CUT-PRICE MEDICINE CABINET By JUDITH KEELING

SOME bathroom cabinet staples are such household names it’s hard to imagine there’s an alternative. With the help of medical experts, we show you cheapskate versions, saving as much as £118 — £952.51 a year . . .

EVERYDAY PAINKILLERS

(including period pain relief) Panadol Extra Advance, 16 tablets, £1.55, Boots (9.7p per tablet); Nurofen, 16 tablets, £2, Boots (12.5p per tablet); Feminax Express, 15 tablets, £3.25, Superdrug (20.3p per tablet).

CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Tesco paracetamol, 16 tablets, 25p (1.6p per tablet); Sainsbury’s ibuprofen, 16 tablets, 35p (2.2p per tablet). ‘Own-BrAnD painkillers — whether Tesco, Boots or an independent chemist — are just as effective as the brands and are much cheaper,’ says Sultan Dajani, a pharmacist and spokesperson for the royal Pharmaceutical Society.

‘They do exactly the same job as a branded, better- known drug and contain the same active ingredients.’

The active ingredient in Panadol is paracetamol; in nurofen, it’s ibuprofen — Panadol and nurofen cost ‘ many times more’ than their supermarket equivalents ‘ especially if you think of how often you might use them in a year,’ says Mr Dajani, who estimates the average family will use four packets of each type of painkiller a year.

Ibuprofen can also treat period pain. ‘The active ingredient in feminax is ibuprofen, but it’s vastly more expensive,’ says GP Dr fiona Sankey.

feminax also contains lysine, a salt, which ‘has no therapeutic value’, says Mr Dajani. It may speed up absorption, but this isn’t proven conclusively.

SAVING: £5.85 (£2.90 of this is from swapping ibuprofen for feminax).

SAVING OVER A YEAR: £29.20 (£17.40 from replacing feminax, assuming six packs a year for moderate period pain).

MILD BURNS, RASHES, CUTS AND SPOTS

TCP antiseptic liquid, 100ml, £2.19; Boots Emergency Burn Gel, 60ml, £3.69; Metanium nappy rash ointment, 30g, £3.05, all Boots. CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Sudocrem, antiseptic healing cream, 125g, £2.99, Superdrug YOU can make a significant saving buying Sudocrem instead of several products for different skin problems. ‘Many people associate Sudocrem with treating or preventing nappy rash,’ says Dr Hady Bayoumi, a consultant dermatologist at the Spire Bushey Hospital. ‘ But it can be used for all types of sweat rash.’

The cream works as an antiseptic, inhibiting the spread of infection and keeping bacteria out of the wound.

‘It’s also good for cuts, spots, minor burns, chilblains, minor bedsores and sunburn.’

A cheaper option for spots and boils is to make a paste with bicarbonate of soda and apply it to the affected area.

It will draw out the moisture and speed healing, says Mr Dajani, who estimates a family with a baby would use two bottles of TCP, a tube of burns gel and 12 tubs of nappy rash ointment a year. Using only Sudocrem, they would get through seven tubs. SAVING: £5.94. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £23.74.

INFLAMED EYELIDS

Systane eyelid cleansing wipes, 30, £9.99, Boots. CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Boots baby shampoo, 500ml, £1.29 (26p per 100ml). From painkillers to eye drops and hay fever pills, how you can save a fortune by swapping costly products for cheap ones that are just as good If YOU have blepharitis — where the ridges of the eyelids become inflamed, causing itchy, sore eyelids and crusty or greasy lashes — it’s important to keep your eyelids clean, says Dr Susan Blakeney of the College of Optometrists.

‘ Specialist wipes can be expensive,’ she says. ‘A small drop of baby shampoo, which is a very mild detergent, in a mug of hot water can be a far more costeffective way of keeping your eyelids clean.’

The bottle could potentially last a year. Apply with a cotton bud and keep the solution out of your eyes.

This method is also a good way of treating styes. SAVING: £8.70. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £ 518.19 (based on a chronic blepharitis sufferer getting through a box of wipes a week).

EAR WAX

Earigate Ear Cleaning System, 100ml, £9.99, Boots, CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Sainsbury’s olive oil, 250ml, £1.20 (48p per 100ml), A BUILD-UP of earwax can cause hearing loss, ear infections and earache or it may leave you with a feeling of fullness in the ear.

‘One way to tackle it is by using drops from the pharmacist to soften the wax, but many of these contain household staples such as olive oil or bicarbonate of soda as active ingredients,’ says Dr fiona Sankey.

