The cost of Rennie is an absolute disgrace. I usually need to take one or two after eating certain foods to avoid heartburn/acid reflux. But Rennie usually costs quite a bit when added up over time.
For example a 24 pack in Supervalu is €3.25. Which is 0.14 cent a tab.
https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/beauty-personal-care-digestive-stomach-health-rennie-spearmint-tablets-24-piece-/p-1017164000
In Boots a 24 pack is €3.49. Which is 0.15 cent per tab.
https://www.boots.ie/rennie-spearmint-flavour-24-chewable-tablets-10284611
In a random Irish pharmacy a 24 pack is €3.75. Which is 0.16 cent per tab.
Rennie Sugar Free Tablets 24 Pack
I’ve even seen a 24 pack for over €4.00 in some place. It’s an absolute rip off for such a generic medicine.
I’ve found prices on German Amazon for antacids to be so much cheaper and just as affective. I’m not sure I should post any direct links as I don’t want to be accused of shilling anything.
It’s just I wanted to share this as something that has saved me about €200 per year.
This is the quick maths:
Bullrich Salz Magentabletten 180 tablets = €3
Rennie 24 pack (@€3.50×8) 192 tablets = €28
Buying Rennie from an Irish retailer is about 9 times more expensive than ordering an antacid off of German Amazon.
37 comments
It’s so expensive it’s hard to digest.
Bit of baking soda or soda water
Doubt it’s any cheaper but I found mallox to be a way better tool for the job than Rennie.
If you get heartburn/acid reflux every day it might be worth looking at omeprazole. One tablet a day but not that cheap either (about 8 quid for 2 weeks worth)
Have you looked in Tesco, a pack of 48 Rennie is €4.29 making each tablet 0.8 cent
The product you’re buying is bicarbonate of soda, a different ingredient than Rennie. From a quick Google, it seems like the price of Rennie is fairly similar in both countries
Tackling the real issues right here.
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Maybe just don’t eat those foods
Feels like you should avoid eating foods that give you heartburn or even seek medical help to try and fix the issue entirely if you are spending so much on Rennie surely and visit to the GP is worth it?
Recently bought a 500ml bottle gaviscon in he pharmacy for €6 the 250ml bottle is 9-10€ in the supermarket, madness
p.s. get some probiotics to reduce the need for Rennie
It’s an absolute disgrace.
You probably need to get on to a doctor and get prescribed some pantoprazole. Possibly need an endoscopy to check for barretts oesophagus or hiatal hernia.
Or cut down on the foods/drinks causing it!
I know someone that had the same issue, used to consume a lot of Rennie.
After going to the doctor, he got some tablets prescribed to him. Now he takes one tablet a day in the morning and no more Rennie needed.
Rennie and Gaviscon are expensive because they’re what everyone asks for and what is advertised, so manufacturers jack up the price as a result. And because Reckitts particularly are absolute scammers.
Ask for Bisodol, Maalox, Acidex or Milk of Magnesia and you’ll save a lot. (Maybe not so much with maalox plus tablets, but they’re comparator is rennie deflatine which is very expensive). If the pharmacy doesn’t have them, they can order it in for you later that day/next day
Wait till you see the price of Nexium
Would you consider talking to your GP? A friend of mine ate Rennie like sweets. Turns out it was H Pylori.
I had heartburn so bad after a night out I ate toothpaste.
It didn’t help much, but it did knock my self esteem.
Omg, thank you for this. I didn’t realise I could get a
massively cheaper generic version.
Since my last pregnancy 10 years ago, my digestive system is completely broken and have been regularly taking Rennies after most foods and it’s cost me a small fortune tbh.
My friend Gav died because of heartburn last week.
I can’t believe gaviscon….
I’ll get my coat…
I used to have this problem. Do you know what I did about it. Stopped eating the things that were triggering it.
it’s expensive but its so fucking effective. it’s like magic
1. Find older family member who has been prescribed esomeprazole.
2. They will more than likely have shit loads they will never use as they keep getting them on the drug payments scheme.
3. Profit
Do people still take Andrews liver salts for heartburn? Mom used to give it to me as a youngster when I had heartburn
Pharmacy’s get the majority of their revenue from the government through various medical card/drug schemes. The government has cut the arse out of the pharmacy sector post 2008 so the only lever pharmacy’s have to combat rising costs is to massively increase Over the counter products and prescription to non medical card holders. As with everything in Ireland it is the ordinary working Joe soap that ends up paying
Most OTC meds are very overpriced here compared to elsewhere in Europe. I usually either buy stuff from Amazon.de or stock up on the essentials when I visit family in the US, because it’s an order of magnitude cheaper. (Only downside is that Germans are apparently a very headachy lot, because it’s almost impossible to find 200mg ibuprofen tablets on Amazon.de; it’s all 400mg for some reason…)
Got a 72 pack in Spain for 8 quid – whenever you’re away try to get those kind of things and stock up
I was keeping that company in business for a decade, every day.
Got onto the doc and he prescribed me some tablet one a day for 28 days.
Have had heartburn about twice in the last 6 months!!
Same with anti-histamines. I can pick up a pack of 20 in the UK for £2. In the local pharmacy it’s €10.
Please see a doctor. I used to take rennie almost daily and eventually saw a doctor for it. Was diagnosed as having IBS amongst other issues and acid reflux was part of my problem. I was then put on a proton pump inhibitor that I take daily for the past few years and it solved the problem. Healthier for me, peace of mind and the prescribed meds are cheaper to buy!
Seriously, if you rely on rennies/antacids daily, you really need to talk to a doctor. My mother died of stomach cancer last year. Believe me, it’s a horrific slow death.
Taking your figures, and using your cost saving of €200/year as a base, and your average cost per rennie of 15c.
If you only spend 200 a year, and you imply it’s more. That’s:
**1,333.33 RENNIES**
I think you need a doctor, not a financial plan.
Things your hear someone call a “disgrace” on Joe Duffy.
really, i’d suggest not eating foods that give you heartburn/acid reflux, but you know if your that hard up for 25 euro over the course of the year just dm me your paypal and ill send you the 25 euro each Christmas
Try baking soda, mix a tablespoon in water and drink it.
Do you need to take that much Rennie’s? Because if you do, you might have an underlying condition. You shouldn’t need a constant supply of them.
Have you seen your GP about it? Maybe you should. If it’s GERD or IBS or something, you need to be more careful about what you eat because Rennie’s won’t help with that long-term and this stuff can get worse over time if not addressed.
I’m from the north and buy esomeprazole over the counter for about 3 quid. If you can buy this down south then do, they’re so much more effective than Rennie. Antacids end up making your stomach produce more acid.
I have GERD its chronic in our family. I started off relying on Rennies now I’m on 40mg of pantium everyday without it I’m literally throwing up acid. Dad has a hole in his oesophagus from ignoring heartburn when he was younger which is why he rushed me to get checked when he noticed I was looking for rennies the whole time. Defo get checked out. As people have said there’s a range of reasons behind it, rennies aren’t for a long term solution. Along with the tablets iv cut down on triggering food. Yes it’d be lovely to have whatever I want whenever I want but drinking orange juice isn’t worth being up all night in agony. Also if you smoke that loosens your oesophagus meaning it makes it easier for the acid to come up.