Pepto Bismol

That was one of my first "travel lessons", lol. Well, it wasn't actually funny at the time.

It's not available in France either. It might be available in UK but I always carry my own and enough to share if needed, lol.

Sorry you had issues! I also carry Immodium which is not available OTC in many places either.

We've learned the hard way as well - I now always carry Pepto tablets, immodium, a prescription anti-nausea med, day and night cold meds and zinc tablets. Takes up so little room and typically rarely needed but when you do need it, sure comes in handy.

Acetaminophen aka paracetamol (Tylenol) and pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) are also restricted in some countries.

Hello all. Just giving a heads up to those with stomach issues. Pepto Bismol is NOT sold OTC or at pharmacies in Germany, Italy or Switzerland.

Fortunately, for emergencies there are plenty of over-the-counter equivalents, e.g. Ulcogant, Maaloxan, Omeprazole (over-the-counter up to 20mg). Just talk to the pharmacist and he will find the right one for you.

Nope, gotta be pepto. Pepto and American toilet paper two things Europe needs to work on.

You can buy Pepto in the UK. It's kept behind the counter.

sla019, I did talk to the pharmacist everywhere we went. No Pepto or Pepto equivalent. The meds you listed are for acid reflux and ulcers. The pharmacists pushed probiotics as their solution for a Pepto alternative, but nothing works better than the "Pink Stuff" when your pork schnitzel decides to wreak havoc with your stomach!!
Happy Travels All!

Seriously? The TP in Germany is wonderfully soft and thick. That is such an old complaint about the TP, that goes back decades.

I use Immodium. Can't think of any reason to use something like Pepto Bismal. The thought of how it tastes makes me queasy though and it has probably been 50+ years since I took it.

Am glad we don't have Sudefed here, it is also why they don't have people making crack here.

Maybe the term "upset stomach" is an American English thing. Pepto Bismol is bismuth salicylate which some countries consider toxic. In the US it's the first thing people reach for, for Nausea, Indigestion, Upset Stomach, & Diarrhea - emphasis on the latter. And it's often recommended to take while traveling as a preventive.

Not sold in France either, FYI.

If there is some reason why you think Pepto Bismol is the only wonder drug to cure all your gastrointestinal upsets, then by all means pack a bag full of those pink things. Knowing you could need to take up to 16/day to get relief, that's a lot of tablets.

I prefer a targeted approach - Bonine or Dramamine for nausea and vomiting. Lomotil for diarrhea. And a roll of Rolaids for heartburn. Always effective and takes up a tiny fraction of the space in my pharmacy bag. And having them at hand sure beats finding a pharmacy when you need to be staying within reach of your toilet.

I've also found that I need to be quite specific when speaking with any pharmacist. They arent going to understand what you mean by "upset stomach". If you have nausea and vomiting, say so. Ditto if the problem is diarrhea.. Just because their recommendations are different from what you get at home doesn't mean they are ineffective. If they are, then you need to see a doctor.

Pretty much not sold across the EU. The concern is the long term toxicity of the Bismuth component. Not available in Japan or Australia for the same reasons.

If there is some reason why you think Pepto Bismol is the only wonder
drug to cure all your gastrointestinal upsets,

Yes

Contrary to some of the comments here, (CJean), Pepto is a wonderdrug for a couple of things that antacids, anti-nausea drugs, all the rest do absolutely nothing, In fact, some are recommending Immodium as a pepto substitute!. Immodium is for diarrhea, full stop, and takes 24hrs to work. Pepto will help with diarrhea but does a few other things incredibly well. I've had acid reflux/GERD for many decades, and it leads to inflammation of the esophagus, eg, esophagitis, which can be incredibly painful, and if you let it go, turns into an ulcer. Pepto is literally the only thing that will stop that cold, other than a certain type of Gaviscon that I was lucky enough to find in Italy years ago, a very thick solution of antacid and sodium alginate that I haven't seen anywhere since. It worked, but it's not available anymore. So, back to Pepto. #2, the next condition it treats incredibly well, and quickly and decisively is gastritis, when the lining of your stomach is inflamed. Nothing else touches it. Antacids will help eventually, but take quite a while, and you have to take a lot of them. I've been in Italy 3 times, and always bring pepto tablets with me after that first experience wandering around Florence desperately looking for bismuth. The last time I had a problem I was in Padua, and the three women pharmacists could not have been more helpful, but had never even heard of Pepto Bismal or bismuth. They finally gave me an italy-only thing called RefluMed, which was a weird bananna powder and sodium alginate that kinda sort almost worked.

