Medication in Australia

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 Australia 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 Australia?

Would you have said that in Australia 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,

Loïc

Popular drugs here in Australia will often have a different name to what you are accustomed to. Prices tend to much the same. Some drugs that you buy without a prescription overseas will need a prescription in Australia. The converse is also true. Even some medications that you buy without a prescription in the U.S. are not allowed to be prescribed at all in Australia.
Permanent residents of Australia have the amount they pay for a prescription "capped".
The supermarkets carry a wide range of supplements.