Get the same medication for a lower price by checking hidden code

Get the same medication for a lower price by checking hidden codePeople could be paying less for the exact same product - just in different packagingCommentsNewsAndrew Nuttall U35 Lifestyle Writer10:07, 19 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesPeople should double check before buying their next pack of pills(Image: Getty)Anyone buying pain relief medication should check for an easy-to-ignore code on the box that might mean nothing to the untrained eye. But experts have suggested that it could be the key to avoiding getting "ripped off" by bold claims.‌Posting on Instagram, an MSE spokesperson claimed that "drug companies are ripping [people] off" for their period pain relief. Taking a closer look beyond what the packaging claims can sometimes reveal a cheaper option - even if it claims to be for a completely different body part.‌They said: "When the cramps hit, you might reach for period pain relief tablets, because something specific should work better, right? But, that pain-specific branding is often marketing bull.‌"A lot of the time, migraine tablets, period pain and back pain medications are literally the same thing, just in different packaging and with wildly different price tags."If people want to find the same medication for less, look for the PL code printed on the box. This is the license number for a particular drug manufactured by a specific manufacturer and matching numbers between products only means one thing - it's the "exact same medicine".Content cannot be displayed without consent‌The MSE video showed one example of a popular brand for managing period pain, Feminax Express (sold in Boots for £5.40), which had the same code as Boots' own-brand migraine pain relief tablets (worth £2.89). Both tablets contain the same doses of ibuprofen lysine (342mg)."If these two PL numbers are the same, it's the same drug, no matter what the front of the box claims. So, now you know, don't let them rip you off.&...