Immodium does not take 24 hours to work. It usually works with-in an hour. Have been using it for decades with emergencies while working, and it acts quickly and well.
All those other things are stuff one ought to see a Dr about instead of taking OTC meds. Take care of it. There must be a reason why you have all those gastro problems. Maybe it is all the Pepto?

We were told by a public health, travel MD to use pepto bismol as a daily, preventative method of avoiding diarrhea in some countries we’ve visited in the past. It worked well for the people in our group of 45 who used it this way. I have also had horrible results with stomach issues, students and other travel semester locations with no pepto bismol.

And medical advice too from the TS Crew!!

Have lived in France & Germany and there’s nothing that a chat with the local pharmacist hadn’t cured in the gastro-intestinal department as well as cold/flu and allergies. French pharmacies take American script. I’ve undergone Emergency surgery in a German hospital, my wife had two hips replaced by an orthopedist that knew our stateside specialist!. I had a German primary care Doctor for a few years with good results.

All I can say is in an emergency or even with minor medical problems there’s nothing in terms of medicine or medical treatment I’ve had an issue with or was not “cured”.

Personally, I am running far from MDs who to give advice about taking medication, you don’t need.

A 30 second search turned up several side effects that can occur from taking Pepto-Bismol over a long period of time.

They used to say "the dose makes the poison" but nowadays I'd modify it to "the dose x how-often/how-long it's taken". Since we being very clever have created many new substances (and have new uses for old ones) that take a long time (decades) to show the bad effects.

lead...pesticides...asbestos...phthalates...BPA (and other "forever" chemicals)...others

But a few times a year? Eh...

I can't remember a single time in my life that I've taken Pepto-Bismol. I suppose I must have, at least once, but I know it's not in my house and I haven't missed it yet.
I have talked with Scottish, German, and Dutch pharmacists and been quite satisfied with the products they have recommended (I haven't had stomach issues). I've tried some different, very effective products. I've come to think that in some cases the US may over-medicate.

the CDC's Yellow Book's section on 'Travelers’ Diarrhea.'

Prevention
Non-antimicrobial drugs for prophylaxis
Bismuth subsalicylate
The primary agent studied for prevention of TD, other than antibiotics, is bismuth subsalicylate (BSS). Studies from Mexico have shown that this agent reduces the incidence of TD by approximately 50%. BSS commonly causes blackening of the tongue and stool and can cause constipation, nausea, and rarely tinnitus.
(it continues on with 'Contraindications and safety')

https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/preparing-international-travelers/travelers-diarrhea.html

About Yellow Book
The CDC Yellow Book has been a trusted resource among healthcare professionals for over half a century. It compiles the U.S. government's current travel health guidance, providing healthcare professionals and international travelers with expert guidance for safe and healthy international travel. Along with disease-specific prevention and treatment recommendations, this comprehensive reference text equips readers with the background and context needed to understand and address public health threats associated with all types of international travel.

I found this discussion pretty interesting. I’m another one who has never ever taken Pepto-Bismol. I remember it being around when I was a kid but that horrible pink color was a big turn off for me. But then again, I’ve never had any stomach issues while traveling.

The only time I was nauseous in my life was when I was taking doxycycline to treat an attack of Lyme disease. That was not fun, but since I would rather have had the side effect of the antibiotic than continue with the disease, I just dealt with it.

But I do agree that you should always ask a pharmacist and be very specific about your symptoms. That seems to be only common sense.

