Prescriptions drastically different prices in different pharmacies?

mrcheez

I've recently started on a regular medication (haven't really had to take regular meds before) and noticed that different pharmacies have sometimes 15% difference in the price for exactly the same medication?

I would have assumed prescription meds were a standardised price in the industry.

So is getting quotes from different pharmacies a thing?! Now I'm kicking myself how much I could have saved over the years whenever I was getting meds in the past 🤣

BronsonTB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058219476/prescriptions-drastically-different-prices-in-different-pharmacies

Price for medicines can always vary between Chemists. They don't have a monoply agreement to charge the same in all for the same products.

Some will be the same & some prices will be different. Chain Chemists tend to have the same prices but independants can charge different.

mrcheez

Interesting.. so in places where there are lots of pharmacies in the vicinity it would be fairly standard for someone to pop in and check the prices in most of them if it was going to be a regular medication they needed to take?

Obviously if you're living somewhere with less choice it wouldn't be worth the hassle.

BronsonTB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214884#Comment_118214884

If you have alot around you & you wanted to find the cheapest, then yes, you'd have to go into them & check each for prices.

Usually you'd find a 'good' chemist as it's not always just the price but the overall advise they can give too!

Alot to be said for knowing your local chemist & you can't 'buy' that!

micah537

A pharmacy in the village I grew up in, is 20km from the city where I live. An inhaler is €15 cheaper there and hay-fever tablets are half price. Since I buy 2 inhalers and two boxes of hay-fever tablets a month, it makes sence to drive 20km and save €40 once a month.

manonboard

yeah they are just regular shops with a mandated paper allowance to buy form.

Its a good thing. While standardization might sound ok, its really price fixing and very easily could go bad. Things like that almost always increase in price more than something that has lots of alternative competition. I find much cheaper medication in tesco pharmacy, and make a point of shopping in the cheapest places for different goods like that.

If you are going to regularly buy something, it usually pays to check prices first. Also be sure to check online too, that can be a big money saver with medication.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214884#Comment_118214884

You should see if there's a Pure Pharmacy within range of you, or you could consider delivery from Healthwave.

Both of these tend to be far cheaper for some very common prescription items, even versus nearby chemists in Dublin or chains such as Boots who are cheaper than most independent pharmacies.

https://healthwave.ie/

mrcheez

wonder if that Chemist Warehouse chain is cheaper for prescription meds too

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118215021#Comment_118215021

As I always have to bring up, if you're anywhere near the border hit Dealz and/or Semi-Chem when you get a chance. Allergy tablets are like 49p for 14. Generic painkillers etc. are available at stupidly low prices compared to here.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118215104#Comment_118215104

over the counter meds pricing difference wouldn't have surprised me... it's just the prescription med pricing I always thought was government controlled (or subsidised)

Saint_Mel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118215021#Comment_118215021

Something similar here ... went to the same pharmacy since I was a kid for asthma inhalers, steroids all that jazz.

They used to give me my December collection for free as a Christmas gift for being good customer. Didn't think anything untoward of it and was delighted to save the cash ... until another place opened much nearer. Went in there 1 day as the regular place was closed and turned out they were charging almost half the price of the place I used to go!!

madeiracake

If it's an expensive item it really is worth pricing around. Our local chemist was charging a 50% mark up one medication at over 500 euro a month but got in boots for 270.

mrcheez

It's a shame there's no online facility to check these prices.. would save a lot of walking 😃

The prices for prescription meds don't seem to be on pharmacy websites for the most part?