I am having quite a time in Madrid and Barcelona with my allergy. Much more than at home. I brought nondrowsy Claritin with me but between my husband and I, we are running low. Do you know if we can buy this over the counter here? Brands? Stores? I did an internet search but thought I would check here too
Posted by
18 posts
Are you staying at a hotel? I got sick on my trip to Barcelona several years ago and the front desk of our hotel was very helpful in finding me medications. Perhaps you may ask them for help.
I hope you feel better soon!
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7569 posts
First, you will need to go to a Pharmacy, look for the green cross, you will not find medications in other stores.
It also will help to know the generic name, Loratadine, rather than the brand. You are much more likely to find a generic version, though there is an equivalent called Clarityne available some places in Europe, same company as Claritin.
If nothing else, if you tell the Pharmacist your symptoms, they can find something similar. In the US for example, Zyrtec and Allegra are similar, but a different formulation, they may have the generics of those
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10207 posts
Yes, you can get Loratadine/Claritin. I've switched to Zyrtec OTC this year. I'm two hours from the Spanish border, but you'll find these in a pharmacy OTC in Spain, too. They are ubiquitous.
The pollen, mixed with the particles from the Sahara, are particularly strong and affecting a lot of people this year.