Medication

[MotherBear]

Originally Posted by ebianca

Hi

Is there any websites where I can find out if the pill i take in UK is available in NZ?

Also is there a charge for the pill in NZ as they are free in the UK and how long do the doctors usually give a prescription for?

This is a page relating to oral contraceptives and blood clots, but further down it does give you some idea of the types of pill available in NZ, some of which you may recognise.

I took a few names and ran them through the Pharmac search. Femulen didn’t show up at all, but the other couple I tried brought up prices and stated there was no full subsidy. I’m not sure whether that means contraception isn’t free in NZ, so perhaps some of our lady members can confirm or deny this.

And think yourself lucky! From here .

Women were preventing pregnancy long before there were any books about it—in fact, even before there was paper for printing the books. The first prescription for a contraceptive was written on papyrus around 1550 B.C. It seems to have called for crocodile dung to be inserted into the vagina, as the ancient Egyptians preferred. For ancient Arabians, elephant dung mixed with honey was the method of choice. And women in Northern Canada drank a potion of dried beaver testicles mixed with alcohol to avoid pregnancy.

[Taffy]

Here you go love, a pint of beaver balls and shandy.

The mind boggles.

[MotherBear]

You smooth-talker, you . How could anyone resist?

And then......On a par with this, only this is modern day. Taking the p1ss a bit, don?t you think? :smiley9:

[ebianca]

Thanks guys.

Thanks for the price thing Taffy- that is similar to UK in that if you get multiples of the same item it is still only one charge- let's hope the doctors will give us a couple of inhalers each time rather than just one here- try to get more money out of you.

Will try have a look for the pill MB- hope they do do this one- it has only been available for about 2years but it is great and want to keep it if I can- it is called Cerrazette if anyone knows of it.

[moggy]

Originally Posted by ebianca

Thnks MB.

That health centre side was quite usefull. I know that health care will be more expensive in NZ as in the UK most of it is free- except for prescriptions.

I think this is a myth perpetuated on Imigration forums. If you have an accident all your treatment is FREE! (with the exception of a small initial contribution) you can also get your sick pay paid also and the cost of any physio or home help. Waiting times are a fraction of UK waiting times and service is loads better. Cost of prescriptions are a lot less as well. Also your GP advises you how to save money on your medical bills. I have just had to vbe referred to a plastic surgeon to try and repair the damage falling over the kitten and putting my hand through a wine glass did. I have had to wait a grand total of two weeks for an appointment. I dread to think how long I would have had to wait in the UK.

Yes if you have an illness you are not so fortunate, but if you even out the cost of a GP visit and the lower prescription costs it I don't think it is any more than the UK

[ebianca]

Thanks Moggy.

Supose it is hard to know how much everything is going to cost until you get there and I suppose it will vary in different areas.

I think it may be a bit more for us- i just take the pill- which is completely free in the uk and I get 6months supply at a time. My husband is asthmatic so uses 2 different inhalers and if he has to pay to get a repeat script and then also pay for the script it will probably work out more. At the moment he probably pays about ?13 every 3months for his inhalers.

Anyway doesn't really matter too much- it has to be done and maybe his asthma will improve in NZ anyway- you never know.

Beth

[duane1x]

Originally Posted by ebianca

At the moment he probably pays about ?13 every 3months for his inhalers.

Beth

Incredible!

Since people likes to talk about how cheap everything is in the US - not so much how cheap but I guess how much they make and how little taxed we are - let me take this moment to tell you that the pill in the US is costing us $32/month and an inhaler would be closer to $50/mo.
RxPrice Guide
This site usually states pricing a little lower than our neighborhood pharmacy.

All of which is paid out of pocket in the case of ourselves and many people, even with insurance. Employers have had to annually ratchet back coverage to where a common deductible on insurance is $2500-5000 per year out of pocket. Medication often carries a co-pay anywhere from $25 to $50 for brand name drugs.

Last time I needed/wanted a pharmaceutical was over a year ago - some cough medicine. "Real" cough medicine the kind with codeine that actually make you stop coughing and get some sleep. It was $100 for a med size bottle. I treated it like liquid gold. Not to mention that I had a doctor visit to pay for to get the Rx also.

Of course one of the biggest reasons for bankruptcy in the US is a family health problem.

[ebianca]

Wow Duane.

Glad I'm not in the US paying for medication.

You cna buy a bottle of codeine cough medicine here over the counter (no script needed) for about ?2.

I used to work in my local pharmacy before I had my second child- was there for about 7 years.

Some medication is really cheap and of course others are expensive.
The inhalers we pay ?6.30 at the moment per item but the doctor usually puts on 2 of each rather than one so he gets 4 inhalers for the ?13 and a bit.

The pill here in the UK is free- guess they want to keep birth rates down.

As long as you don't have a lot of health problems I suppose the system isn't too bad here it's when you need hospital appointments and surgery etc then it all falls apart. ou don't mind paying a bit extra if the service makes up for it and i'm guessing that is the case in NZ- i hope so anyway.

One think I want to check if anyone can tell me is the age children stop getting free check-ups and scripts etc. In the UK it is 16, or 18 if you go to college. Some people on low incomes or benefits also get scripts for free.