Farmacias

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Pamela1
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Farmacias

Postby Pamela1 » Mon Nov 22, 2021 10:48 pm

Many years ago i can recall walking into a pharmacy in Spain with my young son who wasn't well and after a short consultation with the pharmacist he handed me a bottle of Amoxicillin, that was my first experience of over the counter antibiotics in Spain...Since then i know things have moved on and as far as i am aware antibiotics can only be issued with a prescription from a doctor....or so i thought...Around 3 years ago i was given a small bottle of eye drops during a visit to a Faramcia...after trying other medicines in the Uk over quite a number of months i was finally glad to have something which seemed to be working...My DIL told me they were antibiotic eye drops...Since that time i have renewed the eye drops on two different occasions because of the sell by date, i wanted to keep a bottle for back up...This summer i went into a different Farmacia and they told me i would need a doctors prescription...Off i went to another Farmacia and they handed the product over, no problem...Not that i'm complaining but why will one farmacia just hand out an antibiotic medication while another insists on a prescription? What exactly are the laws and rules..

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spanish_lad
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Re: Farmacias

Postby spanish_lad » Thu Jan 27, 2022 6:01 pm

in the farmacias in alhaurin you can only get paracetamol in 650mg tablets. In another farmacy on the coast i go to.. 1g is not a problem.
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elusive
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Re: Farmacias

Postby elusive » Thu Jan 27, 2022 7:23 pm

Its like alot of things. It depends on whos serving you. Some are more sticklers for the law than others i guess.

They keep trying to flog me herbal biotics in replacement for them Which are nothing more than what you would expect. 17 euros a packet. Its a money making racket. No wonder the pharmacist in our village retired in his 40s. Bought a nice house and spent probably 50 plus k knocking it through to bits!

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peteroldracer
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Re: Farmacias

Postby peteroldracer » Thu Jan 27, 2022 7:31 pm

We had that problem with paracetamol - our regular farmacia sold us 1g tablets "as we know you" but advised us to get them added to the prescriptions sheet (health card list in Andalucia).
Apparently the big tablets are the suicide pill of choice in Spain - maybe the distressed change their minds if they use the 600mg ones as it takes longer to take the fatal dose?
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elusive
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Re: Farmacias

Postby elusive » Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:44 am

Thinking of paracetamol whats the name for soluble paracetamol in spain. Can anyone name a cheap generic 1grm version to buy?

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Wicksey
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Re: Farmacias

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:59 am

I've never come across soluble paracetamol. I've never had a problem here buying it over the counter although recently I've managed to get it on prescription a few times. What annoys me is that even if you ask for the cheapest generic version, they still try to sell you the more expensive named brands of drugs. I always wonder what Brits here on holiday think when they can't buy all that stuff from the supermarket as you can over there for a few pence. France is the same as here, so I guess perhaps it's similar throughout the EU where farmacias have a closed shop for pills.

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peteroldracer
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Re: Farmacias

Postby peteroldracer » Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:09 pm

Try asking for Efferalgan 1g compromidos efervescentes. We get them all the time.
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katy
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Re: Farmacias

Postby katy » Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:43 pm

Paracetamol can cause serious liver damage with just slight overdose. Better to keep low dose hanging around.

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Wicksey
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Re: Farmacias

Postby Wicksey » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:05 pm

We have always taken 2 x 500gr anyway, so the 1mg tablet is the usual dose. The Dr gave me some 600mg Ibruprofen which I can't take as they're too strong for me so I cut them in half, but not sure you should.

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Re: Farmacias

Postby elusive » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:03 pm

Thanks Peter.

Agree wicksey it took a while before we started being sold the generic version after it wasnt on the prescription as normal so the chemist sold us a packet instead. I thought flipping heck thats cheap compaired to previous occasions. Paracetamol etc is as cheap as the uk you just have to know what to ask for or for them to realise you arent a tourist to be ripped off! Thats one thing i miss being able to nip into wilko or the supermarket and get what you need. But its not that long ago it was the same in the uk re having to go to the chemist to buy such things. Thats why so many have shut down because most use them for prescriptions and nothing else.