I am in the Pepto fan club. It has always worked best for what I call indigestion. Can occur after a tasty meal but for some reason it didn’t “set right”. Especially when I wish to sleep. Helps me with nausea also…which thankfully I seldom have.
Also proved a preventative for “travelers illness” bacterial food borne gastrointestinal illness during a remote Latin American mission trip I was on. Those that took it regularly prior to eating had far less GI illness symptoms. Was recommended to do so by a physician. I swear by it. But yes…like many OTC meds…long term use discouraged.

I am the same as all2alb. I take a tab or 2 every few months if I have indigestion. It always helps.

@Mardee sorry for the derail but wanted to let you (and anyone else) know about recent breakthrough with Lyme Disease treatment:

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2025/04/taking-the-bite-out-of-lyme-disease/

[snip]
In two new studies led by bacteriologist Brandon L. Jutras, Northwestern scientists have identified an antibiotic that cures Lyme disease at a fraction of the dosage of the current “gold standard” treatment and discovered what may cause a treated infection to mimic chronic illness in patients. The studies were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

[snip]
Northwestern scientists identified that piperacillin, an antibiotic in the same class as penicillin, effectively cured mice of Lyme disease at 100-times less than the effective dose of doxycycline. At such a low dose, piperacillin also had the added benefit of “having virtually no impact on resident gut microbes,” according to the study.

Pepto Bismol is available in the UK via a pharmacy - recommended to take with symptoms for no more than 2 days before consulting a doctor. Double strength Gaviscon is also available.

The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence only lists it as part of treatment of Helicobacter pylori elimination so it is relatively unlikely an NHS doctor would prescribe it routinely.

@Mardee sorry for the derail but wanted to let you (and anyone else) know about recent breakthrough with Lyme Disease treatment:

Robert, that’s very interesting. I will definitely ask my primary care physician about this if it happens again. And living in Duluth, there’s a good chance of that. I would not wish Lyme disease on anyone. It is horrible. It started off causing pleurisy for which I had to go to the ER. Although I probably shouldn’t complain about that because that was how they found the Lyme disease.

The only good thing about it was that I lost 4 pounds during the two weeks I was taking the doxycycline, lol!

I'm not a doctor but I did watch several episodes of this TV series starring a guy name House and he seemed to think organ transplants were best left to professionals.

I suppose the same advice could apply to recommendations on Pepto. (I travel with it but then as I said I did watch House, MD so, yeah, kinda of an expert.)

Happy travels and I hope for good digestion!

I had an experience with food poisoning on a cruise last fall and Immodium saved me. It was the last night of the cruise when I realized what was happening and I was able to travel all the way home, recuperate a bit, and see a medical provider the next day.

I'll never travel again without Immodium. At the very least, it can provide relief for a few hours until I can get to a doctor.

Gaviscon is alive and well and available in liquid and tablet for in pharmacies and supermarkets in UK (and France).

You can buy Pepto in the UK. It's kept behind the counter.

It's on the shelves in a lot of places, I bought a bottle from my local Sainsbury's recently but I have to say I found it completely ineffective. For heartburn/indigestion Omeprazole works best, Immodium for diarrhoea and Dramamine for nausea. I fail to see how one product can be effective for three distinct and separate conditions.

Imodium works well, by stopping the muscle contractions in your intestine. That locks in infections, which might not be always a good thing. Most people I know use Tums, Rolaids or Gaviscon ( we have it here too) for heartburn. Omneprazole OTC is supposed to taken regularly to address long term issues. Pepto works by lining the stomach when you have upset stomach and has a mildly antibiotic effect. Nothing works perfectly for everything.

You nailed it Stan!

Stan has it. And if anybody is interested in following up:

Common questions about Pepto-Bismol
https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/pepto-bismol/common-questions-about-pepto-bismol/

"How Does Pepto Bismol Work as an Anti-Diarrhea Medicine?"
https://pepto-bismol.com/en-us/symptoms/all-diarrhea-articles/how-does-pepto-bismol-work-as-an-anti-diarrhea-medicine

Pepto-Bismol - an overview
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/pepto-bismol