I will be studying abroad in Paris from January until June of this year. I take a birth control pill for reasons unrelated to the birth control part, so I need to keep taking them. I have enough pills to get me through April and then I need another 3 month refill. (I am an American citizen by the way, since I know countries have different laws)

How do I pick them up while in Paris? I have a photocopy of my prescription and the pill packets, but will a French pharmacy give me a new pack of pills?

You shouldn't have a problem. French pharmacies are just great--I once left thyroid pills at home, had a friend fax me a copy of the bottle label, and got what I needed without any trouble--and at half the price at home, too.

I would just get them at home in advance. Explain your situation to your regular doctor at home. That's the easiest way.

(or are you already in Paris?)

I agree with suze, hopefully your own dr can help organise this before you leave home. Here in Australia birth control pill prescriptions are usually issued with enough repeats for a 6 or 12 month supply. Do you have to see your dr every 3 months for a new prescription?

Otherwise,yes, french pharmacy staff are very helpful.

if you have to get them in France, I would suggest going to the pharmacy at least 2 weeks before you need the new prescription in case there are any problems. then if necessary you can get a new prescription sent over from the US.

If it an insurance issue and you can only get a 3 month supply, ask your local pharmacist to contact the insurance company to explain your situation and, hopefully, get their permission to dispense the extra 3 months before you leave.

French pharmacies are quite lenient for drugs that do not get you high.

Our own experience with this (admittedly a few decades ago) was that French pharmacies WOULDN'T hand over contraceptive pills without a LOCAL prescription, so we had to go to a local hospital to get one.


As it happened, it was what we then called a lunatic asylum, and thereby hangs a tale...

Things may well have changed since - and it was merely a PITA to get a prescription. But it's a good reminder not to accept vague assurances about "leniency" .

As always: without real data, hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

I am not being vague at all. At my office we had to go to local pharmacies all the time to get prescription drugs for our overseas colleagues even though we had no documentation. And news reports have shown that (perhaps unfortunately) it only takes visits to about 3 different pharmacies in Paris to obtain medication that should absolutely not be given without a prescription. I didn't want to believe it until I was sent to buy some stuff myself.

kerouac, I can vouch for that. I use prescription eye drops for glaucoma and frequently carry them with me and stop in pharmacies in Paris to see if they'll sell them to me ( cheaper to but outright in Paris than pay the co-pay on my insurance at home) I can generally score a 6 month supply just by stopping in while touring around the city.

buy outright, not but outright

And don't get me started with OTC Vicodin (Codeine & Acetaminophen)in Europe!

Also keep in mind that the pills you need might not necessarily be available in France.

Try to get your supply ahead of time.

- Kevin

I can't imagine any doctor not giving a prescription to get filled ahead of time if you are going abroad for 6 months. I used to get BC pills and I got a lot more than 3 months at a time, I wonder if this is just insurance reimbursement rules, not really any other reason that you couldn't get more than 3 months.

oh, and if it is due to insurance, they might not pay for them from a foreign pharmacy, anyway.

Typically, all you'll need is a copy of your prescription or the name of the drug you are using. In some cases it will turn out to be an over-the-counter drug, no prescription needed.

The pharmacy will try to match it and in most cases, it will be far cheaper than what you pay at home, i.e. a prescription that sets you back $200 in the States can be a little as €20 in France.

Contrary to all that I have always heard about how easy it is to get meds in France, a pharmacy in Paris refused to sell me Aleve w/o a script!

Why run the risk?? Get more than you need ahead of time. Kind of a no brainer!!!

"Contrary to all that I have always heard about how easy it is to get meds in France, a pharmacy in Paris refused to sell me Aleve w/o a script!"

That's rather hard to believe since Aleve is an over-the-counter drug in the States, but, thinking about it, probably not sold in France. Not strong enough.

Aleve is a trade name for a very common pain medicine, naproxen sodium. The readily available 400 and 600 mg ibuprofen tables are much more effective and available over-the-counter in France, neither of which are available in the States without a prescription

Yes, they offered me Ibuprofen but refused Aleve, which they did have.