PHARMACY UPDATE!! For those ladies who take the contraceptive pill........
As you may know, not all "varieties" of the Pill are free.
I know someone who usually pays around 36 euros for her 3 monthly supply.
She recently went to a larger town pharmacy, and had the generic version, and paid just 9 euros.
Quite a saving for an on going medication - the doctors surgeries are full of posters ( so are the pharmacies!) telling us we must accept a generic substitute for our usual meds. I have no problem with this, but find it a tad annoying when the generic over the counter stuff seems to be a closely guarded secret.
I was in Boots this week, and the pharmacist assistant offered every version of everything, allowing personal choice, which is how it should be.
I'm not making a "Its fab it the UK" statement, just drawing a comparison, so please no suggestions that I return to the UK!
It seems to depend on your local pharmacy. Mine used to comment that I was one of their few customers prepared to accept the generic (non-branded) prescription medicines. Perhaps because of that they frequently find me cheaper solutions when I go in for over-the-counter stuff. As with many businesses, having a good relationship with your local pharmacy helps - I'd rather drive 10km to the good one than 5km to the nearest one.
Hi Catherine, it is not just a general moisturiser that I need. I found that it worked better than E45 for me. The Valseline seems to have something that holds the moisture in and it lasts longer.
I am also very prone to insect bites and I can just imagine the fun they would have if i smelt of coconut!
A while ago I went to the chemist for some lotion for dry skin. He told me that he was out of stock and would order some in for me that afternoon. He didn't say what it would be, and, to be honest I didn't ask, but I was thinking it would be something along the lines of E45 or something similar. So my husband went down that afternoon to pick it up and brought back La Roche Posay Lipikar Lait at over 17 €!!!
I have to disagree with you there. I'm from the US and I find French prices more than fair (if not ridiculously cheap). But this is probably the American mind-set of having the prices of our medicines pushed up unusually high.
I use Vaseline intensive rescue moisture locking body lotion on a large surgery scar. I cannot find it here in France, they only have Nivea, so have to buy in large quantities when in UK or ask guests or friends going back to put it on their shopping list for me. I also use the Tesco glucosamine and chondoitrin capsules, anything over here is exorbitant. As we will be going back a bit later this year, my daughter has posted some to me.
I find medicine cheap in France, but I always ask for the cheaper version of everything at the pharmacy, they are always happy to oblige. You can also ask your doctor to prescribe things covered by the secu, I've never paid over 2 euros for a 3 month supply of the pill for example. Back home (Russia) all the French brands cost at least 3-5 times more than here (Vichi, la roche posay) because they are marketed as luxury items. Britain has its own price peculiarities, the razor blades are chepaer, the sunscreen is way more expensive... I do miss the Boots hypoallergenic section though...
Hands up I haven't read all the thread but I got sidetracked by the OP's comment "XAALOM (YES, that;s Maalox backwards!)" Am I going dippy here, but surely XAALOM is Molaax backwards. Maalox backwards would be XOLAAM.
But to add my two penn'oth, I'm usually surprised at how cheap over the counter stuff for everyday needs is here. Suppositories for constipation for example (I hope nobody's reading whilst this eating their lunch!) - that was the last thing I bought and a packet cost less than 2€, IIRC.
No, it’s not just. Like most things in France pharmacy items are expensive. I haven’t had to buy drugs online but other pharmacy things, for humans or animals, are decidedly cheaper online. Crazy, isn’t it?