Pharmacy and Medication — How It Works in Germany

Three Categories of Medicines

In Germany, medicines are divided into three groups — this determines where you can buy them:

How the pharmacy itself works — opening hours, night duty, Zuzahlung — is described in a separate article Apotheke step by step.

Generics and Festbetrag

Most medicines have cheaper alternatives — Generikum (generic) with the same active ingredient as the original. Health insurance usually covers the medicine only up to the so-called Festbetrag (reference price); if you choose the more expensive original, you pay the difference. The pharmacy often dispenses the cheaper substitute (aut-idem rule) — you can ask for it to reduce costs.

Versandapotheke and Hausapotheke

You can order medicines without a prescription (and increasingly e-prescriptions) from a Versandapotheke (online pharmacy) — it may be cheaper, but you wait for delivery. It's worth having a Hausapotheke (home medicine cabinet) at home: painkillers, thermometer, plasters, something for a cold and stomach. For more serious symptoms, don't guess — go to a doctor's visit, and treatment is covered by your Krankenversicherung as part of your contribution.