for your "over the counter" can't-get-it-in-the UK travel purchase tips?

[MangosAndPapayas]

I've only recently learnt that you can buy melatonin over the counter in the USA but in the UK it's only available on prescription.

I was thinking that for someone coming to the UK the morning after pill (NOT as emergency contraception before I get flamed) might be a useful purchase for countries where you can't get it.

And then I was wondering what other things can you buy over the counter
in other countries that you can't get in the UK?

Canada? Australia? Europe?

Any tips for anything worthwhile? I'm thinking more retin A/ melatonin type stuff than paracetamol.

Spain sells Duac acne cream which is prescription only here

It's not really a big deal but the USA has cherry flavoured Pepto-Bismol which is SO much more pleasant than the normal aniseedy flavoured stuff in the UK. I normally buy quite a lot of that and deodorant (no idea what's different but I like them a lot) when I am over there.

You can get antibiotics otc in Thailand. I sometimes stock up, although we very rarely take them anyway, but a bout of mastitis over one Christmas put the fear in me. You can also get co-codamol and tramadol.

You can get threadworm medicine otc in Finland, don't think it was expensive either and had enough doses for three of us with several pills leftover.

If you are obviously pregnant in the US you can't buy anything !! I was 28w pregnant and fell in he shower and really pulled my back, went to the pharmacy for anything to help and refused as I was pregnant.

In Spain I stock up on ibuprofen which come in 600mg tablets as standard and are very cheap; you can also get Enantyum which is a kick-ass painkiller (I discovered this when I had a trapped nerve and needed something "mas fuerte" to deal with it).

Bertie it is a different preparation that has to be supplied so many tablets per kilo body weight. Ds had to take about 6-7 iirc. Now past this stage but did feel a little bad fibbing about seeing threadworms to various pharmacists in the uk so that our medicine cabinet was well stocked.

It is interesting how differently things are aproached. I am currently on a analgesic that is banned in the uk but has been a life safer for me as I can't take tramadol or codiene.

Yes, IMO the dosage is way overkill considering that the dosing of Ovex is a flat 100mg for anyone from a 2 year old child to an adult and you only have to take it once (Repeating the dose in 2 weeks is just a precaution.) All I could think, from having looked at the leaflet etc was that they were really aimed at killing other types of worm and that perhaps they felt the hygeine treatment for threadworm was enough? Seems very strange to me. Anyway now I can get hold of the same thing I just use it in the dosage they recommend in the UK instead and ignore the bizarre German recommendations.

Australia & US - Telfast (best anti-histamines), on prescription in the UK

Australia - Finacea (azaleic acid for rosacea or acne) is sold readily in pharmacies, no prescription needed

NyQuil in the US - the best cold & flu drug ever.

Sudafed - the good stuff used to make speed is readily available in the UK. In Australia, it is near impossible to get hold of psuedoephedrine without a prescription, and even combined paracetamol/psuedoephedrine in my state requires photo I.D. to purchase

DH got a big fact worm in his gut. We were all dosed with 4* the ovex dose -, the pharmacist called me into the private room to discuss the amount which had been prescribed, and then handed it all over. Only DH had the buggers. Maybe German worms are often bigger than the typical work found in the UK?

I am led to believe that in USA you can buy ivermectin tablets which kill nits dead.

In the uk I can buy ivermectin drops for the chickens to kill lice but was never quite brave enough to dose Dd.

Veterinary meds that are prescription only are often OTC in other countries.

When Frontline was POM, I used to bring back gallons of the stuff from France.

Re melatonin: I've bought it online without any problem, and it worked a treat for my sleep problems.

LittleCandle

You can very easily get 1% hydrocortisone in supermarkets.

It's weird, I read you can get Amoxylin ootc in Cyprus, yet I've never been able to buy a painkiller more than Panadol, no Ibuprofen. I always pack several boxes and have been frequently known as Neurofen Woman.

robaxicin muslce relaxant for back pain is off the shelf in places like Canada; it's not that strong, but better than nothing.

deodorants much nicer in north america

polysporin antiseptic (possibly antibiotic) eye cream for conjunctivitis is off the shelf, though quite expensive, in canada too. But I think you're supposed to throw it out after using it for one infection, even though you've only used a small bit of the tube, so you'd have to really stock up for it to be useful.

Telfast is available in the USA but its very expensive from what i remember. I think a prescription would be cheaper (think its sold in 7 day packs). I may be out of date though.

Can't get proper Benadryl (acrivistine) in Australia. I always buy it in the uk when I'm back as it is so quick to work for allergies.

You need photo ID in oz at the moment for anything with codeine in it otc and I also think it's going prescription only. I broke my ankle recently but before it was diagnosed (long story) I was begging the pharmacist in tears for stronger painkillers and I had to show my driving licence to get panadeine or ibuprofen plus. Now I have a stock of lovely panadeine forte on prescription post X-ray!

There's a cream for cuts and infections which my Canadian neighbour swears by and stocks up on when she's back home as you can't get it here, i cant remember what it's called (maybe someone can help with the name) but she used it on a burn mark my daughter got and it was great. She also stocks up on melatonin, brilliant stuff, I went through a period of insomnia and she shared her supply with me. Lovely lady!

Just googled. Polysporin. It has lidocaine in it as well as antisceptuc.

I can't take any anti-malarials. I hallucinate on all of them. I eat Marmite. 2-3 heaped tbs per day. It took some effort initially but okay now. I never get bitten by mosquitos. It was recommended to me by the Pharmacist at Boots.

@FreeNiki you can buy domperidone over the counter in Switzerland!

Used to be able to buy antibiotic cream there too but when I last went for a new tube they had withdrawn it from otc ☹️

Antihistamines used to be ridiculously cheap in Germany - after we moved from there we always asked our German friends to bring it when they visited...

@Bertiebotts I used to buy something called neocitran which was similar to lemsip but I can't remember whether it was in France or Switzerland!

France is not good for much in terms of medication but you can buy doxylamine (sedative antihistamine) otc

I'll have a look for Neocitran, we're very close to the French border. There is a German one but it only has paracetamol and vitamin C, no decongestant or caffeine. And really expensive!

Will likely just get some when we next visit home.

"You can get 10% peroxide cream in the US ( for spots/acne) OTC."

When did it stop being available OTC here? I've got a tube on my window sill from a few years ago.

Yes OP, what others have asked: what on could you use the morning after pill for except emergency contraception?

Sorry it was badly worded! What I meant was not relying on emergency contraception as a pure method of contraception. - not using the morning after pill as a base method of contraception (ie. over use because no other methods are used) as opposed to correct use which in ideal world should only be where you are being responsible and have to take the morning after pill due to failure of another method (or god forbid in a sexual assualt scenario).

I was trying to say don't flame me because I wasn't alerting people to the fact you can get it over the counter in the UK in order to encourage or promote it as a base method of contraception.