Frequently asked questions

After your registration, you will receive digital documents from Algea Care Patient Support to inform you about the next steps and our procedures. In order for us to best create your record, please fill out the medical history form. If available, please upload all relevant medical records such as established diagnoses, medication schedules and physician letters to your account.

Once you have submitted all the required documents, they will be reviewed by our internal medical team. Please understand that the processing time of your case may vary depending on the current workload. As soon as the medical screening is completed, you will be informed immediately about the further procedure.

You can attend your video consultation from the comfort of your home via computer, tablet or smartphone. More information will be sent to you before your first video consultation.

Medical cannabis has a very broad therapeutic spectrum. It can therefore provide relief for a range of symptoms and diseases – each case is different and must be discussed with the attending physician. Among dozens of other diseases, the therapy is used mostly used for chronic pain, migraine, ADHD, depression and sleep disorders.

Cannabinoid therapy can be useful if there are serious chronic complaints of a physical or psychological nature that could not be conclusively treated successfully up to now, or whose treatment with the previous means was not tolerable for the patient, e.g. due to side effects. Cannabis therapy can thus be applied as an alternative or also as a supplement to existing medication.

Since March 10, 2017 with the passing of the “Cannabis as Medicine” law in Germany, the prescription of medical cannabis is legal. To become a patient, you need a prescription from a doctor who can prescribe cannabis use for medical reasons for serious, chronic illnesses. A serious illness is one that for example significantly impairs your quality of life in the long term.

In order for the health insurance company to cover the costs, an application must be submitted before therapy begins. According to the law, this may be rejected “only in justified exceptional cases”. However, this happens in over 50% of cases. In addition, it is also necessary that no other generally recognized medical service is available for the illness, that its side effects make its use inadvisable, or that it is out of the question for other individual reasons.

Private health insurance generally covers the costs of therapy with medical cannabis if there is a medical prescription for it, the patient purchases the medicine from a pharmacy, the therapy is medically necessary and complies with the rules of conventional medicine, or there are no other conventional medical means and methods available with the prospect of the same success.

Medical cannabis can be inhaled or taken orally. The way it is taken depends, among other things, on whether it is a ready-to-use medicine or a cannabis flower. While finished medicinal products such as Sativex and Canemes as well as cannabis extracts are taken orally, patients can inhale cannabis flowers via a vaporizer. Ingestion via smoking is not recommended due to the harmful substances. Furthermore, it is possible to take the cannabis flowers as a tea.

Isolated high-dose CBD can be taken as drops or capsules.

Unlike medical cannabis, which contains THC and CBD, isolated CBD is not psychoactive. The drug has a sedative, analgesic and anticonvulsant effect.

Medical cannabis can affect your body and mind in different ways. That’s why an individualized and personalized treatment is essential for establishing and maintaining your health. The possible effects range from calming to blocking pain impulses to regulating and brightening your mood.

The use of medical cannabis in the course of medically supervised therapy has so far not triggered cannabis dependence, provided that no contraindications existed.

At the beginning of a cannabis therapy, ready-to-use medicines as well as cannabis flowers and extracts are dosed gradually. The amount of the initial dose depends on the THC content and is slowly increased. The maximum prescription quantity is 100 g per 30 days.

Due to the health care mandate, it is not possible to specialize and be registered with statutory health insurance. Therefore, only private medical treatments can be offered. The costs for private medical treatment with doctors are always charged per appointment with the doctor. For medical treatment with cannabis, costs amount to 100-140€. Billing is done according to GOÄ standards. The costs are possibly reimbursable by private health insurance companies. Follow-up appointments take place every 4 weeks on average for ongoing treatment. There are no other hidden costs for ongoing care, so it is always transparent and plannable for you. From the 6th appointment onwards, the cost for the doctors decreases, and reduced costs (<100€) are then passed on to the patients.

Due to the health care mandate, it is not possible to specialize and be registered with statutory health insurance. Therefore, only private medical treatments can be offered. The costs for private medical treatment with the doctors are always incurred per appointment with the doctor. For medical treatment with CBD, costs amount to 40-50€. Billing is done according to GOÄ standards. The costs are reimbursable by private health insurance companies. Follow-up appointments take place every 2 months on average for ongoing treatment. There are no other hidden costs for ongoing care, so it is always transparent and plannable for you.

Treatment with medical cannabis is only allowed in the case of a serious, chronic illness. This condition must either be life-threatening or have a lasting negative impact on your life. It must be chronic, i.e. it must have existed for at least 3 months. In addition, treatment with medical cannabis is only allowed if no other generally recognized medical treatment is available for the illness, its side effects make its use inadvisable, or it is unsuitable for other individual reasons. In addition, there must be a justifiable expectation that medical cannabis therapie will alleviate the symptoms.

It is not prescribed which doctors can prescribe medical cannabis – theoretically, any doctor can, apart from dentists and veterinarians. When doctors prescribe medical cannabis to a patient, they must make regular therapy checks and document them.

Algea Care brings together physicians throughout Germany with special expertise in the treatment with medical cannabis. In the treatment of your complaints, it is ensured that you are competently advised and treated. Cannabinoid therapy is only used when it makes medical sense and the doctors can increase your well-being.

First, you fill out a questionnaire on our website, which our specialized doctors evaluate. After submitting further documents and our review, you finally make an appointment for an initial consultation at one of our seven locations throughout Germany. After your initial consultation, all further sessions will take place digitally via video. By mail-order pharmacies, your medical cannabis can be conveniently shipped to your home. Up until your first appointment, this process is completely free of charge for you.

In principle, patients are allowed to participate in road traffic as long as their ability to drive is not impaired due to the medication, i.e. they must be able to drive a vehicle safely. The same legal situation applies as for other medications, such as opioid prescriptions (cf. https://www.bundestag.de/presse/hib/2017_04/502018-502018). Your doctor will explain to you again in a personal conversation what needs to be considered especially at the beginning of the therapy.

In the course of our therapy offer, we recommend mail-order pharmacies and take care of the communication for you. The pharmacy will send you the preparation stress-free to your home. So you have the lowest prices, no hassle and get the best quality.