Buying generic drugs online

[Leavesnotjustfalling]

We live abroad but currently over here because my DH's father is dying. We rushed over here too soon after an operation my DH had. DH is now recovering Post-op and taking a lot of painkillers to manage the pain which are proving very hard on his stomach.

In our home country, the only anti-nausea medication that helped him was zofran, but we've been to a private doctor here in the UK, been prescribed the same and the cost of this drug is enormous.

We are here for the foreseeable (until FIL passes away and after the funeral.)

A friend has suggested getting the generic version of this drug from an online pharmacy for much cheaper. I looked on a pharmacy website and it is around an eighth of the price of the private prescription here.

What are the risks involved in buying a generic drug? Do they often not contain what they say they contain?

If you order the generic drug from a reputable pharmacy there should be no problems. The generic drug is the same chemical, just cheaper. Think of it like the difference between supermarket ibuprofen, and nurofen ibuprofen - same drug, just a lot cheaper.

Online generics can be fake, try speaking to a pharmacist about the prescription they may well have a generic in stock or able to order it for you.

How do I tell if the pharmacy is reputable?

if the prescription is mashine readible you can order from an international pharmacy.

How do I tell if the pharmacy is reputable?

Look online for some reviews?

Ondansetron (Zofran) is a prescription-only drug in the UK so you can either go to one of those sites that doesn't require a prescription which can be a bit dodgy or with some sites you can upload your foreign prescription.

Are you from outside the EU because if you are you absolutely sure that your travel insurance won't cover the cost of the medication that you "forgot" to bring?

If you are from within the EU can you not go and temporarily register with a GP and see if they can give you a prescription for either what you want or something else?

If you order the generic drug from a reputable pharmacy there should be no problems
Reputable pharmacies want prescriptions though.

Reputable pharmacies want prescriptions though.

I could be wrong here, but I think "reputable" online pharmacies have a doctor you email, and they issue a prescription.

I could be wrong here
And you could be right but I think that a respectable pharmacy and a prescription won't be all that cheap.

Costs are often due to a single U.K. license holder, who can charge what they want. Abroad, there are often more competitive situations = lower cost. I have a medication that costs the NHS £120 pcm. From abroad it is £40 per year. Same medication.
The law is that you can import 3 months of meds at a time. Follow that.

We are outside of the EU. We ran out of the zofran. Maybe we'll have to suck up the cost while we'are here.

I have bought online prescription melds from Lloyds online pharmacy, I was emailed questions by their dr. And the next day collected the mess from a high street branch of Lloyds.

We are outside of the EU. We ran out of the Zofran
Can you not claim on your travel insurance for losing or forgetting your medication??

I have bought online prescription melds from Lloyds online pharmacy
According to the LLoyds pharmacy website they only do the online doctor service for a few conditions and everything else needs an NHS or private prescription.

The OP may find that LLoyds can supply the tablets cheaper than the other pharmacy but she still needs to use a private prescription.

The good news is that LLoyds do have both Zofran (branded) and Ondansetron (generic) on their website.

www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/info/online-prescription-services

The law is that you can import 3 months of meds at a time. Follow that
How can they import the medicines, they are already here?

Hi OP, could your partner see his father's GP as a temporary patient? And get an NHS prescription? Being an overseas visitor does not stop him from seeing a gp. Not 100% about the prescription but worth a try and better than a potentially dodgy online prescription.

If you can get a private prescription (which will obviously require paying a doctor) you can buy ondansetron from a high-street pharmacist for £1.66/tablet www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/ondansetron-4mg-tablets, which would typically be £6.64/day. You're not supposed to take it for more than 5 days, so that's not an enormous cost. The doctor might not prescribe it, though, as it's not licensed for this use.

Alternatively, you could ask the pharmacist whether your husband would be better off taking co-codamol rather than whatever he is currently taking (naproxen?).

I'd try Asda. They are known to do cheaper alternative on private prescription.

I use UK meds and Instant ecare.

Both seem fine.