No prescription required: self-service medication

[Clair]

There have been changes in the way medicines are going to be made available in pharmacies.

Up to now, medicines have always been kept out the customer's reach and even the most basic medicines had to be handed over the counter by the pharmacist - things like pain killers (ibuprofen or paracetamol), antacids (bicarb of sodium or magnesium)...

In a bid to encourage French people to "auto-medicate" and not visit their doctor for every slight ailment, up to 226 basic products are going to be made available on a "self-service" (i.e. before the counter) basis, albeit still from pharmacies.

Manufacturers will be able to request that some of their products be made available for self-service, although pharmacist will not be obliged to offer the service.

The products covered are expected to treat acne, diarrhoea,

sore throat, dry cough, mouth ulcers, headaches, cramps and minor sleep

disorders, and assist in the effort to stop smoking.

The medicines concerned are listed by their active ingredient HERE. The list was established in 2005 and

is being updated.

The "morning after" pill, codeine (a morphine derivative), paediatrics, homoeopathy and herbal medicines are still excluded from the list.

Of course, these will not be covered by any health scheme and new packaging should offer up to five days of self-treatment (although presumably, people will visit several pharmacies should they want more...)

Prices are widely expected to drop with the wider availability and opportunity for "impulse" purchases.

[Jamesdee]

Thank you very much Clair. Being French challenged, a visit to the Pharmacie for us, even for an aspirin, is a major trauma. We are addressing the lack of french but it is very useful to know that we may be able to visit and browse the counter for our medication. Thank you for the information.[:D]