Pharmacies in Alicante require a prescription to sell ibuprofen and paracetamol

The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products, which reports to the Ministry of Health, has decided that you can no longer get paracetamol and ibuprofen without a prescription. We were used to taking them for any kind of pain. We started taking more and more of them, which caused a lot of health concerns, including stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.

Pharmacies in the province have been tougher and now require a prescription to give out 600 milligrammes of ibuprofen and 1 gramme of paracetamol. This was something that was always planned in the Law of Guarantees and Rational Use of Medicines of 2006, but it was not followed very well.

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Taking a much of these products might also cause excessive blood pressure and weak capillaries.

This modification is meant to stop people from abusing the drug, but also makes things more expensive for anybody who want to buy it without a prescription. The new packets available in pharmacies only have 10 to 15 tablets, while the bigger, more typical formats need a prescription.

A lot of people are unhappy about this since they have to go to the doctor only to get a prescription for paracetamol or ibuprofen if they don’t want to spend more.

“No, you can’t buy the medicine that Social Security pays for over the counter.” The Health Ministry has made it possible to sell smaller packages with fewer tablets but the same concentration without a prescription. Of course, the difference is that there are only 10 tablets instead of 40 or 50. So, if you take 10 over-the-counter drugs, you’re not likely to overdose. “It’s a public health measure,” says Tomás Lloret, a chemist in Alicante.

The varieties of paracetamol and ibuprofen that aren’t promoted are the ones that are checked at the point of sale. To put it another way, the generics. Pharmacists say that the National Health Service’s rates are higher than what the patient pays since they are controlled.

Pharmacists say that over-the-counter drugs cost two to four times as much because they are advertised on TV. They are drugs, and advertising costs money, therefore it has to be paid for. But the costs aren’t too high either. We are talking about a one-gram Antidol that may cost €3.95, €4, or €4.50. That’s normally for 10 or 15 pills.

The meeting

A lot of individuals prefer generic paracetamol or ibuprofen, which means they have to see a doctor. “Ask for a prescription if you need them. That’s the smart thing to do.”

All of the ibuprofen that is advertised has 400 mg in it. You can’t get 600 mg tablets without a prescription. “It didn’t make sense to take it because it’s not logical; all it does is make side effects worse, like raising blood pressure and making capillaries more fragile.” You won’t have any problems with 400 mg, especially the ones that are fast absorbed.

David Lloret, who is also a pharmacist, remembers that you could get bigger doses of ibuprofen without a prescription before, but a European rule has changed that. He says that prescription ibuprofen has always been accessible and that it couldn’t be marketed without one.

“Since a European rule went into force that says everything must be supplied with a QR code, no one is willing to sell a box of 600mg ibuprofen without a prescription. Also, the 400mg dose is better for the stomach, and the 600mg dose is probably too much for most people. Ibuprofen misuse caused a lot of ulcers, therefore it makes reasonable that you should take smaller doses if you are self-medicating.

The chemist said that drugs that are marketed cost extra. Also, it wasn’t common for a 650mg paracetamol tablet to cost $0.86. Some medicines don’t get much money from Social Security. How can this happen with furosemide (a diuretic) or metformin (to lower blood sugar)? There is just one brand of metformin accessible right now since no one wants to sell it. It costs €1.05 for 50 tablets and is an important treatment. The Medicines Agency is making changes to the situation.