Hello,

Will I be able to refill prescriptions (written by a doctor here in the U.S.) for birth control pills, allergy medicine (Claritin), etc. while abroad in Spain ? If not, will I be able to get a new prescription issued by a doctor in Spain or can I just get my medicines straight from a pharmacist? Has anyone had any difficulties obtaining the medicines they need?

Thanks so much for your help!

I would recommend that you bring with you any specific medicines, such as birth control pills or Claritin that you may need while in Spain. I did this myself when I studied there a while back. If you're in need of antibiotics, then you shouldn't have a problem getting them from a pharmacy, but any specific brand-name stuff may be a problem.

I would also recommend you get the generic/pharmaceutical names of the medicines (i.e. rather than Sudafed, it would be psudoephedrine...) you normally take and ANY YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO. They don't have the same name brands as us, so even if you could get allergy medicine at the pharmacy, they most likely won't know our specific name brands. I was sick a few years back, and it took $40 worth of phone calls to my dr's and pharmacist back in the US to get those names straightened out!!

I'm not saying they don't have the same medications in Spain as we do here, you can probably get them for a lot cheaper, but the names are most likely going to be different, particularly the birth control pills (I'm not sure how those work over there). I also doubt that a prescription written in English by a US dr is going to be worth much in a pharmacy in Spain.

Anyone have any more info?

Good suggestions by GranadaGirl. Have you tried doing a SEARCH in this or other forums? You might find a couple previous postings but not many. Use the keywords PRESCRIPTION or MEDICATION or PHARMACY for some possibilities. Good luck!

Saludos, MadridMan

I would try at the Farmacia Internacional O'Donnell 52
Tel.: 91 586 71 75 or 91 586 77 29
Hours: Monday Friday: 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.

You shouldn't have problems to find whatever medication you are following in your country.

Regarding birth control pills. When I first moved here, I simply took my US packaged pills to my local pharmacy here in Spain and asked if it would be possible to get a refill. It was no problem whatsoever. They simply compared the active ingredients and were able to prescribe the generic brand of what I had been taking...and guess what, at the time it cost me only 450 pesetas a pack or just about $2.50 a pack. Far cheaper than the $25 a pack that I would have had to pay in the USA if it weren´t for my health insurance coverage...which brought it down to a $10 copay each month.

If you take the drugs across any borders, make certain that they are in clearly labeled pharmacy containers. US Customs can sometimes be particular!!

Hi SFOHoya,
I had a little problem in Santiago because I misplaced my thyroid medication, and I need it daily. I went to the pharmacy and asked them if my doctor could fax my prescription to them and they said yes. So I called my husband and he got my doctor to fax my prescription and I was able to pick up my meds the next day, in the meantime the pharmacist let me have one pill,while I waited. It may have been because thyroid medication is fairly inocuos, I don't know. But they were very nice, the meds cost less than what I pay here at home. They even gave me a little calendar!

...and boy was Chica's husband surprised about nine months later when the shrill cry of a newborn son proved that the "comparison" drug that looked like such a good match that fateful day in the farmacia had actually been secretly replaced with Folger's crystals!

I've found that the OTC meds in Spain are much more powerful and effective than the wussy OTC meds stateside. I suggest as was already mentioned, get the names of the active ingredients and look forward to a more powerful alternative in la madre patria.

Thanks all. You've soothed our worries. Thanks to all who posted.

Just another note, I buy my Claritin in Spain at 7 euros for a month supply..its called Clarityn there. Any farmacia will give it to u if u state u have allergies...good luck w/your meds!