Where To Buy Caffeine Capsules/Pills In Nice, France
 

We are on a 9 month journey through Europe. We left the US in August and we are in Nice, France.

In the US I walk in and buy a bottle of 200mg caffeine caps (100 in a bottle) for $10.

I haven't found them here in Spain.

I really like my caffeine and need to figure out how to pick it up while in France (it beats $12 a day in Starbucks :-)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Go to any pharmacie and ask, but seriously, you can't find anything normal between Starbucks and caffeine pills in Spain or France? There's a café on every corner in both countries where you can get a caffeine hit in the form of espresso for under 2 €. If you seriously must have caffeine pills and they aren't available in a pharmacie, make an appointment with a French doctor. I think you will be met with derision in any case.

You're also very confusing. You say you're in Nice, but then say you can't find these "caffeine pills" "here in Spain." Do you know where you are?

Why not just take your supply with you - do not think caffeine pills are illegal to bring in as long as clearly labeled.

??? Problem solved.

He's already in Spain, or France, Pal - he doesn't seem to know where he is, but at any rate, his caffeine pills were left behind and he is, for good reason, having a hard time replacing them because French and Spanish people don't take PILLS when they want coffee, y'know? Maybe he'll have to abort the trip and go home for those pills. Might find a sympathetic pharmacist, though - who knows?

Oh - well I did miss that! - have someone express mail a supply to a hotel if you can't find them.

My brother carries a can of instant coffee and a bottle of water on trains for his caffeine fix without paying $3-4 a cuppa.

Red Bull and energy drinks are I think loaded with caffeine?

Or use the opportunity to kick the habit.

I found caffeine pills on Amazon.fr. Could they be sent to a hotel to wait for arrival or something like that? (Doesn't everyone have an Amazon account?)

As someone who has found value in an occasional caffeine tablet, I would urge my fellow Fodorites to be kind. There are many chemicals in coffee, expresso, etc., that aren't in a caffeine tablet -- and other possible reasons, financial and otherwise, for the preference. And I think the OP might have meant "Europe" when saying "Spain" -- so confusing, yes, but not necessarily confused.

Sorry, yearineurope, that I can't answer your question.

Is it really just the money you are concerned about as to why you don't drink coffee? No way would I kick caffeine, that's one vice I'm keeping and in fact, a lot of studies show caffeine can have positive effects. But I love coffee, I'm not interested in just popping pills, I like its flavor, warmth, etc. So popping a caffeine tablet in the morning instead of drinking coffee would not solve the problem.

If you do want coffee, there are some cheaper places to buy a cup than Starbucks.

Caffeine supplements are kind of a weird thing, they are the sort of thing you find in stores that sell various questionable sports supplements, etc., I don't know if a pharmacie would have that, but you could ask, of course. I know where you could buy it in Paris, a sport supplements store (one chain is Fitness Boutique). They have stores all over France, including in Provence. They have one in Antibes, but for some reason I can't see one in Nice, surprisingly, but that's the kind of store to look for. this is the store in Antibes
http://nice.fitnessboutique.fr/

Sporty Energy Shop in Antibes would also probably have it, weird lots of shops in Antibes. http://www.sporty-energy-shop.fr/fr/...ietetique.html

Well, maybe you should take a day trip to Antibes, it's a short train trip and worth a visit, anyway.

Christina, my suggestion included only the need for pills, not for the experience of sitting at home or in a cafe with a favorite beverage. I enjoy coffee but don't suffer when I have to do without for whatever reason. It's the habit part to which I refer, not the enjoyment.

Let's not forget that there are certain medicinal properties to caffeine....

Interesting, though, that StCirq is one of very few posters who actually provided an answer to the question. Seems worth commending to me!

As said, any pharmacie has them. You find pharmacies in every shopping district, clearly marked with a large green cross, often as a neon sign.

Some medicines for headaches have caffeine in them because caffeine helps acetaminophen work better. Many are combos of acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine. I can't take aspirin, so buy acetaminophen and caffeine separately.
Almost all meds to help you be more alert are basically caffeine, so to the OP, try asking for something to help you stay awake or be alert when driving, and see if it is actually caffeine.

(Note, however, that caffeine does not actually prevent the micro-sleeps that are the main risk when trying to drive with insufficient sleep.)

Kja, so true. Also true if you are used to it. I can take it for a headache in the morning and fall right back to sleep.

@ Sassafrass -- wishing you few headaches, and the benefits of caffeine tablets when you have them. :-)

I hope you find your pills, and I also hope we won't be getting a post from you later saying help you have overstayed your Schengen visa.

Write the occasional trip report to maybe?

Chocolate I think has about half as much caffeine as coffee - eat a lot of chocolate!

Although it depends on the brew and blend, chocolate has far less caffeine than coffee. It does, however, have a different stimulant that is part of the same type of chemical, but not nearly as effective as caffeine in terms of alertness. Same thing with tea -- another stimulant of the same type of chemical, but with much weaker effects on alertness.