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The ibuprofen point is certainly well made. I used to think that the Spanish version ‘worked better’ until I actually read the packet and found they were 400mg tabs not the 200mg more common in the UK.It depends. Paracetamol is not available in the EU in the modified release form I can get in Australia, and ibuprofen is supplied in a much larger dose in Spain, albeit in a tablet form that can be split. That said, most other medicines that I don't need a prescription for at home are available at pharmacies in Spain and Portugal.
My approach is to bring prescription medication for the length of my stay away, as well as medications I know I won't be able to get while I am away. I bring a small quantity of other medications, and if I need to use them I will replace them along the way at a pharmacy. I also bring the prescription and a letter from my doctor listing what I am taking and why.
If you have specific medications you do obtain over the counter, you might want to check Eudrapharm, the EU human medicines database to see if what equivalents will be available.
Muscle relaxants are usually prescription only, not over the counter medications.So far I'm not on any regular medicine for long term illnesses. Just mainly wanting to know if I'll be able to get medication for illnesses that I may get into while on/because of the camino.. like pain killers, muscle relaxants, allergy meds and such...
Yes, you don't need to bring full bottles - just enough to tide you over until you can get to a pharmacy.Often on this forum, advice is given that "Spain is not a third world country" and most things you need will be available. Bear in mind, though, that many shops including pharmacies do not open till 10.00 am and most peregrinos want to be on the road a few hours before that. For this reason alone, I would bring along medications etc so that I don't have to hang around waiting for shops to open.
I suppose I could just get to the pharmacy and like ask the pharmacist to give me something for headaches, or feet pain or a blocked nose, etc?Note that in the US, paracetamol is known as acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol).
-Paul
Yes, that's how it works in Spanish pharmacies.I suppose I could just get to the pharmacy and like ask the pharmacist to give me something for headaches, or feet pain or a blocked nose, etc?
As already said, none of those require a prescription. I also bought lisinopril, levothyroxine, and metformin without prescription for less than my co-pay in USA (where they do require a prescription). I was also on liothyronine, which is not available in Spain, but the pharmacist and I figured out that I'd probably be OK by changing the dose of the levothyroxine. (An e-mail to my US doc got his approval for the suggested adjustment.)Is it easy to buy medicine like NSAIDS, paracetamol, antihistamines, etc at the pharmacies along the camino. Or do they require a prescription? Am hoping to cut down my pack weight by packing minimal medicinal supplies which I may or may not end up using.
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