Over the counter medicines

The two drugs I used in Italy and was really glad I had were: Immodium (nothing too serious, but there's enough of an adjustment to unsettle your stomach) and Tylenol PM, handy for sleeping on the plane and also when the time difference wakes you up at 2am and you can't get back to sleep. I think the previous poster's rule of thumb is a good one.

Cortaid hydrocortisone cream is number one on my list. Even at cortaid strength, H Cort. can't be had without a prescription in Europe. I find it's a good all-in-one product for any kind of skin problems that arise. Be it sun burn, chafing, or insect bites. On the flip side I've noticed that in the UK, my prescription-only hay fever nose spray I pay $75.00 a bottle for, is available over the counter and at only fraction of the price.

I look at all over the counter meds with this thought:

If I needed this at 2 AM, would I be able to wait until a pharmacy opened the next day or would I need it immediately?

I take small doses of:

Imodium

pepto

Alleve

throat lozenges

Midol. Not sure if it is available in Europe, but at that point I would Not have enjoyed the adventure of searching :)

I took sudafed and clariton - or the generic version. I found that several times I suffered from reactions to plants that were not blooming at home. Rape Flowers was the big one in Germany. We drove through several areas where the plants were blooming and I ended up with a very runny nose and watery, itchy, swollen eyes. You never know what you might react to there that is not here.

Great suggestions. Thanks.

I take very little medicine. I always pack some ibuprofen and immodium but rarely need it. I bring a couple of excedrin PM to use on the flight and enough daily vitamins to last the trip.

I had a slight ankle sprain in Germany once. I went into a pharmacy to see what they recommended and left with a small bottle of mint/menthol linament. Northern Europeans seem to think saunas and linaments are the answer to all that ails you. I brought it home as a souvenir and use it occasionally for sore muscles.

In General anything you can get over the counter here will be available there.

I believe in addition to Spain, there is always a pharmacy open in Italy (large cities at least) as well. However, if it is 2am and you feel like you're on the edge of death, hunting down the one open pharmacy is not really a lot of fun. I'd take just a couple of doses of the key items to get me through the night, and then you can buy more (in the daytime!) if needed.

This trip I decided to take Imodium and Pepto. So glad I did as my husband got gastroenteritis toward the end of our trip. I still had to go to a pharmacy in France and get some Cipro -- so thankful that you can get some of these antibiotics in Europe without a prescription and without having to make a trip to the doctor! Am taking the same meds on this trip....just in case.

Be carfeful to never mix Pepto, and Immuodium; just use one or the other. I did this once and it lead to a "complication" that I will spare you the details of. I eventually had to make an embarrassing trip to the doctor- fortunately it was easily treatable.

Nyquil (the gel caps since the liquids restriction), as Nyquil was impossible to find in Paris during the world cold of my life! This was back in 2002, but I still carry a few of gel caps with me, just in case. They don't take up much room, and a good night's sleep when I'm sick is worth it.

Lucy: What a lot of the above comments have in common is this (which is a general statement only and subject to exceptions): Over the counter medicines rarely have the same names in Europe as they do here, so if you have a favorite you think you'll need--bring it with you. If you don't do that, at least know the chemical name. An additional reason to bring it with you is: some things we can easily get here over the counter at Rite-Aid or Walgreens are simply not available over the counter there. In fact, in many European countries it's difficult to find stores equivalent to our Walgreens/Rite-Aids.

I often find that I get a mild cold and want daycare and nyquil. I couldn't find them in France. If you have a favorite remedy, I'd recommend taking some.

Most cold remedies in Europe seem to be pretty toothless--I never leave home without some sudafed and an antihistamine for allergies. I also pack zinc lozenges to prevent or minimize colds.

Beyond that, my mini first aid kit has small amounts of stuff that I know I don't want to be out trying to track down: aleve for muscle strains, antibiotic ointment for minor cuts and scrapes, imodium for diarrhea in case it hits on a day when I have to be traveling, and a small assortment of bandaids and moleskin pieces for cuts and blisters. For big time problems, I know I'll have to see a pharmacist or even a doctor, but my mini first aid kit is fine for dealing with most things.

