I don't think I've written a post on la Pharmacie, which is amazing considering how much time I spend there. Our little Paris family is entering its second week of illness, a terrible cold that's been ping-ponging around the three members of our household, and thus the Pharmacie has been on my mind, and on my daily shopping route when I've been able to leave the house.
When I first moved to Paris, the Pharmacie was a very intimidating place for me. There are no American-style drugstores in France, where you can browse the aisles and the aspirin and laxatives are self-service. This means that all drugs, including aspirin, are kept behind the counter and must be requested from the pharmacist - challenging if you don't speak the language. Additionally, most of the basic medications have different names in France, and it can be very hard to navigate what you need for even the most routine symptoms. I still come home with a strange medication about once a week- at least they're relatively cheap.
I've grown to love my pharmacie, though, and now that the ladies there know me and Sophia, its a wonderful place to go - they're always very sweet to her, and give good basic medical advice. They're part of the people in my neighborhood, just like my cheese guys and my favorite butcher, and I trust them. HOWEVER, the last thing you want to do in a foreign country when you're sick is have a long conversation in another language, so I'm going to give you my tips on what I've learned:
DOLIPRANE (Dollypran) is your best bet for a basic pain reliever/fever reducer. My personal favorite is Doliprane 1000mg, or Doliprane "Mille". The pharmacist may ask if you want it "A Avaler (ah ahvahlay) or "Effervescent" - avaler means "to swallow" in French, so this is the pill form, and the other is fizzing water soluble disc, like Alka-Seltzer. You can also get Doliprane in 200mg and 500mg forms.
DOLIPRANE ENFANTS - This is children's Tylenol, and is sold as a pink liquid dispensed by a dropper - similar, I think, to how its done in the US. However, because this is Europe, the weight is in kilograms - so multiply your child's weight in pounds by 2 to get an approximation.
ASPIRIN: This is spelled ASPERINE and pronounced "aspayreen"; you will also sometimes see it as "Aspegic" pronounced "aspayjeek". And there's also often good old Advil, just like at home.
FERVEX - This is your Theraflu substitute, and I find its actually a bit milder - still works as a decongestant and puts me to sleep, but doesn't quite give you that "all the water has been drained from my body" feeling I get from Theraflu/Nyquil.
STREPSILS - These are cough/sore throat drops; they come in many flavors, and do actually have some medication in them.
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES: These are big in France, and you can find a full stock of them in most pharmacies. My husband thinks homeopathy is a farce and won't let us take them, but if they work for you, they are available all over the place in France.
You can also buy the following useful things at a pharmacie: tampons, condoms, contact lens solution, pregnancy tests, baby bottles and formula, and dental floss.
Tampons: tampon periodique (not to be confused with just "Tampon" which is an ink stamp in french...)
Condoms: preservatifs (yes, this one can get embarassing if you're talking about, say, preservatives in food....not the same thing)
Contact Lens Solution: solution nettoyante pour lentilles
Pregnancy Test: Test de Grossesse
Baby bottle: Biberon
Formula: Lait Artificiel
Dental Floss: Fil dentaire
Additionally, a pharmacist can often refer you to a doctor, and call an ambulance if things are really serious. They are a great first stop if you're feeling bad in France, and many speak some English, at least in Paris.
French Pharmacies also sell high end skin and hair products, which I've been gradually exploring and which can be great deals and gifts to stock up on when you're visiting the city - more on this in another post.
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