Getting Antibiotics in Europe

These things differ from country to country; but in general pharmacists in Europe are trained (and allowed) to give a limited amount of medical advice. It's not a case of "less strict medical controls" but of a different distribution of responsibility.

In the UK, although they don't have the ability to prescribe as a doctor does, they are allowed to discuss symptoms and recommend courses of action. But, as others have said, they cannot prescribe antibiotics or controlled substances.

One of the services French pharmacists perform is identifying wild mushrooms to determine which are safe to eat.

I'm wondering the meaning behind your question..

Are you thinking this is a cheap way to get meds compared to say your health plan at home?

or

you are concerned if you get sick.

If it is the 1st, I haven't found that to be the case in fact when my husband needed allergy medicine in Milan it was quite expensive. Also, what is prescribed in Europe is not necessarily something you would recognize here.

If it is the 2nd, while pharmacists are well trained if you think you need antibiotics you need to get yourself to a doctor.
As mentioned the embassy can help with English speaking doctors OR try Iamat.org for a resource.

I know a friend of mine frequently gets UTI's and her doctor does give her a prescription to have on hand just in case, she is well versed in symptoms and can self diagnose

My DH is allergic to penicillen and tetracyclin, so we carry Cipro as a just in case with very specific instructions on when and how to use and when to go further and contact a doctor.

I have read about it happening to some, but I don't remember the country. Some medical controls are less strict in Europe than here.

You can ask your hotel concierge or desk clerk about it.

If I needed antibiotics I would find a pharmacy in each country you visit and ask the pharmacist. Try until you find one.

You can't do this in England. You'd have to get a prescription from a GP or hospital.

You cannot do this in Germany. In fact, a lot of medications that are OTC in the US are available only by prescription in Germany.

Nope not true. But Tylenol with Codeine (Paracetemol with Codeine) is available over the counter for about 3 pounds a box of 20 in Superdrug and Boots under the name Feminax (like a Super-Midol). Came in handy for achy nights after walking too long when Advil doesnt quite cut it.

Please, do yourself a favor... if you think you're sick enough to need antibiotics, please see a doctor, even if you are on vacation. The closest US embassy or consulate can help facilitate this.

First of all, one should never self-diagnose, especially when it comes to antibiotics. If you think you are sick enough to need them, you are indeed sick enough to go to a Dr.

Secondly, the consulate and the embassy cannot facilitate getting you to a Dr. or medical care. All they have are lists of English speaking Drs. who are prepared to take American insurance.

My Italian friend just goes to the pharmacy for antibiotics. Some Italian pharmasits even burn off warts. My cousin was visiting and ran out of a perscription that cost her $80 in the USA and she went to the pharmacy here and spend 12 euro.

On medical questions appearing here, it may help the rest of us evaluate opinions to know (he doesn't make a big deal about it) that Tom of Wash DC is the only one of the regular repliers who is a doctor. I hope I'm only pointing out the obvious when I say there's a huge difference in knowledge between a doctor versus the rest of us who only know enough to be dangerous. If we have other doctors on here that I don't know about, letting us know would help in evaluating opinions given here about various medical questions, such as DVT, jet lag, etc.

"All they have are lists of English speaking Drs. who are prepared to take American insurance." I don't know, I call that facilitating myself. It is certainly better than fumbling about with no information. :-) Of course, a hotel concierge could probably provide the same service.

I was just curious. I have 3 small children and I'm sure some time during our travels someone will get sick. I just like to be prepared for any senario.

You can pull these lists up at any of the consulate websites. In a big city, with hundreds and hundreds of doctors, I doubt if a hotel concierge will know off hand which Drs. will speak English well and be prepared to accept American health insurance. Yes, they can make calls, but wouldn't it be easier if you just had a list? I do suppose you can call this facilitating, but in a pretty off hand way.

You need a prescription in Italy to get antibiotics. I agree with the other posters though, if you are sick enough to feel you need antibiotics, you should see a doctor, do not self medicate.

if you need abx, make a quick trip to tijuana and stock up on what you need prior to traveling. a person is allowed to import a small amount for personel use only into the u.s. according to fda guidelines

In the UK, they generally dont prescribe antibiotics as freely as they do in the US (i.e. ear infections are just treated with mineral oil and heat and left to heal on their own)

Tami - true. In the UK there is a lot of concern about the overuse of antibiotics and antibiotic resistant infections etc. Doctors are now actively trying to educate the public not to demand antibiotics when they are not appropriate or when there are other options.

I had an amusing experience with this in Rome. It
was a hot and humid July and after about a week, I had a heat rash in a sensitive area. I went to a Pharmacy around the Termni and found a male pharmacist. I simply pointed and scratched. He did
the same and shook his head yes, then gave me a powder that worked wonders. I've since found it is
available only by prescription in the US, but is over the counter in Italy.

