There are bargains to be had in over-the-counter medicine in the US and other countries, but Irish travellers are being advised to exercise caution when making such purchases, writes PRISCILLA LYNCH
DESPITE THE bad weather and the recession, thousands of Irish people are still jetting off this winter on holiday breaks to New York, Boston and other further afield destinations to take advantage of the sales while enjoying a change of scene.
But it’s not just designer clothes and electronics that are often cheaper across the Atlantic – there are some serious bargains to be had in cosmetics, personal hygiene and first aid items, and over-the-counter (OTC) medicine products.
Irish tourists in the US commonly bring home large quantities of painkillers, cough syrups, eye drops, antiseptic creams, topical analgesics, and sleeping aids, as well as the usual cosmetics and personal care products.
The large American supermarket and pharmacy chains such as Walmart and Walgreens have numerous aisles containing a dizzying array of OTC pharmaceutical products, some of which are either not available or need a prescription in Ireland, or are available in much smaller quantities at a vast price difference.
For example, you can purchase a tub containing 500 generic paracetamol or ibuprofen tablets for less than $8 (€5.90) in Walmart.
In Ireland, there are strict protocols restricting the sale of pain-relieving medication and, more recently, the sale of codeine-containing products, and you will commonly pay more than €3 for a 12-tablet pack of paracetamol in a supermarket or nearly €9 for a 24- tablet pack of cold and flu tablets in a chemist. You generally need a prescription for larger amounts of painkillers.
Brendan McCarthy, from Dublin, visits the US on average once a year on holidays or during a short stopover. He has been buying OTC medicine there for more than 10 years.
“My sister lives in the States, so she introduced me to how cheap some of these products are over there, and any time I head over I stock up on antiseptic cream, painkillers, flu tablets, razor blades and other bathroom or first aid stuff which is just so cheap compared to here, while friends always ask me to pick up teeth-whitening strips, etc.”
Lorraine Kinsella, from Wexford, is also a seasoned international OTC shopper. “The last time I was in the States I picked up a lot of toiletries and healthcare items, things like razor blades, plasters, cough syrup as well as make-up in Walgreens. They are so cheap compared to Ireland and you can get some really good quality stuff.”
Kinsella is annoyed about the price of these items here. “Why are we forced to pay so much here for these things and for small packets of flu or stomach medication? It always costs a fortune stocking up on first aid stuff and tablets from your local chemist before you go away on holiday, for example.”
Dr Martin Daly, a former IMO president and GP based in Ballygar, Co Galway, says more regular travel out of the country means it is common for patients to bring medication that they’ve bought overseas to their GPs’ surgeries to be verified, which poses a problem.
“It is apparent in certain jurisdictions that medication is more easily accessible. Patients coming back from Asia may come in with a wide variety of medication including antibiotics they got over the counter that would only be available by prescription in Ireland.
“Whilst it is understandable that patients are hard pressed with the cost of medication, particularly with the increase in costs under the community drugs scheme, there are a number of issues that are pertinent.”
These would include quality control in medication from some non-EU countries and the danger of codeine addiction, says Daly.
However, chief executive of the Consumers Association of Ireland, Dermot Jewell, says he could well understand people stocking up on OTC medicine while on holidays, due to the cost of medicine in Ireland.
He says more effort is needed to try to make more generic products available, particularly when people have less cash.
Jewell says even within Ireland there are big differences in the cost of OTC medicines and personal hygiene products.
A price survey published by the National Consumer Agency in November 2009 on the cost of personal care goods and OTC medicines revealed price differences of up to 161.6 per cent between retailers.
While supermarkets were generally cheaper, independent pharmacies weren’t always the most expensive. Overall, independent pharmacies performed well in cost comparisons with pharmacy chains, which were the most expensive option in many cases, so it does pay to shop around, even at home.
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) says that while the pricing of medicine in a pharmacy is a matter for each pharmacist to consider individually, it would encourage people in need of pain relief to ask their pharmacist for advice on the most suitable and cost-effective medication.
“In many cases, there will be a generic medicine available at a lower price,” says a spokesperson, who expressed caution about stockpiling large amounts of medication purchased abroad.
“We would advise against allowing large quantities of medicines such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin to build up at home. These are a common cause of accidental poisoning in children. We would also advise parents to store medicines out of the reach of children.”
The Irish Medicines Board advises strongly against people bringing home large quantities of medicines that are normally OTC in Ireland from other countries.
“Importations of medicinal products are subject to customs controls on entry to the State as are other goods,” it says.
A spokesperson for the Customs Service says travellers are allowed to bring in “reasonable” quantities of medicine for personal use.
In the case of prescription medication, this should be no more than any amount that may be obtained on a prescription, for example up to a three-month supply.
While it does not specify the actual amount of OTC medicine it considers to qualify for personal as opposed to commercial or business use, the spokesperson says quantities deemed in excess of normal personal use will be dealt with accordingly.
