Address: 85 Church Vale, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B71 4DH.
Email: vicaragepharmacy@outlook.com Website: http://ch6911.wix.com/sandwell-pharmacy
Superintendent Pharmacist: Miss JP Chang G.Ph.C.
COST CUTTERS
When you are feeling ill but not bad enough to go to the Doctor you will need to buy some Over The Counter (OTC) medicines which can seem expensive.
However there are cheaper versions of many of the common medicines used today. When a drug is first discovered by a drug company, they put a patent on it to cover the cost of their research and development. These patents last for about 20 years after which any manufacturer can use the formula.
These other manufacturers are usually called generic companies and the versions they produce are cheaper then the branded product (the original product). It is much like a branded cornflake compared to the supermarket’s own make.
To help you save money we have created a short list of some of the most common brands and their generic equivalents.
1) Canesten cream 1% = Clotrimazole cream 1%
2) Diflucan capsule = Fluconazole 150 mg
3) Zovirax 2% cream = Aciclovir 2% cream
4) Anadin = Aspirin
5) Panadol = Paracetamol
6) Calpol = Paracetamol Suspension
7) Nurofen = Ibuprofen
8) Ibuleve = Ibuprofen gel
9) Imodium = Loperamide
10) Adult Meltus or Veno’s for dry cough = Pholcodine linctus
11) Adult Meltus or Veno’s for chesty cough = Guaiphenesin Syrup
12) Solpadeine = Co-codamol
12) Solpadeine = Co-codamol
13) Clarityn = Loratadine
14) Zirtek = Cetirizine
15) Opticrom = Sodium Cromoglycate eye drops
16) A simple moisturiser = Aqueous cream
17) A simple antacid = Magnesium Trisilicate
18) Ambre Solaire suntan cream/lotion, Piz Buin etc. = Delph suntan cream/lotion
19) Cymalon, Cystopurin, etc. = Potassium Citrate Mixture (Mist. Pot. Cit.)
20) Clearblue Pregnancy Test = Rapid Pregnancy Test.
21) HC45 cream = Hydrocortisone 1% cream
There are also a couple of others ways you can save money.
Prepayment certificate:
If you have to pay for your prescriptions, it is usually cheaper to buy a prepayment certificate for either 4 months or one year. One item costs £6.50 (in England; Currently £4.00 in Wales) . A prepayment certificate for a year will only cost £93.20, which is the equivalent of just over 14 items in a year (don’t forget that if you have one item a month you will need 13 supplies each year) (£33.90 for 4 months - equivalent to 16 items per year). That means that if you have any other prescriptions such as antibiotics or hay fever tablets, these will be free of charge.
All you have to do is phone this number 0845 850 0030 with a credit card to make the payment and you are exempt from that moment. You can also visit Citizens Advice on help with health costs
Care at the Chemist:
If you don’t pay for your prescription, many pharmacies now operate Care At The Chemist schemes. This means if you or a member or your family has a minor illness e.g. head lice, chesty cough, cold sore etc. you can get a medicine, after speaking with your pharmacist, from a limited list free of charge, paid for by the NHS.
