Medicines from non-European countries
Traveling to other continents promises relaxation and adventure. Tourists often use their vacation to stock up on medicines, which are available there at a lower price than in their own country. But be careful: not all medications sold in emerging or developing countries meet the quality standards in Europe. The Lower Saxony Chamber of Pharmacists explains what needs to be taken into account if you buy medicines abroad and want to import them into Germany.
Import of medicines
First of all, travelers must observe the legally permitted maximum quantity for importing medicines when returning to Germany. You are only allowed to bring as many medications with you as correspond to your normal personal needs. The Federal Ministry of Health defines the usual personal requirement as the amount for a maximum of three months, taking into account the dosage recommendation for the respective drug. Some medicines may generally only be taken for a maximum period of a few days.
Fake medicines
There are very different types of counterfeit medicines. The spectrum ranges from total counterfeits to medicines whose expiry dates have been deliberately extended and thus manipulated. Counterfeit medicines can contain the right active ingredient, but in the wrong dosage, i.e. too low or too high. They may have no active ingredient or a different active ingredient than that specified. Or they are offered with counterfeit blisters, leaflets and/or outer boxes. They may then contain ingredients that are not stated on the packaging. In addition, a counterfeit medicine or a counterfeit active ingredient can also violate the intellectual property rights of the rights holder. The import of counterfeit medicines or active ingredients into Germany is strictly prohibited. Tourists who still bring them to Germany will bear the legal consequences. In addition, they consciously or unconsciously endanger their health when they take inferior medicines, and in some cases they can even have dangerous effects.
Antibiotics only by prescription
In Germany, patients only receive antibiotics with a prescription. There are good reasons for that. Antibiotics are medications that can cause side effects such as gastrointestinal problems or allergic reactions. Antibiotics only help against infections caused bacteria They don't help against viruses. For example, anyone in Germany who suffers from a respiratory disease only receives antibiotics if a bacterial infection has been diagnosed in a doctor's office. Using antibiotics too frequently or improperly can lead to resistance, which leads to the ineffectiveness of the respective antibiotic. The more resistance occurs to the available antibiotics, the fewer treatment options remain. Antibiotic resistance is already a problem in Germany, but especially in countries where antibiotics are available without a prescription.
Advice on the correct intake
When it comes to antibiotics, dosages, times of administration and duration of therapy are particularly crucial. But these aspects are also important for other prescription and over-the-counter medications. Anyone who does not follow the information leaflet when self-medicating or does not understand it because it is written in a different language is not only endangering the effectiveness of the medication, but also their own health.
Unusual dose of active ingredient
It may happen that a medication manufactured abroad contains a different dose of active ingredient than is usual in Germany. For example, there are products of which you would have to swallow two tablets to take the amount of active ingredient that is contained in one tablet in Germany. A medical prescription is tailored to the individual needs of the individual. The success of the therapy is at risk if the medication is taken in the wrong dosage.
Medication advice in the pharmacy
Patients who have to take five or more medications or who have to take tablets or capsules as part of anti-tumor therapy or after an organ transplant are entitled to comprehensive medication advice in the pharmacy. To do this, those affected bring all medicines to the pharmacy at an agreed appointment, both the preparations prescribed by a doctor and non-prescription substances including dietary supplements and any products from abroad. The pharmacist creates an overview of the overall medication and advises on dosages and when to take the medication. This service improves the drug therapy of sick people and is billed to the health insurance company.
The Lower Saxony Chamber of Pharmacists has more than 8,000 members. The pharmacists are professionally independent healthcare professionals. The legislature has entrusted self-employed pharmacists with the responsibility to provide the population with medicines safely and comprehensively. The job requires a four-year pharmacy degree at a university and a practical year. The students acquire knowledge in pharmaceutical chemistry and biology, technology, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical pharmacy. After the state examination, the pharmacists receive a license to practice medicine. You can only run a public pharmacy with this state license. As specialists in health and prevention, pharmacists provide competent and independent advice to people authorized to practice medicine about medicines and medical devices that are available in pharmacies. Pharmacists provide patients with professional support, human support and thus help to implement the therapy in everyday life.
Source: Lower Saxony Chamber of Pharmacists
Also read: Love Scamming: Keep your eyes open when looking for a partner online
If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:
📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.
Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!
* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