‘Olive oil bought from a supermarket can do the job just as well, though don’t do this if you have a perforated eardrum because it could cause infection.’

Alternatively, use bicarbonate of soda — dissolve half a teaspoon in a small beaker of water before inserting it into the ear with an eye dropper, which can be bought cheaply from a chemist.

Stubborn build-up may require cleaning by your GP. SAVING: £23.78 (comparing 250ml olive oil with 250ml Earigate). SAVING OVER A YEAR: £ 28.77

(comparing one bottle of olive oil with three of earigate).

CHILDREN’S TEMPERATURES

Calpol Infant Suspension, 200ml 120mg/5ml £5.99, Lloyds Pharmacy (£2.99 per 100ml). CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Galpamol for children, 100ml, 120mg/5ml paracetamol oral suspension, £1, Poundland (£1 per 100ml). ‘There is an alternative to Calpol for fevers in young children,’ says Mr Dajani.

‘Pharmacists prepare their own suspensions [liquid medicine] for young children that contain paracetamol, which is the same active ingredient in Calpol. It can work out half price.’ he estimates the average family gets through four bottles of Calpol a year. SAVING: £3.99. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £15.96.

EYE INFECTIONS

Optrex infected eye drops, 10ml, £5.49, Rowlands Pharmacy. CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Numark Chloramphenicol eye drops BP 0.5 pc w/v, 10ml, £4, Rowlands Pharmacy. ‘eYe infections such as conjunctivitis are common — and branded products such as Optrex contain an antibiotic active ingredient called chloramphenicol,’ says Mr Dajani.

‘Chemists stock a non-branded eye drop containing chloramphenicol, which works in the same way ( preventing the bacteria from producing proteins essential to them growing and spreading), but doesn’t cost as much.’

he estimates that sufferers could use three bottles a year. SAVING: £1.49. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £4.47.

ECZEMA OR CHAPPED SKIN

Oilatum Bath, 300ml, £9.49, Superdrug (£3.16 per 100ml). CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Aqueous cream, 500mg, £4.09, Boots (82p per 100mg). ‘SPeCIAlIST soap substitutes can be very expensive for people with eczema or dry and chapped skin,’ says Dr Sankey.

‘A large tub of aqueous cream from your chemist will do the same job as specialist soaps because it contains liquid paraffin and white soft paraffin, which have an emollient effect on sensitive skin. It should also last you several weeks.’

Mr Dajani calculates someone with persistent eczema would go through a tub of either product every month. SAVING: £5.40. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £64.80.

SPRAINS AND BRUISES

Nurofen 16 x 200mg, £2, Boots. CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Safe+Sound health reusable hot and cold pack, £4.99, Rowlands Pharmacy, AN ICe pack is a great option for sprains and bruises, says Tim Allardyce, a sports osteopath and director of the Surrey Physio clinic.

‘It cuts inflammation by reducing bleeding into the tissues surrounding the injury and numbing the area to reduce pain.

‘And it works much better than oral inflammatories, such as ibuprofen, because it targets the affected area precisely.

‘Though the ice pack is more expensive initially, you can re-use it and it will last for years.

‘You can also use it instead of products such as Deep heat — most people with sprains and minor injuries won’t need painkillers.’ The average family might use six packets of Nurofen a year for sprains and bruises. SAVING: Initially outlay is £3 more than a packet of Nurofen. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £7.01.

MULTIVITAMINS

Centrum Advance multivitamin/ multimineral, 30 tablets, £5.39, Holland & Barrett (18p per tablet). CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Vita Well multivitamins & iron, 70 tablets, £1, Poundland (1.4p per tablet), ‘If YOU must buy vitamins, cheap and cheerful is the way forward,’ says GP Dr fiona Sankey.

‘far too much money is wasted on expensive vitamins — if you’re eating a balanced diet, most people shouldn’t need vitamin supplements as you will get all the nutrients you need from food.

‘ Moreover, taking expensive vitamins can also encourages people to eat badly and convince themselves they are actually healthy.’

Major studies published two years ago by the distinguished U. S. medical journal The Annals of Internal Medicine found there was no evidence that vitamin supplements made any difference in preventing cancer, heart disease, dementia or death. SAVING: £ 11.60 ( comparing 70 tablets). SAVING OVER A YEAR: £61.13.

