I have had a crash I sometimes need to start from scratch again.

You should talk to your doctor - also look at other factors which may be reducing the time you get from an injection. Even my sister finds that at busy times she will be struggling to last 3 mths, and about 2 weeks before the injection is due her symptoms return. so lifestyle affects how long you will get aswell (and also menstrual cycles as women loose B12 during menstruation so those with very heavy periods may not get as long from an injection).

hope you feel better from it soon!

colrow

Emerald Lass wrote: »

Hi colrow - I can't really comment on your situation as I'm not a doc, obviously, but I need injections every month. I have a genetic condition called pernicious anemia, where my body physically cannot absorb B12 via diet etc so an injection is the only option. I also have CFS, so those two things together mean I need an injection every 4-5 weeks. My sis also has pernicious anemia, but she only needs injections once every 3 mths.

Hi Emerald Lass, thanks for sharing that with me. one of th gps at the surgery told me they'd overlooked checking my b12 levels in the 3 monthly blood checks I have, and that the level had been just on the minimum range for the past few readings, and that I'd have to have b12 injections and folic acid for the rest of my life. I was very tired all the time, I was expecting to be running round like Rambo after the injection, but nothing like that happened. After about a week tho I was able to climb in and out of my tractor, and spend a week gathering timber for the winter, without feeling completley knackered, just jumping up into the cab instead of pulling myself up slowly. I'm working in the uk now for a while and about 2 months after the first injection, I suddenly seemed very tired again, going up stairs was especially tiring, so I had another injection then and after a week I was back to normal, and 8 weeks later it happened again, its certainly very noticeable when it 'runs out'. I've noticed on the internet reports that Metformin, one of the drugs I take for my diabetes, is suspected as a cause of non ingestion of b12, I've been told by a nurse friend that I've lost my Intrinsic Factor, which is part of the normal mechanism of b12 ingestion.

Take care I hope you had a Good Xmas and I wish you a Happy New Year, the same wishes for everyone on here.:D

taram

colrow wrote: »

Hi Emerald Lass, thanks for sharing that with me. one of th gps at the surgery told me they'd overlooked checking my b12 levels in the 3 monthly blood checks I have, and that the level had been just on the minimum range for the past few readings, and that I'd have to have b12 injections and folic acid for the rest of my life. I was very tired all the time, I was expecting to be running round like Rambo after the injection, but nothing like that happened. After about a week tho I was able to climb in and out of my tractor, and spend a week gathering timber for the winter, without feeling completley knackered, just jumping up into the cab instead of pulling myself up slowly. I'm working in the uk now for a while and about 2 months after the first injection, I suddenly seemed very tired again, going up stairs was especially tiring, so I had another injection then and after a week I was back to normal, and 8 weeks later it happened again, its certainly very noticeable when it 'runs out'. I've noticed on the internet reports that Metformin, one of the drugs I take for my diabetes, is suspected as a cause of non ingestion of b12, I've been told by a nurse friend that I've lost my Intrinsic Factor, which is part of the normal mechanism of b12 ingestion.

Take care I hope you had a Good Xmas and I wish you a Happy New Year, the same wishes for everyone on here.:D

I'm on metaformin too (for insulin resistance) and was told to get my B12 checked every 3 months, or sooner if I feel run down. No harm in ruling it out as a cause of tiredness when it's easy to fix!

colrow

taram wrote: »

I'm on metaformin too (for insulin resistance) and was told to get my B12 checked every 3 months, or sooner if I feel run down. No harm in ruling it out as a cause of tiredness when it's easy to fix!

Thanks Taram, I'm must be one of the 20% of people on metformin (also known as metfartin, for obvious reasons;) ) who lose the ability to digest b12.

Getting on topic again, while I am in the UK all my diabetes medication is free, tho the practise I was with last year refused to let me have any glucose test strips, because I "only had" type 2 diabetes, and didn't need to know my bg's. Any other medecines I need are also free. So I'll stock up on test strips here, before I go back again.

erikaboxer

anyone on here know how to get prescription medicine when moving over to canada for a year from ireland?