Medication in Romania

Loïc wrote:

Good morning everyone,

Whether it's a simple cold or a chronic illness, medication and medicine use vary from country to country and culture to culture.

When you are used to certain brands or types of drugs, being in a country like Romania with different rules can affect your daily well-being.

Some drugs also differ in name, price, dosage, active molecule, so we would like to hear your opinion on these issues:

Have you ever had difficulties finding familiar or useful medicines for your health in your host country?
Of course there are difficulties finding familiar medicine here when one comes from North America.  But no, usually no trouble finding useful medicines.  The doctors here are well-trained and so are the pharmacy workers. If a prescribed med is not available a substitute usually has been found.

Have you ever been faced with a shortage of medicines in Romania?
No, not personally;  however I have talked with pharmacists who said that they run out of some medicines because people buy quantities to take to the West.

Would you have said that in Romania drugs are more or less expensive than in your home country? Do you find them more or less effective or of similar quality?
  Less expensive.  Effective/similar quality.
What is the place of alternative medicines in your host country? Have you ever used them?
Appears that they are becoming more available. Yes, I have.
Thank you in advance for your feedback,

Loïc

In my experience, medication is less expensive than in the states. The medication has a different name (the Romanian counterpart). But Healthcare is sunoar.

Sub-par

***

I am from UK (Scotland), where prescription medicines (i.e. from a Dr) are free.
I live part of the year in Romania, and try to make sure I have an extra supply of the 3 medications I take permanently, with me when I visit.
I did once have to get extra high blood pressure tablets in Romania but they were not too expensive, I think around 40Lie for a months supply.
The doctors are good but best go to a private one as in the hospitals they are overstressed and you wait forever to see one. If you are an EU citizen you use your EHIC card, if from the US, get your credit card out.
Medication will have different names for the same thing, often imported.
If you end up in a hospital and you do not have insurance (as a foreigner) the level of care and cleanliness leaves a lot to be desired......mainly a government fault ( I could rant for hours on this)  rather than the staff. Big cities, Bucarest, Brasov, Constanta etc have private hospitals, but small towns only have state facilities.