Recipe expired?
Medicines prescribed by the doctor are handed over on one of four different prescriptions, with which one normally goes directly to the pharmacy. Sometimes, however, a prescription is left lying around for a long time. The prescriptions, however, have a limited validity, depending on the type of prescription. The expiry date is not on the paper itself, so many patients do not even know that their prescription is not valid indefinitely.

Here are the four different types of prescriptions and their validity periods.


Red recipe

The red prescription is valid for three months, but the costs for the prescribed medication are only covered by the statutory health insurance funds if the prescription is filled within one month.

Yellow recipe

Medicines that fall under the Narcotics Act, such as strong painkillers, are prescribed on the yellow prescription. This is only valid for seven days.

Blue recipe

Private patients receive a blue prescription. It is valid for three months.

Green recipe

The green prescription notes medicines that do not require a prescription. They only serve as a notepad and are therefore valid indefinitely.

The date of issue is important for the validity of the prescription. It is located in the middle of the prescription slip.