The Price of Meds (Australia)

[Kooky]

The clue is in the title and the forum so if you're not interested, stop reading now.

Good grief it pays to shop around.

I pay $271 a month for the top cover health insurance; I pay a premium for being a "visitor" (4 year visa, like an EP) but I took out the top cover thinking it might save me money. Mistake number one. Unfortunately it doesn't cover a lot of what I need, or refunds me very little, so I've been comparing prices between pharmacies.

I got some Actonel (osteoporosis) tablets from a local branch of a fairly large chain the other day and they cost me $64 - that's for 4 tablets, BTW. After I'd got home and checked what I'd paid before I went in and queried the price as I've got them from a couple of different chemists and paid $48.xx or $49.xx. She said she couldn't match it. Ah well, mistake number 2, lesson learned, I told her I won't be going there again.

Supplements also vary enormously. I've been paying about $65 for probiotics I got yesterday for $49.99. Strangely in the chemist that overcharged me for the prescription meds. (Still won't be going there again though.)

Is it a supply problem, bulk buying issue (bearing in mind they're not a small organisation) or are they just thieving gits?

(It's not a generic issue, as I can't get generic drugs for this.)

[baloo]

I used to use Pharmacy Online when we were in Oz.

A quick search for Actonel and I found this.

Actonel Tab 5mg X 28 * A prescription is required for this product.

Type Prices
Private: AUD$48.95
PBS: AUD$32.90
Concession: AUD$5.30
Safety Net: AUD$0.00

About the same price as your cheapest (if you are use the 5mg)

Oh, hang on, you were talking just 4 tablets ? Then I have no idea why there is such a large discrepancy.

[Bender]

You can get Meds quite cleaply in Australia.

Erm, we generally don't abbreviate the word "medicines" in Oz.

[Fat Bob]

And unfortunately you have another 2+ years until the prices are likely to come down.

Worth asking the doctor for alternative thearapies for Actonel?

Baloo, the 4 tablet version will be the once a week rather than daily prescription. I would think so anyhow! The larger dose version is a similar price to those given by you, and also by the cheaper pharmacies kooky found.

[Kooky]

It's this one, baloo: http://www.pharmacyonline.com.au/actone ... -6928.html Weekly tablet.

See, lot to learn. I didn't know I could get prescriptions online. Is it really safe to mail your prescription to them?

My compounded meds are expensive too but there's not a lot I can do about that. Specialist subject, and all.

I went onto the Medicare site the other day to try and understand what I should be getting, as my policy is supposed to replace Medicare. 'kinell, the PDF was over 700 pages long; I gave up.

Is Meds a rude word in Australia, then? Thing is, I'm not Australian, I'm a visitor. I still say rooting.

[Kooky]

Crossed posts with Bob.

(Ah Bob, that's a whole new discussion but I wish I could find an alternative to Actonel. The reported side-effects scare me silly, but osteoporosis scares me just as much. Just had my annual scan and it's not good. I planned to PM you about it, actually, see if you knew anything interesting that might help me make an informed decision.)

[Fat Bob]

Saw there was an alterntive drug.....Boniva (amongst other trade names) however also seems to be a drug on patent and can't find it in the online pages baloo posted.

Don't know if you can get a UK prescription and get someone to send the meds out to you? Or next time you are back ask for a hell of a lot? Might be a cheaper way and might give you access to different thearpies?

Otherwise wait a couple of years and the prices tend to fall in 4-6 months.

[baloo]

See, lot to learn. I didn't know I could get prescriptions online. Is it really safe to mail your prescription to them?

Is Meds a rude word in Australia, then? Thing is, I'm not Australian, I'm a visitor. I still say rooting.

I didn't have any problem with it. Pharmacy Online have their warehouse in western sydney so it's not too far away.

As for Meds and Rooting. One will give you a blank stare in Oz, the other will get people giggling.

[Kooky]

I was getting my compounded meds sent by post - from Dee Why - but after they spent the afternoon in the middle of the front garden (they'd have fit in the post box) I decided to find somewhere closer and pick them up.

[baloo]

Sounds like a problem with your letter box. (What's a post box ?)

[Kooky]

Letter box Rusty piece of tin full of woodlice and ants, next to the gate. Gets full of water when it rains (and oh does it rain here at the moment).

[Morrolan]

Letter box Rusty piece of tin full of woodlice and ants, next to the gate. Gets full of water when it rains (and oh does it rain here at the moment).

you have rain?!?!?

[Bender]

Letter box Rusty piece of tin full of woodlice and ants, next to the gate. Gets full of water when it rains (and oh does it rain here at the moment).

you have rain?!?!?

What's rain?

[Morrolan]

you have rain?!?!?

What's rain?

an old legend about water that falls from the sky, just like that and for free... ridiculous, obviously.

[Kooky]

Northern NSW is under water, and have we heard from Burb lately?