Everything you need to know about foreign pharmacies

Don’t pretend to be a doctor. If you fall ill while traveling, consult with a medical professional. That said, sometimes you already know the quick cure to feeling better, and you just need to get your hands on the right meds.

Finding a reputable pharmacy is critical. U.S. embassies and consulates provide medical assistance, and in many countries, this responsibility includes the names and addresses of pharmacies.

If the State Department does not have options in your location, look for pharmacies that are affiliated with a hospital or medical clinic or that are part of a large pharmacy chain, such as Shoppers Drug Mart in Ontario, Canada; Clicks in South Africa; and Raia Drogasil S.A. in Brazil. Some major supermarkets also have on-site pharmacies, such as Tesco in England and select Carrefour stores in Belgium. And there’s always Walmart, which has stores in about two dozen countries.

Most important, steer clear of open markets and street vendors, where illegal sales of tainted drugs can be rampant.

“All pharmacies sell medicines all over the world, but the types of medicines that are available, or those you may be able to obtain with or without a prescription, may vary from country to country,” said Lars-Ake Söderlund, vice president of the International Pharmaceutical Federation.

Bradley and Jenny Urias, who share their adventures at Eat Wander Explore, have visited countless pharmacies since they left Orlando to pursue a nomadic lifestyle five years ago. The couple, who have two young children, have picked up medications at pharmacies in Scotland, Italy, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Germany and Albania. They typically seek out chain drugstores in well-populated areas with heavy foot traffic.

“I went to a brand-name pharmacy in the main square of Tirana,” Bradley said, referring to the Albanian capital, which they visited in fall 2021. “It seemed like they knew what I needed, and they told me all the stuff that a normal pharmacy would.”

Best of all: The medicine he purchased in Albania did not require a prescription and cost less than a penny per day. In the United States, Urias would have paid more than 170 times as much for the prescription drug, at $4.25 per day.

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