Prescription drugs not available

If it helps, I don't think this has anything to do with the german public health insurance. It covers the drugs but doesn't produce any of them. Look up who's making Venlafaxine, if you're lucky, maybe one of these is already available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venlafaxine#Society_and_culture

I had a quick look at the drug where I live and it is indeed expensive, between, €60 and €100 which is a hella lot.

Good luck, be strong, you can do this!

May I ask if you really need an anti depressant?

Can you pay more now and then make a claim to get the extra refunded later?

here i get stuff like ritalin 4 boxes a month and they never have it anywhere over here but you order it and 4 hours later they have what you need. It's not only with ritalin that it works that way over here but with every single medication you need. Well most medication here is 1 euro to 10 euro a box while health insurance is 50 euro a year. Thought Germany would be the same tho

Sorry to hear that, and good luck getting it all sorted out. I know how much it sucks getting meds sorted and how it can screw you up going without in the meantime.

I have no idea what the laws are about importing drugs in Germany. In the states, while it is frowned upon, so long as you aren't buying controlled substances, they tend to look the other way. Venlafaxine / Effexor isn't that expensive from Canadian pharmacies (I found one that had about 6 months worth of the maximum dose for around $60 US). I used a pharmacy like this a couple of years ago when the price of hydroxychloroquine went through the roof. My rheumatologist told me to use them. Most of those places require legit prescriptions, so it may be something you need to ask your physician about. In fact, you may want to do that anyway. He or she may have a better course of action for you.

Damn that's unfortunate. I too am on venlafaxine, my life would be a wreck without it. I really hope you are able to get the medicine you need.

@eyeliner please don't ask such dangerous questions. Leave it to the professionals.

@logabe Want to look up Cariprazine? Venlafaxine is (normally) produced by countless companies and should be very cheap see @vincentx77's comment.

Public health insurance was an incomplete term. I really meant the complete healthcare system. Always get a doctor, always get a place in hospital, always get your medication – no matter what and if you have money or not.
Being told: “Cannot get drug >x<” seemed to be a ridiculous thought up to about one year ago.
Being told: “Pay and you will get >x<” even more.
The health system had been excellent in the past. Everybody got what they needed without thinking about money.

@eyeliner The answer is: “I want it. It makes me feel a little better.” I’m very familiar with the pros and cons on the topic antidepressants. Sure, I would not die without them. But your question misses the point anyway. Countless drugs are hard to get. My mum had similar problems with thyroid hormones. Would you have asked the same question if this blog entry was about thyroid hormones?

@Quantumcat I’m not really sure what this girl wanted to say. I have two possible interpretations:

1. Original drugs are not paid by public health insurance when there are generic copies available. (Not patented anymore)
2. An illegal interpretation I will not further describe.

In another pharmacy shop I directly asked for possibility 1; Answer: “No expensive original available either.” Mhhm.
I could pay for this. But I don’t want to and left the shop the moment she said this shady things. There are people who can’t afford it and I do not support it.

@kumikochan Getting everything you need some hours later is how it always had been and should be. It just does not work anymore for some substances. All you get in some cases is a shrug of the shoulders and “Tough luck. See you next time.”

@relauby Thanks. I’m used to the problem already (and not a complete idiot). Read: I always start hunting for my medication some weeks before I run out.

@vincentx Importing legal substances is legal as far as I know – I’m not a lawyer. But the problem is providing the prescription. Giving away those substances without prescription is not allowed. Don’t know about importing from overseas (which seems kind of overkill anyway).

@IncredulousP When writing this entry I was just thinking about the bill for your “Brief Trip to the ER” (with a fancy van) and how lucky I am not to have this problem.

Thanks you all for the comments. I’ve calmed down a bit.

@KleinesSinchen Apologies for the question. If it sounded offensive, I didn't mean it. I shall not delve in the observation about your mother's affliction, and I believe you took my question the wrong way.

I shall retract myself from your personal feed.

Again, apologies.

@eyeliner No problem. All good. Did not sound offensive to me and no need to apologize. The question is valid, totally okay and I gave you an answer: "I want to have it but would not die without it." If my answer sounded a bit harsh: unintended as well.

Just wanted to point out a general problem: Hard to get medicine lately – Venlafaxine was just the current example and I thought you maybe misunderstood the blog entry a bit. It is not just about not getting "Happy pills". Hence the example with thyroid hormones.

If this gets any worse and not better sooner or later essential substances might become unavailable.

[German language – lists of non-available drugs] And even some products not (yet?) on this lists are hard to get at the moment.

http://lieferengpass.bfarm.de/ords/f?p=30274:2:609130577714::NO:::
https://www.gelbe-liste.de/lieferengpaesse/lieferengpaesse-medikamente

My reasoning, (last one, I promise!) is that some medication is increasingly harder to come by because more and more people are needing them? I don't know the stock for any other country, but maybe it's unavailable elsewhere?

The producer might have had a stock breach, like it happened in 2018's winter in my country. There were no flu vaccines, because demand was high and the producer couldn't keep up.

