Medication in Hungary

Some things I've noticed:

There can be high co-pays in HU (in my own country there are but it's very limited, fixed amount and if from Wales or Scotland, prescriptions/meds are free).

There's a lot of quack cures floating around dressed up as real medicine.  People seem to believe these are real drugs.

People need to ask for the generic equivalent of branded medicines.  It's a lot cheaper.

There's no way to buy mail order medicines from another country (gets stopped at Customs).

Well, I'd say prices are much cheaper here then my home country but the USA is way overpriced.
I do not take any medications but my husband takes half a blood pressure pill a day. He just got a refill of 150 pills for about 300 forints.
Of course sadly this is a very common drug and is made in Hungary so prices are lower then a med that has to be imported.
I know if you have a TAJ card and are over age 60 they give a slight, very slight discount on meds. Think it is 10% but not sure as I don't take anything.
I did need a shot for a inflamed shoulder, it cost 13,000F in the doctor's office and later he wanted to sell me another shot for 60,000 for the same thing,
I think they do a scam with some of us foreigners to see if we are willing to pay or not as any over cost goes in their pockets.
Sometimes they do not have generic meds, I was given a script for a small rash and they wanted over $1. US per pill in a jar of 30 pills. Sounds like US prices to me.
You are also charged in hospital for any special drugs needed and or items such as canes or crutches.
In the doctor's office they sometimes advertize that they now have in stock shots for arthritis at a cost of 10,000 a shot.  Never bought one but think it is the same stuff they tried to get me to pay 60,000 for at another office.
What is odd here is if a doctor wants to give you a shot of something they send you out yourself to buy it and then come back and administer it to you. Takes half a day to get out of there.

I know in the US if you really need a medication and can't afford it, most times a decent doctor will give you samples or send in a request to a gov. agency to give it to you for free.
I have no idea how some people pay for meds here if they don't have enough to pay for them.
I was once given a $1,600 shot pre surgery because I needed it fast and didn't have the money on hand, this was over 25 years ago. They sent in a request and I was given the shot within days.
My sister needed many asthma meds and had no health coverage in the US. Her doctor gave her samples of everything she needed and had an open door policy with her if she ever ran out of meds.
Not sure how that would be handled here in Hungary.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Well, I'd say prices are much cheaper here then my home country but the USA is way overpriced.

Depends on what you buy.

Aspirin, for example, is much, much, much cheaper in the USA.

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Well, I'd say prices are much cheaper here then my home country but the USA is way overpriced.

Depends on what you buy.

Aspirin, for example, is much, much, much cheaper in the USA.

Branded? I think the brand for that normally is Bayer which means $$$. 

Generic will be much cheaper.  Pharmacies always push branded in HU.  It's worth learning the non-branded name to ask for the right thing.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Branded?

When in the USA last year, bought 500 non-branded aspirin tablet bottle for about $10. Can you find a similar price in Hungary? Even for non- branded?

Curious -- what is the name of the non-branded aspirin you buy here?

I very rarely use anything but I do stock up on paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, anti histamine minerals and vitamins etc etc when I visit the uk. Always much cheaper in the uk.
I dont use the medical services at all because I use reiki and other natural healing systems wherever I am . I have had friends visiting who have accessed emergency services and they have been fine with it. I have also had friends living in Budapest and the countryside who have opted for private medical services and they have paid out small fortunes.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Branded?

When in the USA last year, bought 500 non-branded aspirin tablet bottle for about $10. Can you find a similar price in Hungary? Even for non- branded?

Curious -- what is the name of the non-branded aspirin you buy here?

I don't use Aspirin myself as it's contraindicated for me.   But it's easy to look up these things at Drugs.com.  But just for comparison, I've done some work for you:

Aspirin Generic which is 342 HUF for 30 tabs.

If you look at the Bayer version:

Aspirin Protect for 28 tabs (close enough), just over 1000 HUF

So Bayer Aspirin is 3 x the price!

More specifically to me,  I get hay fever and I have an mild allergy to house dust so I use  anti-histamines as follows:

Claritine branded, 1873 HUF 20 tabs

but generic active ingredient is called Loratadine:

Loratadine 670 HUF for 20 tabs.

Again, Bayer branded version is 3 x price!

That's pretty much the case for all the generics vs branded, 3 x price. The generic versions can be trusted just the same as the branded versions.  They are all tested and controlled by the HU government pharma regulator.   

The generics might have different names but it's the active ingredient which matters.   Mrs Fluffy knows now to ask for the generic versions for OTC meds.   Does the same job so why pay 3 x the amount?  The pharmacists usually know the generic name versions if in doubt.

anns wrote:

I very rarely use anything but I do stock up on paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, anti histamine minerals and vitamins etc etc when I visit the uk. Always much cheaper in the uk.

I agree with that apart from the vitamins.  They've stopped selling larger bottles at Tesco in the UK.

The 3 x packets of mixed painkillers at Poundland are good value - 30 paracetamol tabs for £1 and they now do anti-histamines £1 for 30 tabs.  Very useful.

It probably is best to avoid doctors if possible.
Seems often you go in for one thing and in the end have 2 things wrong with you.
A friend in Las Vegas wrote today that she had to sign all sorts of forms to visit her own mother in a nursing home.
Hasn't been out of the country for the last 14 days, no fever, is feeling well ect.
It's great to protect people but then again, what's keeping anyone from telling a fib?
I read as of yesterday in Hungary people can't visit relations in hospitals.
Hope that is fake news.
Of course some people over do it and overstay when visiting the sick.
My friend also said people are afraid to come in and get their haircut in Vegas.
Fear is going to be worst then any virus.
I also read they found a cure , a vax in 3 hours for this new virus. Makes me wonder if they had the vax for this bio virus already, just waiting for people to get sticked on their own, they will be begging for a cure...I sort of think more people will be dropping from the vax then ever dropped from the virus.
Fear of getting ill is worst then getting ill sometimes.
Fresh air, sunshine and eating right along with enough sleep and exercise is really the best cure for anything.

fluffy2560 wrote:

But just for comparison, I've done some work for you:

Thank you.
Much appreciated.