They don't allow prescription drugs to be advertised on TV here in Spain, but they have plenty of OTC drug ads. Curiously they are required to show a screen telling you to read instructions and consult with a pharmacist. You can't buy OTC drugs in a grocery store here, only in pharmacies. And that includes things like aspirin or decongestants.
The usual thing to do is go to a pharmacy and describe your symptoms and the pharmacist will show the products that they carry and explain the differences. Most of the packaging is non-descript.
Johnson & Johnson under the MacNeil label is a big player in the OTC market here as well German companies like Bayer.
Up to five years ago I lived in the SF Bay Area. Most of the "pharmacies" in California are just part of a larger store. The pharmacist is there to dispense and offer advice on prescription drugs. Pharmacies here in Spain don't sell groceries or Hello Kitty™ floor mats, just OTC and prescription "receta medica" drugs. They dispense information on OTC products just like for prescription drugs.
Another thing is that at least one pharmacy is open at night in each town. I have a pharmacy 10 meters from where I live and one or two nights a week it is open all night. You don't even want to know about prices for prescription drugs here, and I am not referring to generics.
Oops, I didn't see the other comment. They don't count out pills from a big bottle and then put them in a smaller one. Pills are pre-packaged in lots of 20, depending on the type of drug. So normally there is no line or waiting as it only takes a few seconds to give you a package that has the "circular" enclosed.
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Date: 2010-02-24 09:00 am (UTC)The usual thing to do is go to a pharmacy and describe your symptoms and the pharmacist will show the products that they carry and explain the differences. Most of the packaging is non-descript.
Johnson & Johnson under the MacNeil label is a big player in the OTC market here as well German companies like Bayer.
Chuck
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Date: 2010-02-25 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-25 06:06 pm (UTC)Pharmacies here are basically just dispensaries
Date: 2010-02-25 06:12 pm (UTC)Another thing is that at least one pharmacy is open at night in each town. I have a pharmacy 10 meters from where I live and one or two nights a week it is open all night. You don't even want to know about prices for prescription drugs here, and I am not referring to generics.
Oops, I didn't see the other comment. They don't count out pills from a big bottle and then put them in a smaller one. Pills are pre-packaged in lots of 20, depending on the type of drug. So normally there is no line or waiting as it only takes a few seconds to give you a package that has the "circular" enclosed.
Chuck