Since no one asked for my opinion, let me share it. I have to pay $70/month for my levothyroxine and buspirone. That's after insurance. It's rather ridiculous. Sure, $70 doesn't seem like much but that's a whole days salary. On top of rent, electric, water, groceries, and other bills. It's hard to come up with $70 just for medication. I often don't pay for it and will only take them when I feel I need them just to conserve the supply I have. I don't want to get into my past but this last year I emptied my savings to pay for a hospital visit that was unnecessary. They ran so many pointless tests despite my refusal. Kept me 2 days, when I asked how much it costs, the response was "don't worry about it" when I asked what they were doing, "necessary tests to read your x levels" or " to check for this" well, you don't have my permission to run this test, can I leave now? "No. These tests will tell us blah blah blah" long story short, I leave in the same condition I arrived, minus a sore arm from countless needles, and $15k robbed from my savings account. Why? Well the hospital has a beautiful entrance with a large marble fireplace, I wonder how much that costs. I heard the Starbucks in the lobby was pretty good, couldn't tell you myself. I can't afford fancy coffee. But I digress. It's funny, we have a war on drugs yet all of these big pharmacy companies sit on thrones of gold and profit immensely off illness of everyday people that can barely afford the inflated costs of the medication they so desperately need. Makes me sick.

Was my reply necessary? No, I just needed to vent. But I feel your pain, fam. I know how hard it is to get helpful medication and to be stabbed in the front by the costs. My advise. Ration what you can. Try to wean yourself off the medication and use it as a pick me up when needed rather than a necessity for everyday. I can understand what it's like living with horrible depression and crippling anxiety. It's hard to explain and even harder to treat, but there comes a point where the cost of medicine doesn't justify the strain it puts on you to afford it. I wish you the best, friend. And if you need an ear, my DMs are open, response time may vary. Hope you can figure something out. God speed.

Yes, contact the manufacturer of the non generic, they might be able to give you a coupon to get it pretty cheap if not free.

@eskinner3742 manufacturer coupon might apply to you too.

@eskinner3742 Don't recommend people stop taking their meds without being a medical professional and knowing their medical history, not everyone handles that the same, and you could very well kill someone. Again look up manufacturers coupons.

Also there is a new version of Venlafaxine, Effexer XR, that could be the issue, I'd see if your doctor could switch you, and if insurance doesn't cover it, look up the manufacturers coupon. (Should be free or close to free).

I don't really know what you meant in your reply to me but I was assuming Germany's public health system worked a little like Australia's - if you are on a low income you get a health care card which allows you to access a long list of medicines for a discounted price. If you forget your card when you go to the pharmacy you have the option of paying full price and making a claim for the balance later. And even if you're not on a low income there's a maximum you ever have to pay for prescription medication in a year and if you exceed it you can get the extra refunded by making a claim - maybe it doesn't work like that there and there isn't a normal option to pay a non discounted price, hence why the pharmacist's response sounded odd?

@eskinner3742 your advice is dangerous. Our healthcare system is far from perfect, but you should never try to regulate your own meds, or quit them without consulting your doctor. Especially drugs like buspar. If you cant afford your meds, talk to your doctor. They can often prescribe a generic or find an alternative. In some cases, a doctor might even give you samples to hold you over.

If @KleinesSinchen were to quit Venlafaxine without medical supervision, it could cause permanent disabilities or even death. But you wouldn't know that as you're not a medical professional. So leave the drug advice to trained doctors.

"How much does venlafaxine cost without insurance?
The cost for venlafaxine oral capsule, extended release 37.5 mg is around $11 for a supply of 30 capsules, depending on the pharmacy you visit. Prices are for cash-paying customers only and are not valid with insurance plans."

Maybe do some magic?
heads-up:
"Perhaps your mom left on a trip and forgot her medicine, or you want to send some of your prescriptions to a different address when you travel. However, mailing prescription drugs is illegal except in a few certain situations. Mailing prescriptions is only allowed by entities that are registered with the DEA."

I think if you write to the company, sometimes they'll give you a break.
Take this example:
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/...ncrease-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html
or

9:48 to 11:43

@Quantumcat
Germany public health insurance about prescription drugs works like this:

• You pay 10% of the price yourself – but a minimum of 5 Euros and a maximum of 10 Euros.
• You have to accept the cheapest generic product containing the substance.
• If you insists on the “original” when generic alternatives are available you have to pay the (often huge) difference from your own pocket.
• There are some more special rules (not important here).

With a hard to get on per-case basis special permit it is sometimes possible to get the “original” or other more expensive alternatives. (Cheap generics not available might be such a case). This means a nice discussion in advance (in the form of countless classic paper based letters because there are virtually no local offices of most insurance companies left).
No way going that route. The only winner would be “Deutsche Post” for delivering the letters back and forth.
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@WeedZ
I know about the problems of arbitrary changes and/or stopping medication from my own experience. It feels awful. It can be hell on earth. I went from overdose to zero from one day to another.
But… “Let the professionals decide” is one-sided and dangerous as well. They are not inerrable.
Had I not quit the nonsense 20 years ago I would be long dead because the medical professionals had forced me on severe overdose of neuroleptics in order to break my will and convince me in having schizophrenia (no success).
This reminds me to continue my botched life series. Here is not the place for a long answer.
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Again: Thank you all for the comments. Really appreciate this. I want to emphasize at this point that money is not my primary problem – what this young girl said to me just sounded shady so I left the shop. As already said: In another pharmacy I was told it was impossible to get Venlafaxine no matter how much I pay. It should arrive end of January. I don’t believe a word of this. Hopefully it arrives before the Gateway update.