Better not to buy a first-aid kit in Germany?

In which countries you can get away cheaper

Created: 08/25/2022, 07:08

By: Juliane Gutmann

Almost everyone has a supply of medicines at home.

It's worth searching through: a lot could already have expired.

But stop!

Anyone who buys new abroad can save.

Aspirin, an ointment for pain, preparations for allergy symptoms and leftover medicines from the last cold: the medicine cabinet is often a lot.

Cobble together the first-aid kit from the existing stock?

There's nothing wrong with that, as long as the medication hasn't passed its expiry date.

What actually belongs in a complete first-aid kit?

The health insurance company AOK lists the following preparations:

• Medicines for pain, fever and cold (with the active ingredients ibuprofen, ASA or paracetamol)

• Medication against stomach cramps for indigestion

• Diarrhea medication (electrolyte powder, drugs containing the active ingredient loperamide)

• Medicines for travel sickness (with the active ingredient dimenhydrinate)

• Ear drops (for bathing and diving holidays)

• Decongestant nasal spray

• Ointment/gel against itching after insect bites

• sunscreen

• cooling preparation against sunburn

• Ointment against inflammation and abrasions

• If necessary, medication for allergies (antihistamines)

• especially in risk areas for malaria, Zika virus, yellow fever and dengue fever: insect repellents containing the active ingredient DEET, additional medicinal malaria prophylaxis and mosquito nets

• First aid kit for injuries with bandages (scissors, plasters, sterile pads, gauze bandages, disposable gloves, disinfectant, safety pins)

• Tweezers and clinical thermometer

• mouthguard

Important: When on holiday, always have the medication with you that you have to take regularly because the doctor has prescribed it for you.

These include high blood pressure medication.

Are you missing some of the above items?

In some travel countries you can buy it cheaper than in German pharmacies.

Ibuprofen, vaccination book, sunscreen: you should never do without your first-aid kit when you go on vacation.

© Imago

In which countries many medicines are cheaper than in Germany

As part of a European price comparison for popular medicines in first-aid kits, the private digital health insurer ottonova checked where the preparations are cheapest.

In total, the prices of 17 drugs in 16 countries were compared.

Price differences of up to 19 euros were found.

The results of the comparison at a glance:

• Travel pharmacy preparations are cheapest in Poland

  : 13 medicines can sometimes be bought much cheaper here than in Germany.

  According to ottonova, the difference is particularly large for antibiotics containing amoxicillin against bacterial infections (minus 19.22 euros) and for ointments with mupirocin against skin infections (minus 7.31 euros).

• Portugal also fares well in comparison

  , a large part of the first-aid kit can be bought cheaply here, as the ottonova press release shows.

  Cheaper here are drugs with the active ingredient mupirocin for purulent skin infections (minus 17.38 euros) and drugs with azithromycin for bacterial respiratory and urinary tract infections and diarrhea with cramps and/or fever (minus 8.46 euros).

• Surprisingly, Sweden is also one of the cheapest countries

  in terms of the cost of the first-aid kit.

  Means with mupirocin against purulent skin infections cost a good 14 euros less here than in Germany.

  Means with ibuprofen can also be purchased cheaper here.

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Are you going to Italy?

Many preparations are more expensive here than in Germany.

For example, drugs with the painkillers ibuprofen and paracetamol.

You should better buy these in Germany.

According to the price comparison, nasal spray and anti-diarrhea are also the lowest in Germany.

When it comes to medicines against nausea, Germany is also a winner when it comes to the lowest price.

For 2.50 euros you can buy preparations with the active ingredient dimenhydrinate against congestion and vomiting in this country.