Asthma Inhalers

McBain11

Hi guys, I was diagnosed with asthma a few months back.

So my prescription is for the brown preventative inhaler (beclazone 250mg I think!) and the blue ventolin inhaler.

I do a bit of travelling, so was just wondering are there countries (UK, EU countries), where I can get these straight over the counter or with a prescription, at a lesser price than what's generally on offer in Ireland? It's all about the price

scudzilla

McBain11 wrote: »

Hi guys, I was diagnosed with asthma a few months back.

So my prescription is for the brown preventative inhaler (beclazone 250mg I think!) and the blue ventolin inhaler.

I do a bit of travelling, so was just wondering are there countries (UK, EU countries), where I can get these straight over the counter or with a prescription, at a lesser price than what's generally on offer in Ireland? It's all about the price

The blue ventolin inhalers can be picked up for 3.50 in any chemist in Greece without prescription

morebarn2

I was able to purchase the blue inhaler over the counter without a prescription in Italy. My son also gets them in Spain. And friends have purchased them in Lanzarote.

For some reason the brown or preventative inhaler was more difficult to obtain so it’s not one I can be sure about. Annoyingly, for us it’s the more expensive one. !

Tabnabs

morebarn2 wrote: »

For some reason the brown or preventative inhaler was more difficult to obtain so it’s not one I can be sure about. Annoyingly, for us it’s the more expensive one. !

AFAIK the brown one contains steroids, so likely why it's more difficult to obtain.

scudzilla

Currently in turkey and just picked up a blue ventolin inhaler for 10lira, about €1.30

Markcheese

Spain is very easy, every pharmacist will have the blue ventolin, they may have to order the brown becotide one though, still no prescription needed but it's considered a bit old fashioned in Spain (according to the pharmacist I was chatting to),
The last ones I got were a very pale brown rather than darker ones I get here, and were 50mg rather than the 100 I normal get, so just check the strength....
Probably be around 3 or 4 quid each..
Get a volumatic (plastic bubble spacer), when you're bad it makes your inhaler work better..

locum-motion

Markcheese wrote: »

Spain is very easy, every pharmacist will have the blue ventolin, they may have to order the brown becotide one though, still no prescription needed but it's considered a bit old fashioned in Spain (according to the pharmacist I was chatting to),
The last ones I got were a very pale brown rather than darker ones I get here, and were 50mg rather than the 100 I normal get, so just check the strength....
Probably be around 3 or 4 quid each..
Get a volumatic (plastic bubble spacer), when you're bad it makes your inhaler work better..

a. It's considered old-fashioned here too.
b. You did not get good value. You got **THE WRONG THING**!! No matter how cheap it is, getting the wrong thing is poor value for money.
c. If a patient's doctor thinks a Volumatic is appropriate for a patient, **THEY** will prescribe it!! Not you.

Markcheese

locum-motion wrote: »

a. It's considered old-fashioned here too.
b. You did not get good value. You got **THE WRONG THING**!! No matter how cheap it is, getting the wrong thing is poor value for money.
c. If a patient's doctor thinks a Volumatic is appropriate for a patient, **THEY** will prescribe it!! Not you.

Thanks for your font of knowledge oh wise one, as useless is my opinion so is yours...
You don't need a prescription for a volumatic, it's not medicine, it's doesn't alter your dosage...
Yes becotide is old fashioned, and it suits some asmatics, that's why I've been prescribed it for the last 30 years, (but maybe you know more than my gp and pharmacist)
I choose to buy the same (GSK) products, made to the same EU standards, in the same GSK Factory for a fraction of the money I pay in ireland when I'm on my holidays.....if you don't then don't.

locum-motion

Markcheese wrote: »

Thanks for your font of knowledge oh wise one, as useless is my opinion so is yours...
You don't need a prescription for a volumatic, it's not medicine, it's doesn't alter your dosage...
Yes becotide is old fashioned, and it suits some asmatics, that's why I've been prescribed it for the last 30 years, (but maybe you know more than my gp and pharmacist)
I choose to buy the same (GSK) products, made to the same EU standards, in the same GSK Factory for a fraction of the money I pay in ireland when I'm on my holidays.....if you don't then don't.

While technically you don't need a prescription for a Volumatic - as you quite rightly point out it's not a medicine - you (MarkCheese) are not qualified to advise another patient (McBain11) to use one. Even if you are a doctor (which I don't think you are), you're not **that patient's** doctor and you haven't examined that patient.

I never said Becotide doesn't suit some 'asmatics' (sic). You pointed out that the pharmacist in Spain said it's considered old-fashioned there. I pointed out that the same is true here. Don't jump down my throat for that!

No matter which factory it came from, a Becotide 50 is not the same as a Becotide 100! By all means try to get better value, but for fux sake, compare like with like!

Markcheese

Sorry about that, I was a bit tetchy... As far as I was told(by my pharmacist) , the volumatic is the preferred way to use a spray inhaler.. If only the bloody thing wasnt so big... It doesn't alter the dosage, it just means that more of the dose gets to the lungs, not hitting the back of the throat..

Markcheese

And you're right about the becotide 50 isn't 100mg, it means 2 sprays instead of one.. which is why I pointed it out...it was still a fraction of the price..

Moyglish

locum-motion wrote: »

a. It's considered old-fashioned here too.
b. You did not get good value. You got **THE WRONG THING**!! No matter how cheap it is, getting the wrong thing is poor value for money.
c. If a patient's doctor thinks a Volumatic is appropriate for a patient, **THEY** will prescribe it!! Not you.

Can you get Volumatic spacers prescribed on a medical card for patients so that they can get one for €2?

palmcut

Moyglish wrote: »

Can you get Volumatic spacers prescribed on a medical card for patients so that they can get one for €2?

Yes.