Medication in Germany

尝辞茂肠 ViP

Member since 14 January 2019

尝辞茂肠ViP04 March 2020 09:06:48

1777

Good morning everyone,

Whether it's a simple cold or a chronic illness, medication and medicine use vary from country to country and culture to culture.

When you are used to certain brands or types of drugs, being in a country like Germany with different rules can affect your daily well-being.

Some drugs also differ in name, price, dosage, active molecule, so we would like to hear your opinion on these issues:

Have you ever had difficulties finding familiar or useful medicines for your health in your host country?

Have you ever been faced with a shortage of medicines in Germany?

Would you have said that in Germany drugs are more or less expensive than in your home country? Do you find them more or less effective or of similar quality?

What is the place of alternative medicines in your host country? Have you ever used them?

Thank you in advance for your feedback,

尝辞茂肠

TominStuttgart Germany Expert

Member since 19 March 2012

TominStuttgartGermany Expert04 March 2020 09:35:35

2778

Prescription drugs are covered by all health insurance plans but there is very often a co-pay. The co-pays are usually not excessive but it can happen that there is little or no co-pay for a basic drug but a聽 doctor might prescribe a particular alternative that since it is not standard, will have a fairly high co-pay. Over-the-counter medications are much more restricted than in many countries. Say for aspirin or other pain relievers, cold medications, rubbing alcohol one does not need or get a prescription yet they are only sold in pharmacies for a hefty price.聽

German or European brands are the majority but like many things in Germany, leading international brands might also be available. But of course not all brands even well-known ones from say the US will necessarily be available. But I have never seen any kind of shortage of any medications or of a good choice.

Despite known for regulations, alternative medicines are readily available in Germany. Drug stores have countless lotions and food supplement, vitamins etc. Even many pharmacies stock homeopathic medicines. Most such products won鈥檛 be covered by normal health insurance but there I are also聽 supplemental policies one can get that do cover them although details of exactly what is covered probably varies.

beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

Member since 08 August 2010

Germany & Singapore Expert

beppiGermany/Singapore Expert04 March 2020 12:56:16

15483

If you're coming from a non-EU country, you may find a big difference in non-prescription (over-the-counter) medication:
Many drugs that are freely available in other countries do need a doctor's prescription here (e.g. most pain killers stronger than Aspirin) , or are not at all available (e.g. Melatonin). Others are available, but only at registered pharmacies and vastly higher price tags (again, pain killers are an example here).
If this topic is important to you, better contact a German pharmacy (there are no trustworthy online ones!) to get the information you need!

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Francois999 Member

Member since 08 October 2013

Francois999Member09 March 2020 08:41:58

I`m a type 1 diabetic. I`ve never had a problem getting my meds (much better than in South Africa) with a compulsory medical aid (with choice of different firms) and I found that the availability of most medicines is not a problem in DE. We live close to swiss border where all the pharma industries are. But like many nowadays we tend to also look for more natural-based medicines. They are also available, when not in a shop, then online.
I think the prices are normally standard priced. Comparing South Africa with Germany. Same companies Rosch/Norvadis/etc. Depends more specifically what type of meds would you require?