BLOCKED NOSE

Sudafed capsules, 24 tablets, £4.95, Sainsbury’s (21p each). CHEAPSKATE VERSION: DIY salt-water douche using salt, 750g, 35p, and bicarbonate of soda, both Sainsbury’s, 180g, 85p (1p per dose). ‘OlD-fAShIONeD remedies such as a salt-water douche can flush the mucus out of a blocked nose effectively,’ says Dr fiona Sankey.

She advises mixing a teaspoon of salt with half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 8 fl oz of warm water which has been boiled.

This is a cheaper alternative to branded decongestants such as Sudafed, which work by narrowing the small blood vessels in the nose, so reducing blood flow, which brings down the swelling caused by a cold and helps to open up the nasal airway to make breathing easier.

It could also be helpful for patients who can’t take decongestants, such as those with high blood pressure, glaucoma or heart problems — decongestants can act as stimulants, making them unsuitable for those patients.

The average family might use three packets a year. SAVING: £3.75. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £12.80.

SORE THROATS

Corsodyl spray, £6.30, 60ml, Boots. CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Boots dispersible aspirin tablets, 32, 75p. ‘GArGlING with a 300mg tablet of aspirin dissolved in a beaker of water will tackle a sore throat just as effectively as using an anaesthetic throat or mouth spray at a fraction of the cost,’ says Mr Dajani.

‘Aspirin is the active ingredient that reduces inflammation and dulls pain — and it’s a great bathroom cabinet staple because it doubles up as a painkiller.’

But do read the instructions and check with your pharmacist if in doubt, because those suffering from some conditions, such as asthma, should avoid taking aspirin, he advises. SAVING: £5.55. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £5.55.

HEAD LICE

Vamousse head lice treatment, 160ml, £14.99 (£9.37 per 100ml), Superdrug. CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Boots Fresh and Fruity Strawberry conditioner, 500ml, £1 (20p per 100ml), plus Bugbuster comb, £8.95, chc.org OrDINArY hair conditioner and a comb can be just as efficient at treating head lice as expensive specialist lotions, according to research published in the Journal of Medical entemology.

researchers from Belgium studied 605 hairs taken from children with head lice.

They compared how easy it was to remove eggs from hair treated with ordinary conditioner with hair that had been sprayed with specialist nit removal products.

They found that the conditioner was as efficient as the more expensive nit products.

Vamousse is ‘an effective new treatment for head lice that claims to kill bugs and eggs’, says Mr Dajani. however, it is expensive — particularly since children often get re-infected regularly by others at school, says entomologist Ian Burgess.

The traditional method of wet combing with conditioner can work effectively, but you must follow strict guidelines, he says.

‘It’s important to use a special detection comb — not a nit comb — which is a plastic comb with teeth no more than 0.3mm apart. The Bugbuster comb works well.

‘It’s vital to comb very thoroughly and to repeat a week later.’ SAVING: £5.04. SAVING OVER THE YEAR: £ 47.01 (assuming four infestations a year).

TOOTHBRUSH

Oral-B pro 2000 electric rechargeable toothbrush, £34.99 (replacement heads, £17.99 for four), Argos. CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Wisdom toothbrush, four for £1, Wilko. ‘YOU don’t need an expensive toothbrush to brush your teeth properly,’ says Sameer Patel, a dentist and clinical director of elleven Dental in london, who says proper technique is crucial.

‘If you have a good technique, you could use a cheap, manual toothbrush. Angle it at 45 degrees and brush partly on the gum and partly on the tooth, working systematically around your mouth using a circular motion.

‘ Don’t brush too hard because you may end up scrubbing the enamel off your teeth.

‘People think an expensive brush will clean their teeth better, but that’s simply not true.’

Mr Patel suggests changing your toothbrush or electric toothbrush head every three months. SAVING: £33.99. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £51.98.

HAY FEVER

Clarityn allergy tablets, £3.99 for seven, Lloyds Pharmacy (57p per tablet). CHEAPSKATE VERSION: Tesco One-a-day hay fever and allergy tablets, 10mg, 14 tablets, £1.80. (12.9p per tablet). ‘TheSe contain the same active ingredient, loratadine, and same quantity at a fraction of the price,’ says Mr Dajani. ‘loratadine is an anti-histamine drug that works by blocking the action of histamine, a substance in the body that causes allergic symptoms such as sneezing and watering eyes.’

hay fever sufferers could need a daily tablet for up to six months. SAVING: £6.18. SAVING OVER A YEAR: £81.90.