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!

If the reason that you aren't bringing your medication with you is because your insurance won't pay for it because it's "too soon", just ask your pharmacy to call the insurance company for an override because you're leaving for vacation outside the USA. A lot of the time they will allow it to go through. If not, you haven't lost anything by asking.

In Spain many drugs that require a script here don't require one there, so long as they're not controls (like narcs etc). The only problem is that they have different names for the meds over there.

Can ya tell I work in a pharmacy??!?!

I was able to get a refill for a medication I was taking in a farmacia in el Puerto de Santa Maria. I just took the prescription bottle with the name of the medication, Doctor's name, and dosage printed clearly. The Pharmacist just looked it up in his book and asked how many day's supply I needed.

Not all pharmacies have what you need but there is always one open 24Hrs in each area (Green Cross)The names of the for diabetes are the same exceptthey add a A insulin--------insulina

A lot of things which have to be prescribed in the US, you can buy over the counter in the EU. I'm sure Clarityn can be bought over the counter, as I have allergies. Believe me, it's a lot cheaper that way. Here in the UK, if it were prescribed, I'd have to pay £6.20 for it. Over the counter, I can buy it for about £3! Rip off!
Is it similar in Spain, or should I shut up?

The 24-hour farmacia is known as the "farmacia de guardia" and the location of the guardia is posted at all other farmacias in the area, for the time period indicated.

Well, actually, 24 hrs farmacies are not the same as farmacias de guardia. Everyday, there are a certain number of farmacies in each district that must open at night to cover emergencies. You'll find a list of them here .

Apart from that, you have a few farmacies whose owners have decided to open everyday 24 hours. Click here to see them.