Playghirl Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 I have heard that I should bring out boxes of hayfever pills , what else should I bring please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 I assume you're talking about non-prescription medications? If so, frankly I've not found anything I used in the UK that I can't get here for a similar price. In some cases I've had to learn some different names (but the chemist can help) but even that's pretty rare. Also, there are a couple of things that used to be prescription only in the UK that we can buy over the counter here. Finally, I've had far less trouble with hay fever here than I did in the UK--hope you're as lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ses Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 You can't get Anadin/Anadin Extra here ( When I go home to the UK I always stock up on the generic form (cheaper but the same thing) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 If you have kids it may be worth bringing Calpol sachets or just Calpol, they dont do an exact copy of Calpol here and i really struggled with my youngest getting her to take something at first. If you like Buttercup syrup id bring some of that too as thats something else ive found no replacement for,, luckily another member dropped me some in when out here on their reccie a few months ago (thanks Proview),lol. Price wise i dont think things are much different so its just a case of bringing what you like,lol.. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Antihistamine cream. I had some mozzie bites when we first arrived, and went in to the pharmacy to ask if I could buy antihistamine cream over the counter and was told that I couldn't. My mil brings it out to me when she comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 You can't get Anadin/Anadin Extra here ( When I go home to the UK I always stock up on the generic form (cheaper but the same thing) Isn't Anadin aspirin? I think they also do branded ibuprofen and paracetamol. You can get all 3 here easily. You may need to read up on active ingredients, but just about everything can be bought here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Suncream factor 50 - you can only get up to factor 30 here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Don't bother with the sunscreen. The sunscreens here are 30+, meaning that they are higher than 30. The Australian tests to determine spf are more rigourous and are done after immersing the protected skin in turbulent water (where as in the UK/EU they are done with no immersion in water) so the creams are more protective here anyway. There is actually only 1% difference in protection between a 30 and a 50, and the reason that the Aussie creams are labelled as 30+ (even though they are higher) is that people are less likely to reapply frequently and more likely to stay out in the sun for far longer if they think that they are getting a far higher protection (ie 50 instead of 30 sounds like it is almost double where there is only a very small difference). Just use the 30+ and reapply frequently (as you should with even a 50). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 There is actually only 1% difference in protection between a 30 and a 50, and the reason that the Aussie creams are labelled as 30+ (even though they are higher) is that people are less likely to reapply frequently and more likely to stay out in the sun for far longer if they think that they are getting a far higher protection (ie 50 instead of 30 sounds like it is almost double where there is only a very small difference). Just use the 30+ and reapply frequently (as you should with even a 50). This is slightly misleading. A factor 30 suncream blocks out 98% of the harmful rays. A factor 50 suncream blocks out 99% of the harmful rays. That can be presented as only a difference of 1% but actually it means that factor 50 is twice as good as factor 30 - it only lets through half the harmful rays that factor 30 lets through. Reapplying suncream is also a bit of a misnomer. It needs to be reapplied just as frequently, regardless of the sun protection factor, because it can sweat off or rub off. However you cut it, factor 50 is better than factor 30 and people in Australia should be able to make the same choice about product as people in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Oh no it doesn't! http://theconversation.edu.au/mondays-medical-myth-spf50-sunscreen-almost-doubles-the-protection-of-spf30-3949 But no sunscreen offers full protection from the sun. And the increment in UVB filtering between SPF30+ and SPF50+ is small, increasing protection from 96.7% to 98%. That’s a 1.3% increase, not almost double, as many people may think when making a purchasing decision. This is slightly misleading. A factor 30 suncream blocks out 98% of the harmful rays. A factor 50 suncream blocks out 99% of the harmful rays. That can be presented as only a difference of 1% but actually it means that factor 50 is twice as good as factor 30 - it only lets through half the harmful rays that factor 30 lets through. Reapplying suncream is also a bit of a misnomer. It needs to be reapplied just as frequently, regardless of the sun protection factor, because it can sweat off or rub off. However you cut it, factor 50 is better than factor 30 and people in Australia should be able to make the same choice about product as people in the UK. other links: http://chemistkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/sunscreens-spf-50.html http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/cancer-council-wary-of-new-rating-20100813-1233l.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 The most important thing with sunscreen (whichever factor you choose to wear) is to apply it 15-20 minutes before you go out, reapply after half an hour, and then to reapply every two hours or after swimming/towelling off. You should also make sure that you use adequate sunscreen to cover the skin thoroughly, and also look for a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintpot Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I'm with LKC and Peach on this. There are also more varieties of sunscreen available here, and IM subjective O they appear to be nicer to use as there are more non-greasy ones. Also they are reasonably priced I don't claim to be the world's expert on sunscreen, but my wife is a redhead and extremely careful, and her sister (who also lives here) is a melanoma survivor (disease contracted in the UK before she moved here) so both are highly aware of sun protection - and they're happier with what is available here than at home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Oh no it doesn't! But you can't take the difference between a% and b% and report it as (a-b)%. That's not how percentages work. http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.06/h/other1.html In the numbers you quote, Factor 30 