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Re: Farmacias

Postby katy » Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:00 pm

Think I mentioned years ago that a friend left some 600g Ibuprofen in a bathroom. Wasn't aware and assumed that they were the normal 200. I took 2 and was ill for a couple of days bleeding from stomach.

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Re: Farmacias

Postby El Cid » Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:58 pm

Ibuprofen and similar NSAID drugs can be really dangerous if you take them regularly. I had a painful neck that didn’t respond to physio etc and was taking a full dose for some time. The next blood test showed that I had lost 50% of my kidney function with no treatment available

Be very careful with OTC drugs if you take them without regular blood tests and under medical supervision.

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spanish_lad
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Re: Farmacias

Postby spanish_lad » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:31 pm

Wicksey wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:05 pm We have always taken 2 x 500gr anyway, so the 1mg tablet is the usual dose. The Dr gave me some 600mg Ibruprofen which I can't take as they're too strong for me so I cut them in half, but not sure you should.
Indeed, in the UK they are sold in 500mg tablets and you take two.

Here we are sold 650mg and told 1g is too much


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katy
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Re: Farmacias

Postby katy » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:50 pm

Normal ibuprofen dose over the counter in uk is 2 x 200 mg. Paracetamol is 2x 500 mg.

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Wicksey
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Re: Farmacias

Postby Wicksey » Sat Jan 29, 2022 10:28 am

I am very sensitive to any pill or potion (one of the reasons I have declined the jab) so it's interesting what you said Sid about the OTT pills, particularly when you can buy them in the UK from the supermarket. I have a friend who has been on all sorts of strong painkillers for years but the Drs here don't seem to do a regular review so it can be dangerous. It's worth remembering that plain old paracetamol etc can be bad for you long term.

elusive
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Re: Farmacias

Postby elusive » Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:31 pm

Just got stung 16 euros for some antiseptic eye drops today. As normal they tried to flog me some herbal flower extract ones. Seriously i want some real medicine not a bunch of flowers! Said thanks but no thanks. Talk about a money making racket.how people on a budget can afford such things i dont know I would have gone to the drs and paid a tiny amount for a presciption but im going away tom so not much choice.

olive
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Re: Farmacias

Postby olive » Mon Feb 07, 2022 8:23 pm

Is this the Huelva trip?

Sometimes you just have to stump up when you have deadlines. None of our Spanish friends ever seem to have deadlines

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Re: Farmacias

Postby elusive » Mon Feb 07, 2022 8:37 pm

Yes. Being thinking about it the last few days seeing as the weather is going to be good. Debating between 2 or 3 nights in aracena. With a day trip. We decided on 2 nights in aracena and we are going to visit moguer and niebla on the way instead of a seperate day trip. I was looking at the monastery of la rabida and the replica of C.C boat but the monastery is only small. Maybe save it for a stop on route for when we get to portugal.

Typically started with maybe conjunctivitis yesterday. Either that or ive got abit of finger nail in my eye while cutting them? Yes i was stupid enough to do that a few months back and it took a good few hrs to get it out. Ouch. I realised straight away when i did it. But not so much this time so im hoping its not that as i cant see anything in there and my eye is gungey had to peal it open this morning!! and my eye lid feels like its rubbing on my eyeball. Very sore.and family members had a similar thing a few days ago. Trying not to rub it. Having long eye lashes doesn't help!! But as the weather is so nice and im sick of planning and not doing i thought bleep it lets go!

olive
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Re: Farmacias

Postby olive » Mon Feb 07, 2022 8:50 pm

Quite right. Do it. We planned out our next three trips today. Seville first before it gets too hot.

Hope the conjunctivitis problem clears up. Look forward to some trip feedback.

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Wicksey
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Re: Farmacias

Postby Wicksey » Tue Feb 08, 2022 3:11 pm

I have blepharitis (blocked oil glands on eyelids, which makes eyes water more than usual to compensate and gives me ingrowing eyelashes). It's a right pain and the hospital said I have to use strong eye drops (stronger than the supermarket versions) up to 5 times a day. Unfortunately these cannot be prescribed so I have to pay out all the time, although they are almost half price online compared to the farmacias. Seems that not everything is available on prescription here. As you say, sometimes you run out of things and no other choice than to pay their prices. When I've had conjunctivitis I've just used a saline solution to wash my eyes out and it's cleared up by itself.


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