Buying medicine in Sweden .. Your full guide 2023
Buying medicine in Sweden, what needs a prescription, and where to get a prescription, can you bring your own medications? we will help you here to answer your questions.
Sweden’s health care system is ranked among the top in the world, and has a strong public service ethos.
What medicine can buy directly
Medicinal herbs, nutritional supplements, and low-dose painkillers may be purchased without a prescription, and some can even be purchased in conventional grocery shops such as Ica or Coop, although heavier medications need their own prescriptions.
Getting a prescription in Sweden
This is done by going to the doctor, and some local nurses or dentists may also write it for you. If you are Swedish and have a social security number, a private national number, and a digital ID with a bank account, you can renew your prescriptions online in certain counties.
Since 2017, all prescriptions have become electronic, and you will not get a printed paper if you have a personal number, and all you have to do when you go to the pharmacy is present your ID, and they will be able to know all your prescriptions.
If you do not have a personal number, you will be given a paper prescription with your coordination number and your date of birth inscribed on it.
Prescriptions are valid for one year from being written, as long as no shorter time is specified.
Buying medicine in Sweden
Only official apotek pharmacies in Sweden offer prescription pharmaceuticals, and the nation has had various pharmacy chains since it was restructured in 2009. Apoteket is the country’s last and biggest state-owned pharmacy network. Hjärtat is also owned by Ica and Kronans. Apotek.
There is no need to return to the same pharmacy since data will be captured based on your personal number each time you visit any drugstore.
How much does the medicine costs in Sweden?
Buying medicine in Sweden is easy, as Sweden has one of the lowest medication costs in Europe, and pharmaceuticals vary in price, but there is a so-called high price protection Högkostnadsskydd, which means that after spending 2,350 kronor per year on one prescription, you will not pay the price of any drug under the “drug subsidy” programme.
And it goes gradually, as you will pay for the medicines in full until the total value reaches 1175 kroner in less than a year, after which you will be paying below cost:
- Between 1175 and 2243 kronor you will pay 50% of the value of the medicine.
- Between 2244 and 4167 kronor you will pay 25% of the value of the medicine.
- Between 4168 and 5767 kronor you will pay 10% of the value of the medicine.
You will get a card saying that all following medications are free for you until the end of the year if your costs throughout the year total 2,350 kronor after all reductions are applied.
As for people under the age of 18, all prescriptions are free.
What is the cheapest way to buy medication in Sweden?
Typically, pharmacies will first provide you with medicines that are identical to what is in your prescription that is covered by the Drug Support Program, and thus they are cheap, as pharmacies are required to provide the cheapest medicines with the same ingredients that the prescription calls for, so it is possible to find different manufacturers of the same medicine in each Once you buy it
What if I want a specific drug?
If you choose to take what is precisely on the prescription rather than the cheapest drug, you may do so, but you will have to pay an extra fee, and it is not covered by the high price protection programme.
Are prescriptions from outside Sweden accepted?
If your prescription is from a doctor within the European Union, it is usually accepted in Swedish pharmacies, but you need a written paper that includes your date of birth, your information, the doctor’s signature, address and place of work, and printed copies of this prescription are not accepted.
Read also: Pharmacies in Germany
But if your prescription is from outside the European Union, it is best to get an appointment with the doctor to prescribe a new one for you to accept in Sweden.
Can you bring medicines to Sweden?
Yes, as long as you can prove that it is for your personal use only (or your accompanying pet), stricter rules apply to medicinal products that contain narcotics or stimulants.
Buying medicine in Sweden is not a must if you have your own Medicines that you bring from outside.
If you arrive from a nation inside the European Economic Area, you may carry medications to last a year, and from outside the European Economic Area, you can bring medicines to last three months.
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