Pharmacy portugal prices

Jack53

Hi,

Anyone know what are the best things to stock up on while I’m here. thanks

The Continental Op

In the UK I always stock up on generic Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Cetirizine Hydrochloride (anti histamine) and Ibuprofen gel (generic voltarol). Interested to hear if Portugals prices are the same. Dealz UK has those all for a pound a pack.

Mervyn Skidmore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840144#Comment_119840144

Go to a shop called Savers next time, cheaper again. Paracetamol for 25p a pack, cetrizine for 50p for a month's supply etc.

TheDriver

You'd get ibuprofin for 35-50p a pack in poundland, tesco, sainsbury etc. You'd need to go shop to shop as it's restricted to 2 packs per person

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840275#Comment_119840275

Only issue is stores only allow 2 packs per purchase visit, not transaction. https://www.savers.co.uk/Health-%26-Wellbeing/Pain-Relief/c/pain-relief

Jack53

thanks everyone - I’m in the ROI (Cork) so it’s prob as easy to get things in Lisbon then make the trek up North.

bromley52

Any recommendations where I can get Cetirizine Hydrochloride at non rip off Irish prices?

walterking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840526#Comment_119840526

Many people don't realise that you are permitted to buy non-prescription medication online from any pharmacy in the EU that displays the EU health symbol. Even Amazon have some

Here's a spanish pharmacy https://www.parafarmacia-online.com/en/nonprescription-drugs

Here's details from European medicines agency https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/public-health-threats/falsified-medicines/buying-medicines-online

And details from pharmacy regulator here (stating that Irish pharmacies can see to EU) https://www.thepsi.ie/gns/Internet-Supply/Internet_supply_list_overview.aspx

Patsy167

This thread reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer smuggles drugs from Canada.

eurokev

Is there online pharmacies, that ship to Ireland, allowing us to avail of these cheaper prices??

Faith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840526#Comment_119840526

Inish Pharmacy is where I’ve been buying mine online. €5.50 for 30 and you can buy 6x30 in one go. Irish company and next day delivery: https://www.inishpharmacy.com/p/cetrine-hayfever-allergy-relief-10mg-cetirizine-tablets/p-cetrine-cetirizine?_sgm_campaign=product&_sgm_source=P-CETRINE-CETIRIZINE&_sgm_action=search&_sgm_term=Ceti

I bought some cetirizine from Amazon.de before but I think it was about €14 for 100 tablets, plus delivery.

Patsy167

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840734#Comment_119840734

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840591#Comment_119840591

There's a link to a Spanish pharmacy in the above post - €10 shipping to Ireland

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840591#Comment_119840591

Well I have been refused when trying to buy aspirin and beclamesathone (Beconase generic) from pharmacies in the UK, Netherlands, Germany and France. So I have my doubts. I have even had An Post pull a herbal medication from an EU country and got an unbelieveably officious and patronising letter from some Irish department telling me off for trying to buy something available in every other OECD country.

Ireland is so damned cute about this sort of thing. Beconase is over the counter. Beclamesathone is not and requires a prescription, costing you €50-60 to get then the pharmacist would whack on a €7 'dispensing' fee, bringing your cheap generic to 5 times that of the brand name, instead of the 1/4 price it is in the UK.

So call me extremely sceptical.

Faith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840741#Comment_119840741

Oddly it’s actually a parafarmacia, which is normally homeopathic or herbal “medicines”. That one seems to sell proper medicines, but just be careful to check what you’re buying carefully if doing some from a parafarmacia rather than a farmacia (speaking from recent real life experience where I didn’t realise there was a difference and a very insistent woman tried to sell me “natural” ibuprofen, insisting that works “better than chemicals” but it was just homeopathic stuff).

beachhead

Some posts mention the UK.Going thru UK airports some products can be cheaper in the pharmacy(usually,Boots)and there can be differences whether you are in Domestic Departures(Ireland) or International Departures(in transit).Again,there will be restrictions on purchases and usually one Boots per terminal.Worth bringing a price list to make sure.

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840526#Comment_119840526

You should take a trip up North, 30 tablets for £1 https://www.savers.co.uk/search?text=Cetirizine Amazon can ship stuff to a UK Post Office pick-up https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Cetirizine&crid=288QYFAYNSA8O

beachhead

Semi Chem and the supermarkets are in the One Pound range for 30 tabs as said above

mikeecho

Following

Mervyn Skidmore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840360#Comment_119840360

Yes for Ibuprofen and paracetamol you'll have to visit a few shops but all way cheaper. You can buy 10 boxes of anti histamines no problem though. Also, cold sore cream for £1 instead of €5-8 quid here a tube.

yoshimitsu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840752#Comment_119840752

Parafarmacia are not homeopathic/herbal. they're just over-the-counter pharmacies, they dont fill prescriptions (dont have a costly pharmacist inside, only retail staff). obviously because they lack that service they make it up by offering more comsetics, natural remedies, etc.

Faith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848445#Comment_119848445

I wonder if that is country-specific? Certainly in Spain - as far as I can tell - parafarmacias cannot sell any medicine, even OTC items. E.g. this website says

A parafarmacia is a herbal medicine shop that is not allowed to sell any normal medicine such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antibiotics. 