cream screens 96.7% of harmful rays and Factor 50 cream screens 98% of harmful rays. That means Factor 30 lets through 3.3% of the harmful rays and Factor 50 lets through 2% of them. Thee are different ways of expressing the difference, e.g.: (3.3-2)/3.3*100 = 39% - The Factor 50 cream screens out 39% of the harmful rays that the Factor 30 lets through (3.3-2)/2*100 = 65% - The Factor 30 cream lets through 65% more harmful rays than the Factor 50 cream The upshot of this is that if you wear Factor 50 cream, you can stay out in the sun for 65% longer than you can with Factor 30. It is significantly better than Factor 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Fabricator Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Strange question, sorry to jump on this, when it comes to contraception such as the pill, is that prescription the same as uk? xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Strange question, sorry to jump on this, when it comes to contraception such as the pill, is that prescription the same as uk? xx It's not free in Australia if that's what you mean. You have to pay for it same as any other prescription. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 But you can't take the difference between a% and b% and report it as (a-b)%. That's not how percentages work. http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.06/h/other1.html In the numbers you quote, Factor 30 cream screens 96.7% of harmful rays and Factor 50 cream screens 98% of harmful rays. That means Factor 30 lets through 3.3% of the harmful rays and Factor 50 lets through 2% of them. Thee are different ways of expressing the difference, e.g.: (3.3-2)/3.3*100 = 39% - The Factor 50 cream screens out 39% of the harmful rays that the Factor 30 lets through (3.3-2)/2*100 = 65% - The Factor 30 cream lets through 65% more harmful rays than the Factor 50 cream The upshot of this is that if you wear Factor 50 cream, you can stay out in the sun for 65% longer than you can with Factor 30. It is significantly better than Factor 30. No, it doesn't mean that at all. The factor 50 only screens out 39% more of that small percentage of UV that the factor 30 lets through. If you look at the numbers for protection, it can be said that there is a 1.344% improvement in the protection afforded by factor 50 when compared to factor 30 ( (98-96.7)/96.7*100 ). That definitely doesn't equate to a 65% increase in the time of exposure. This is precisely why sunscreens aren't labelled as more than 30+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 But you can't take the difference between a% and b% and report it as (a-b)%. That's not how percentages work. In case you didn't read my link: Cancer council wary of new rating The Cancer Council argues that higher factor sunscreens don't offer much extra protection from UVB - the ultraviolet light that causes sunburn and is a major cause of melanoma - 96.7 per cent for SPF30 compared to 98 per cent for SPF50. ''Our view is that 30+ is all that's necessary,'' said a Cancer Council spokesman, Craig Sinclair, who also chairs Standards Australia's sunscreen committee. ''By going to a higher SPF we're not adding a significantly better product in terms of protection and we're concerned that people will think they have a shield of armour on.'' So who do I trust? You or the Cancer Council? :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 No, it doesn't mean that at all. The factor 50 only screens out 39% more of that small percentage of UV that the factor 30 lets through. If you look at the numbers for protection, it can be said that there is a 1.344% improvement in the protection afforded by factor 50 when compared to factor 30 ( (98-96.7)/96.7*100 ). That definitely doesn't equate to a 65% increase in the time of exposure. This is precisely why sunscreens aren't labelled as more than 30+. This is valid if you think it is the rays that don't get through that are important. For most of us, though, it's the harmful rays that do get through that are important. In which case, my presentation is the correct one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Antihistamine cream isn't something they sell over here, so if you are prone to bites, it might be worth bringing some. Sunscreen - I wouldn't bother, it's cheap as chips here and factor 30 is plenty if you are applying it regularly. I don't think there is any great difference in price. They have generic brands of things like paracetamol and ibuprofen in the supermarkets and chemists and they don't cost much at all. Love Rudi x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 ''Our view is that 30+ is all that's necessary,'' said a Cancer Council spokesman, Craig Sinclair, who also chairs Standards Australia's sunscreen committee. So he is not quite an independent arbiter - he chairs the committee which took the decision to ban factor 50 suncream. ''By going to a higher SPF we're not adding a significantly better product in terms of protection and we're concerned that people will think they have a shield of armour on.'' You might as well use the argument to ban anything over factor 7 (the highest that was available when I was young) - if you give people more protection they will assume they are invulnerable. The same argument could be deployed for banning seatbelts - they make drivers feel invulnerable so they drive less safely. We should give people the information they need and allow them to make ann informed choice. Banning higher protection suncreams reduces the choice and potentially exposes people to increased risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Sunscreen - I wouldn't bother, it's cheap as chips here and factor 30 is plenty if you are applying it regularly. Applying suncream frequently does not increase the inherent protection it offers. It would need to be applied just as frequently if it were Factor 50 or Factor 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 :policeman:Ok guys, i think the OP has heard enough about sunscreen so lets agree to disagree and see what other types of medication members can think of for the OP. Thanks Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playghirl Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks.x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Do consider how much you're bringing ... if it looks like you're bringing a pharmacy they may confiscate it ... it has to appear for personal use, so I would think that anything more than 5 - 6 months worth (you usually get 5 repeats from your GP) would be adequate, but as others have said there is very little difference in cost or product for the majority of things and I've found pharmacist to be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playghirl Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Just asking the question really. Thanks for feedback though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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