As Kent said, what you can get here, is sometimes not "otc" there--- and vice versa. When we are in London we pick up several items that are not "otc" here- paracetamol with codine, and a throat lozenge called strepcils. I always take aleve, advil, asprin, dramamine, benedril, claritin and some antibiotic cream. Assorted bandaids and gauze and tape, prep pads (alcohol pads), and seri-strips or "butterfly" bandaids. (needed those once when I took a bad fall and had to try to find them in London). Small ziplocs to use for for ice bags, too.

As a couple of people have already noted, there are differences between here and there as to what is OTC and what is prescription only. Don't make any assumptions. A few other points bear mentioning. I believe that all the countries you mentioned have the system of one pharmacy in the town or area being open all night. However, it may not be close by. E.g., we were in the little town of Baveno. I noticed the pharmacy rota posted in the window. Each night the open one was in a different town! The reason I was in the pharmacy was that I had forgotten my backup supply of ibuprofen. I ran through my purse supply in a couple of days; and then, I had to get more every 4 or 5 days (bad knees). The largest size carried was 24 tablets, and that cost around $10. I usually get 500 for $15 here. Don't think you'll find most OTC remedies anywhere other than a pharmacy. I don't think you can even get aspirin in a supermarket. On the plus side, if you lose or run out of a prescription item, you may be able to get a pharmacist to refill it for you. E.g., my husband's eye medicine opened in the suitcase and spilled. It happened in both France and Switzerland, and in both places he was able to get a refill without seeing a doctor.

Hello Lucy,

Two years ago on a trip to Germany both my husband and myself came down with terrible colds. The pharmacies were great, and helped us determine which medications we should receive based upon an interview/diagnosis with the Pharmacist. She gave us a lot of things that worked well.....we weren't sure what they were, but they were great. The only drawbacks....we were approximately 1.5 miles from the pharmacy, and had to walk there and back feeling terribly sick, and spent about $100 USD for cough syrup, nose sprays and aspirin.

We now always bring enough medicine for colds,stomach upset, headaches, etc to get the both of us through the trip. If you do get meds from the Pharmacy, make sure you know the generic name of the meds you normally take too. The pharmacist should know, so nothing he/she gives you negatively interacts with the medication you may currently be on.

One other note for German Pharmacies/Apothecaries.....all meds, including aspirin, have to be dispensed at the pharmacy by the pharmacist. A real surprise for us. We spent a lot of wasted time looking for aspirin at the local convenience stores before we figured this out.

Have a great trip, use a lot of hand sanitizer, and stay well. :-)

I bring to Europe three health care products : SUCRETS lozenge for sore throat, CAYENNE PEPPER granules in capsules for chest colds, BENEDRYL (or other brand name of anti histimine, containing diphenhydramine). A lozenge for alleviating sore throat pain, that I found in pharmacies in some countries in Europe, did not alleviate sore throat pain. Swallowing CAYENNE pepper (capsicum annuum) granules in capsules alleviates a symptom of chest colds : fluid in the lungs. Cayenne pepper emits thermal heat (40,000 Heat Units in each capsule) that puts heat in the stomach, and the heat is conducted to the lungs, the heat evaporates the fluid that is in the lungs. Some travelers in Europe experience that problem : fluid in the lungs (a symptom of bronchitis), caused by physical exertion: a lack of sleep, and much walking, walking up many steps to castles. I suffered from bronchitis in Germany. I was told that Pharmacies in Germany have nutritional supplements. But a pharmacy in Munich did not have Cayenne pepper. The pharmacist there (English speaking) said people in Germany do not use Cayenne pepper when they have chest colds. That pharmacy did not have any product for me. A medical Doctor would prescribe an anti biotic drug : Penicilin. In the United States of America the brand SOLARAY makes "Cool Cayenne" which does not irritate the stomach. If Cayenne pepper in capsules is not "Cool Cayenne", food, such as plain yogurt, or a bananna, must be eaten with the Cayenne pepper, to prevent discomfort in the stomach.
The anti histimine medication that I like to use, when I experience nasal congestion or a "runny nose" is BENEDRYL (or other brand name): the active ingredient is Diphenhydramine. And swallowing it can quickly eliminate nausea. A pharmacy in Germany did not have Diphenhydramine. All of their products for colds contain a pseudo efferent, which stimulate the lungs, causing severe agitation and anxiety in me.