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AIBU?

to be sick of getting ripped off at the chemist?

21 replies

pooexplosions · 27/10/2009 14:24

Newborn has a cold, sent DH to pharmacy to get
a) a nasal aspirator
b)saline drops and
c) small tube of bonjela.

Over 18 fecking euro! The saline drops is a 10ml tiny little bottle, the aspirator is a cheap flimsy bit of plastic and the bonjela is, well, bonjela, but the smallest size. AIBU to expect that to cost a little less?

I hate chemists. Its not bad enough that we have to pay full price for all prescription meds (cost me 35 euro for cream and drops for babys thrush last week, and 50 euro per month for steroids for DH), they have to overcharge for absolutely everything. And they price fix too, so even though there seems to be a chemist on every corner, there is no competition.

i hate this country. Ceád mile faílte my fecking póg!

OP posts:

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louii · 27/10/2009 14:27

Was wondering how it cost that much then realised you are in the rip of Republic.

That would have maybe cost 5 quid out of my local chemist.

I am so glad we no longer live in Ireland.

Iklboo · 27/10/2009 14:28

Ermmmm - so you're not in the UK then I take it? Do any of your supermarkets sell the stuff?

reikizen · 27/10/2009 14:29

How newborn? Most newborns do a lot of sneezing etc but it is simply due to nasal passages drying out and introduction of particles etc to previously in utero nose (iyswim). What is the bonjela for?

pooexplosions · 27/10/2009 14:34

nearly 4 weeks, def a cold, the other kids have had it too and we parents have had flu-y symptoms. He's full of snot and coughing too, finding it hard to sleep and eat due to blocked nose (hence the supplies). The bonjela is for me though, not him.
Not in any supermarkets near hear, only the chemist. And yeah, rip off republic is right. Most of the time we are used to it, but sometimes its just appalling.

OP posts:

biggirlsdontcry · 27/10/2009 14:41

hi pooex - im in the republic of ire too & i am sick & tired of our local chemists , dd has atopic eczema & lately the prices of her lotions & creams have gone up , for an example one 30g tube of ointment has gone up by ?5 in the last two months , its very annoying .

diddl · 27/10/2009 14:53

You pay for childrens prescriptions?

Tee2072 · 27/10/2009 14:53

I take it you're not close enough to N Ireland to drive up here? Even with the exchange rate things like Bonjela must be cheaper here.

Bucharest · 27/10/2009 14:55

I feel your pain- we pay for scrips too- except antibiotics which are handed out like sweeties.

I fill my suitcase when home in the UK- if ever I get stopped by customs they'd think I was setting up a stall (or have really bad hypochondria)

kidcreoleandthecoconuts · 27/10/2009 15:03

YANBU. That is the one thing I hate about living in Ireland, the healthcare system. 50 euro for a GP visit (including children) and extortionate pharmacy costs. I'm on long term medication and it costs me 65 euro a month for a packet of 28 pills! It a wonder the whole country aren't dead on their feet as I have to be literally at deaths door to even contemplate visiting the GP.

goryminx · 27/10/2009 15:08

Is there no-one in the UK that could send you that sort of stuff - agree with above poster - that list of stuff over here would be £5 - probably less?

SquIDGEyeyeballs · 27/10/2009 15:10

Make your own: instead of an aspirator suck the snot out yourself. Make your own saline by heating a tsp of salt in 8 ozs water until dissolved (avoid boiling) then cool to room temperature before using.

Is the bonjela for ulcers? Either use the saline solution or rinse with a very dilute solution of tea tree oil in water.

(Sorry no use to you now you've forked out all that cash)

louii · 27/10/2009 16:07

I needed a Dr to come out at night to my sick 7 week old baby and had to pay him 90 euro when he arrived.
You have to be rich to be not well in Ireland.

biggirlsdontcry · 27/10/2009 16:18

90 euro omg was that d-doc you had to call louii ? hope your lo is ok x

louii · 27/10/2009 18:22

I have no idea what Dr's it was, i was living in Bray at the time and phoned the number that was on the GP answer machine.

Would also have been useful if the Dr that came out had a grasp of the English language.

The healthcare system was a real decider when we were thinking of moving, as DP and DS have asthma which costs a fortune with inhalers etc,and we were earning too much to get a medical card.

So glad we moved to Scotland.

NHS24 is shite but at least its free.

Tryharder · 27/10/2009 18:26

Can't believe you have to pay for kids prescriptions in Ireland. Can't you claim the cost back from your medical insurance (presume people who work have to have private medical insurance like in Germany).

I will never complain about the NHS again.

pooexplosions · 27/10/2009 19:42

Most people don't have insurance here, its pretty expensive. There is no way I could afford health insurance for my family. Most plans don't cover Gp anyway, though some have an add on to get maybe half back.
If you are on benefits or poor enough you can get a medical card so its free, but the income limits are low. There is a good portion of people here who are too poor to afford health insurance/private doctors and too well off (allegedly ) to get a medical card, stuck in the middle. And its all just so expensive....
Wish I lived in Scotland....

OP posts:

biggirlsdontcry · 27/10/2009 20:07

we are on a drugs payment scheme - this means that you only have to pay 100 euro in any one month & any medication after you reach that 100 euro is free , just as well as ds & myself have asthma & dd has eczema .

Vallhala · 27/10/2009 20:16

Three things, poo:

1/ YANBU. At all.

2/ I hope Baby gets well soon.

3/ I've Googled the Gaelic you used - am I right you're saying "A hundred thousand welcomes my fecking arse!" ?

Yours is a beautiful country and I melt at Irish accents. I'm just bloody glad I don't live there though as I couldn't afford to!

pooexplosions · 27/10/2009 20:34

Thanks all. I do trips to NI every month or so, but its too far for a quick trip,and with a sick newborn and a toddler and a 5 year old on ahlf term, I couldn't even get to the chemist myself today!

vallhala, yep thats what I said! I'm originally from lancashire, moved here at 18 (was meant to be temporary but now past 30, so not so much) so don't really speak Irish, but I have a bit!

Sometimes I just wish it was a bit easier to live here. Its so hard to get by these days, between a massive mortgage for a tiny house, saving up my college fees (approx 3k per year for 4 years) and everything else costing so much, sometimes all I think about is money and how we are going to keep afloat.

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Vivia · 27/10/2009 21:57

This reminds me of staying in Sri Lanka. I had to call the doctor out four times. Each time I needed an injection and drugs, so each visit cost me Rs 4000. That's £21 to me. But Rs 4000 is a Sri Lankan teacher's salary for three months! Another place where you simply can't afford to get sick.

megapixels · 04/11/2009 00:53

Not true Vivia.
(about teacher's salary)

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