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Getting medications in Portugal

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SomeRandomGuy
  10/16/2020 19:25 EST

Hi guys,

Does Portugal handle medications similar to countries like Spain and Costa Rica where you can get most of your medications OTC at the local pharmacy without a prescription?

There are a couple medications I take that are non-narcotic and I'm wondering what I would need to do to buy them in Portugal.

Thank you.

dancebert
  10/17/2020 05:29 EST

Most meds require a prescription, including aspirin. How to see if your meds are available in Portugal:

1) Search the name and/or generic name of your med at https://www.drugs.com/international/ Click on the name. On that page search for 'portugal', making note of all the med names so associated.

2) Search online pharmacies for the name(s) you found in #1.
MNSRM = OTC
MSRM = Prescription
The two I use:
https://www.farmaciasportuguesas.pt/catalogo/
https://www.asuafarmaciaonline.pt/
Sites are in Portuguese. Read #4 for how to see translated version.

3) If you didn't find the med name(s), a search with a less obvious interface is the government med database:
https://extranet.infarmed.pt/INFOMED-fo/

4) Chrome browser translates. Otherwise, go www.bing.com/translator. Select Portuguese (Portugal) for the left hand box and English for the right. Paste the URL into the left hand box. Clicking on the URL in the right hand box opens the translated site in a new tab.

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realspear
  10/17/2020 07:40 EST

I buy aspirin OTC in Portugal. I also buy acetaminophen and ibuprofen OTC, as well as a wide variety of allergy medications

Joemabee1
  10/17/2020 08:50 EST

I bring large bottles of any OTC meds I need from the US I find they are expensive in Portugal.

Just my experience!

Helene01
  10/17/2020 09:12 EST

Or, if you can take in your US prescription to a pharmacy, they will see what the PT equivalent is. Otherwise, you will need a PT doctor's prescription. Before I had my insurance I paid for a private doctor, and found it wasn't too expensive. Good luck.

dancebert
  10/17/2020 10:21 EST

> I buy aspirin OTC in Portugal.

Thanks. A pharmacy site confirmed that. Which makes me wonder why my doctor gave me a prescription for it. The first time I tried to buy it without the prescription (because I'd forgotten to bring it) the pharmacist said I needed one. Maybe he was having a bad day, month, year or decade.

Portugal Residency AdvisorsPortugal Residency Advisors
Connect

Portugal Residency Advisors is a full-service consulting firm dedicated to providing personalized services to individuals and families seeking to relocate to Portugal. With a team of experienced professionals and strategic partnerships, we are well-positioned to assist clients with all aspects of the relocation process.

Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

Portugal Residency AdvisorsPortugal Residency Advisors

Portugal Residency Advisors is a full-service consulting firm dedicated to providing personalized services to individuals and families seeking to relocate to Portugal. With a team of experienced professionals and strategic partnerships, we are well-positioned to assist clients with all aspects of the relocation process.
Connect

Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

realspear
  10/17/2020 10:58 EST

Do you know what the dosage was? I've never heard of high dosage aspirin, but I had ibuprofen prescribed after surgery here. I think it was 3x the normal dosage. It was also cheaper than buying three times as many regular dosage tablets OTC.

dancebert
  10/17/2020 13:03 EST

100 mg

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