As advised by Citizens Advice Bureau Spain
IF YOU ARE OF ANGLO-SAXON ORIGIN, PLEASE ALWAYS QUESTION A PRESCRIPTION GIVING YOU NOLOTIL AND READ THIS FIRST! AS IT CAN BE DANGEROUS AND EVEN FATAL TO SOME PEOPLE.
Please also go to Cristina Garcia de Campo’s Facebook Page and read more here.
Paracetamol and Ibuprofen in higher doses, Nolotil, Omeprazol, certain cough sirups and some anti-histamine tablets, are medicines that should be prescribed by a medical professional, ever since a law from 2015 to this effect came into force.
But many farmacias do not comply with this legislation and still sell them over the counter. On the 9th of February 2019 a new system to identify and verify medicines became operational as the result of EU Regulation and part of a EU system for the registration, identification and verification of medicines. The Sistema Español de Verificación de Medicamentos (SEVEM – Spanish System of Verification of Medicines).
You should start to see QR-codes on packaging of medicines that are subject to registration under this system.
The professional associations (Colegios) of pharmacists, medical personnel, dentists and physiotherapists have started a campaign to improve patient safety, by insisting on prescriptions for the above mentioned medicines and are asking for the collaboration of all parties concerned.
It’s up to the Autonomos Authorities to check whether pharmacies comply. Sanctions vary between 3.000 and 6.000 per offence.
According to the head of the Association of Pharmacists, it’s not just about the dosage but also about what the medicines are used for. It’s different if a painkiller is used for incidental headaches or to treat chronic pain because of arthrosis, as the latter requires medical supervision.
Ibuprofen 600 shouldn’t be sold without prescription, but some brands of Parcetamol 1g can still be bought over the counter, in small quantities and if approved by the pharmacist in cases presented by patients.
Ibuprofen 400 mg and Paretamol 500/650mg are exempt of the obligation to provide a prescription.