When I explicitly refused a herbal tablet in a parafarmacia in Lanzarote and asked for actual ibuprofen, they told me I would have to go to a farmacia.

But in any case, this discussion is a bit off-topic, sorry!

Gusser09

You can't buy Paracetemol in Supermarkets or shops in Spain. I know that much for sure.

My advice is if your are pissed of buying panadol 12 pks at 2 quid go to your pharmacy. They will sell 24pks for the same price. Still rip off in comparison to every other EU country.

Anyone know why Melatonin isn't OTC in Ireland?

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848848#Comment_119848848

Because Ireland has about 4 times too many pharmacies, so they need all the help they can get, hence all the bans and restrictions forcing you to use them and shutting down access to cheaper alternatives. Ireland has about the worst access to generic medicines in the OECD, and that's by design, not accident.

beachhead

The issue with too many pharmacies started when-I'm not sure.But the market was liberalised some years ago.The overcharging was there before that liberalisation.

Muahahaha

Anyone know if you can get the anti inflammatory difene over the counter up north? Im tired of paying 80 quid for a trip to the GP and 7 tablets. Had a stock from Portugal where they are OTC but wont be back there till next year

yoshimitsu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848783#Comment_119848783

It is not country specific (and not off topic since we're talking about where to buy OTC drugs online). That quote is misleading... true that parafarmacias (the same term is used in Italy btw) are not chemists (there is no pharmacists inside that call fill prescriptions). but they DO sell ibuprofen, aspirin, paracetamol (and most other OTC drugs) while they CANNOT sell antibiotics (as they require a prescription). some of the them may decide to specialize in herbal remedies but the vast majority sell OTC drugs.

https://www.parafarmacia-online.com/en/nonprescription-drugs was shared above. I've used them to buy gaviscon, minoxidil (hair loss treatment) and voltaren gel (diclofenac anti inflammatory cream) shipped to Ireland

search for a few of them in google and you shall see. some basic spanish language knowledge helps

mikeecho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119852035#Comment_119852035

What drugs are otc in Spain Portugal Italy , that are prescription here?

Whenever a family member is going to the US, I get them to pick up a big bottle of antihistamine in wall greens, 365 tabs for about $25., Or corizone 10

Most end up being dumped, but still cheaper than buying here

yoshimitsu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853149#Comment_119853149

a bit of a broad question so dont think anyone can give you a full answer on here. From what I know melatonin (below 2mg) is OTC in Spain while needs a prescription here (at least my GP had to write a prescription for me to buy it here).

From personal experience you can reason with a pharmacist in Spain e.g. 600mg ibuprofen has recently been made to require a prescription because people were abusing it (taking 600mg even for the slightest headache). You can still buy it if you find a reasonable pharmacist and you explain to them that you know how to take it and not to abuse it. The same applies to Ventolin (a anti asthmatic inhaler). I routinely get 2-3 of them for the kids and sometimes I'm asked for a prescription and sometimes not. Generally Spanish pharmacies in tourist destination know that tourist hoard drugs to take back to their (more expensive) home countries and they're more flexible

Deep Thought

Interestingly, was in Tenerife couple weeks ago, needed a doctor and got a prescription, gave me a painkiller that is banned here and in a lot of Other countries..

User142

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848848#Comment_119848848

HPRA view it as having medicinal function so it must be licensed for sale here like any other drug. Other countries health authorities view it like a health supplement if it available "OTC" but it would be more accurate to say its sold like multivitamins there than say paracetamol.

To make it OTC a company would have to jump through a lot of hoops to prove its safety that no one can be bothered doing or can't do.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840734#Comment_119840734

Medicine is one thing you should never ever buy online. You have no idea if what you are buying is of the correct strength or has been re boxed etc.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119854599#Comment_119854599

Honestly have to say I completely agree with this. I heard a case recently as well about a woman who got some pain killers from a neighbour but unknown to her (and possibly the neighbour) they contained a lethal dose of Fentanyl.

2mg is a lethal dose, for anyone curious.

I’d rather pay exorbitant prices at home than chance buying god knows what online.

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851111#Comment_119851111

I would say no.But never tried in UK.It's OTC in Spain,also.Can tell you at end of this month if no one replies here.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119854565#Comment_119854565

60 euro for a bottle or 2mg melatonin which last 1 month. Id buy 500 tablets for that. Criminal.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119854599#Comment_119854599

Absolute nonsense.

walterking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119840747#Comment_119840747

Its still subject to what is licenced here.

So the 2 pack limit of anything containing paracetamol will apply. And if beconase is not OTC here, then that is not permitted.

But something like Cetrine does not have purchase limits and if you can find a cheap international seller, it must be allowed cross eu borders.

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848848#Comment_119848848

And don't forget paracetemol is not that cheap in a Spanish pharmacy compared to a supermarket here.A giveaway in the UK in comparison

Gusser09

Otc products and prices really should be replicated across eu states.

Its a single market except when it comes to fleecing consumers.

beachhead

anyone collecting fat salaries and pensions from Brussels don't worry about the single market.The plebs can sing for it.