Why are antacid tablets so expensive in Ireland?

Welcome to Ireland, prepare to be f**ked.

Halloran springs wrote: »

Over here rennies, remegel, etc are around €4 for 48!

Back in the US we can buy 150 for around $4 (roughly €3.15). They are good ones too like tums. The equivalent in Ireland would cost you around €12 !!!

The main ingredient is not expensive either , it's mostly just calcium carbonate. And there's no cheaper alternative in Ireland. Is there some kinda tax on acid indigestion remedies I don't know about here?

Mods I am new on here so please move to appropriate forum if this is incorrect.

Who the hell needs 150 of them??? That's a bit mad.

But yeah, **** costs bank over here.

Halloran springs wrote: »

I buy the 150, (or 300) boxes and they last me over a year. Some people I guess get heartburn, and acid indigestion more than others and would require them more often. I am just amazed at the prices over here, and London is no different.

Perhaps the tablets companies in America are actually subsidiaries of the food companies.

They sell you cheap solutions to ensure you stay eating?

The above theory seems perfectly sound to me and in no way stereotypical or crazy.

Halloran springs wrote: »

I buy the 150, (or 300) boxes and they last me over a year. Some people I guess get heartburn, and acid indigestion more than others and would require them more often. I am just amazed at the prices over here, and London is no different.

London is very, very, very different actually. You need to look for the generic brands for the cheapest pills, but even Bisodol is currently STG£1.95 for 100 tablets in Tesco.

In Ireland very few generic brands are available, which means the available brands have more or less a cartel grip on the market. It's seriously worth going to Newry for medications, though it takes quite a lot of planning to get the amount of painkillers you want with the 2 boxes per transaction/customer rule. That said I had major surgery last week here for the grand total of €0. How much would that have cost in the US.

Because OTC drugs are marked up at 33%, 66% in some cases. Pharmacies in Ireland have taken us all to the cleaners for years. Want cheap medication? Buy from the North.

I think it makes sense not to have certain drugs too cheap. Too many people self medicate using the internet. Who really needs to buy tablets by the 100s? I'd go see a doctor or look at what i was eating if I were you

I know this is swerving slightly from topic but...

There used to be a book available called the OTC guide, available in pharmacies. Gave you images of nearly every OTC product, it's Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and dosages etc. It was a UK book I think..so some products were not available in ROI. Anyway, if its still out there, worth buying it. Found an app too http://www.otcguide.net/otcguide-app

Most OTC drugs are just variants on the main active ingredient...so for example Sudafed and Sinutab both contain pseudoephedrine (the thing that does the decongesting) but the sinutab has 500mg of paracetamol added. In the treatment of a blocked nose, this added paracetamol might not be necessary, but your friendly pharmacist will push the sinutab on you...why? One would guess that it's because he/she has your health interests in mind, but really it's because the sinutab are considerably more expensive. Now we're only talking a difference of tens of cents here, but it's substantial.

I say it only to point out, that pharmacies are a business, even when it comes to the drugs you put in your body. Now pseudoephedrine, will more than likely not be kept in the dispensary at a high street pharmacy, however other drugs you buy are kept in generic form and are considerably cheaper. If it is legal to buy it OTC then there is no problem asking your pharmacist.

Coming back to topic...acid/gastric reflux suppressants as in Rennie or Gaviscon.
Rennie is pretty much your basic man and you probably wont find it in active ingredient form in the dispensary. Its use is so widespread now, that it is probably not even prescribed anymore. Gaviscon does have some higher dose cousins on prescription in the dispensary. However these type of things are a combination of a number of drugs, calcium carbonate and sodium bicorbonate etc. An apothecary of old would have prepared themselves but now don't need to. So basically you probably won't find a cheap generic for these type of things in the dispensary.

It is worth knowing the ingredients in your OTC meds though so you can always ask if there's a cheaper generic alternative. But more importantly for when you go abroad and don't speak the lingo. My ex was in awful pain in Turkey from something she ate and I knew what she needed was Motilium, but in the pharmacy there they couldn't understand what we were trying to say and probably didn't recognise the brand name...so we just asked for the chemical name...domperidone...and voila, the guy walks in the back and comes out with the generic drug.


Jesus I should get a job on that show Doctors

I don't think I've taken even 50 over the counter pain killers in my entire life, who the f**k needs 100?

I know the OP was talkin about antacid, the only time I've ever bought them was when I went to India. Also bought some other tablets for dodgy stomachs too.

Arpa wrote: »

Yes sir they do. And you're buying Irish too. Think it's an Irish company that do them too...although it might be Glaxo Smith Kline...can't remember, anyway, they are called Paralief 500mg.

Come in tubs of 100 or something like that. The only issue with that is that there's a restriction on the amount of Paracetamol sold without a Prescription.

If you know your pharmacist it shouldn't be a problem.

PLEASE inform yourselves as to WHY the sale of more than 24 Paracetamol at any one time is restricted!! This is for your own good & safety people!!!

http://www.lenus.ie/hse/bitstream/10147/46666/1/2410.pdf

I've been asked plenty of times for "24 Panadol" or "zovirax" and when offered the generic substitute have been told "no that one doesn't work" so you can't win lads - pharmacies may be a business but Pharmacists still have a duty of care and it's not all about profit.

Ask the wholesalers not the pharmacies