Lucy,

I've travelled with small kids through Europe and they have gotten sick there. And I have visited different doctors with them and have gotten prescriptions. Never ever would I have thought of getting them antibiotics from a pharmacy without consulting a doctor first.

I agree with others that pharmacists in Europe have different professional training than in the US or Canada. And that varies as well from country to country. They may be able to give you "more" information but they are not allowed to write prescriptions.

My husband just came back from a trip to Paris last week and had to see a dentist for emergency care there. He got the name and address of an English speaking dentist from the hotel. He's here right now and has received a prescription for antibiotics from his local dentist yesterday since he's off to Paris again in a couple of days and not able to finish his treatments in time. This prescription is "just in case" but written by the dentist for a specific reason!

Regarding insurance: we always paid our bills in Europe with our credit card and then got reimbursed by insurance once back at home.

I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea. I was not thinking of self prescribing antibiotics. I had just heard that you could give the pharmacist your symptoms and they could prescribe something for you and I was just wondering if it was true. That's all. Thanks for all the replies.

They generally won't prescribe medicine for you, but far more Europeans go to their pharmacists for everyday complaints instead of the doctor's office...the pharmacist will recommend off the shelf stuff for them. My son got a serious sunburn a few years ago in Spain (don't ask how....he'd be embarrassed) and we took him to a local pharmacy. The pharmacist picked out some yellow-orangy goo that worked like a charm....and no doctor's fee to pay!

Lucy,

If you're concerned about your children getting sick while you're travelling in Europe, you may wish to have a look at This site. For a small donation, they will provide you with a list of English-speaking Physicians in many cities in Europe (and elsewhere) who will provide service for a set fee (as I recall about $50 US). If you need a prescription, it will be provided and they'll be able to recommend a local Pharmacy.

I've used the service on one occasion in the past (in Rome) and found that it works well.

Cheers!

When we were in Rome our friend(female)got a rash and finally went to a pharmacist.The female pharmacist took her in the back told her she had shingles and sold her salve and medications.In a few hours she was getting relief.When she returned home she went to her Doctor and he told her he would have done exactly what the Pharmacist did.

Thanks Ken. Great info!

In Austria, Antibiotics are also only available by prescription. Europeans, in general, dislike ''real'' medication and suffer from a deep distrust of most pharmaceuticals.
Here is a funny, sarcastic take on it:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,416475,00.html

even though the author makes fun of the Germans, it is very similar here in Austria ;-))

That is so funny Corinna :)

My husband and I both got sick this year in France -- different problems at different times in the trip. However, having experienced the illnesses before, I knew what antibiotics were needed. In our case(s), asking for an antibiotic did not work -- but asking for the specific drug did work. I was able to obtain two different antibiotics from different pharmacies (one in Paris and one in St. Malo) without any problems.
In France you must check first to make sure you are in a pharmacy that has a pharmacist. One pharmacy sign has a blue cross on the sign and another pharmacy will have a sign with a green cross on it. Unfortunately I can't remember which one indicates a resident pharmacist.

Janis,

did you know that Krems and Grapevine are sister cities???? We even have a statue of a night-watchman here smackdab in the middle of Krems, that was gifted to us by the city of Grapevine, TX! :-))

In Switzerland, I had to ask for Imodium; it is kept behind the counter, but you don't need a prescription, you just have to ask. Also, I didn't see aspirin at all, anywhere. does anyone know anything about aspirin in Europe?

Mari....haven't had any problem findin ASA at pharmacies in France and Spain.

Mari, in some European countries "Aspirin TM" is still a brand name of Bayer's ASA, not a generic name.

In my experience, you don't need a prescription for aspirin in Europe, but it's only sold at pharmacies and you have to ask for it. Very few (if any) medications are sold "Over the counter" in Europe, but for most of the OTC meds in the US, you only need to ask the pharmacist.

Lucy,, I have three kids and I have never had to have antibiotics on hand,, you don't need to either. They are over used. If child is really sick take them to a doctor. They are thoroughly compentent and alot cheaper then in States.
I paid hundreds of dollars , years ago , in Hawaii to have a clinic doctor get a seed pod out of my toddlers nose, what a rip off.

I find it odd how different all our countries are,, I couldn't get a box of muslce relaxnants over the counter this week in Hawaii( pulled a muscle boogie boarding, hardly need to see a doctor for that!), but I could get booze in the food stores, it seems so odd.

Mari - we definitely have aspirin in the UK. Paracetamol seems to be a bit more popular over here.

Paracetemol is the same thing as Tylenol (Acetominophen). They also have Aleve, it goes under the generic name of Naproxen.