Pharmacy differences — things sold over the counter vs prescription

The everyday painkiller needing a prescription while stronger stuff sits on the shelf threw me too. My tip: bring a supply of your trusted basics from home for the first few weeks while you learn what's available here.

Pharmacists here are brilliant and genuinely knowledgeable — for minor things they're my first stop instead of the doctor. They've saved me several unnecessary GP appointments just by advising over the counter.

OP here, and yes — I've started treating the pharmacy as 'doctor lite' for coughs and colds. The catch is knowing the local BRAND name for what you want, since it's often completely different. Learn the generic/active ingredient name, not the brand.

Exactly this — I look up the active ingredient before I go, because asking for a home brand name gets blank looks. Same drug, different packaging entirely.

Watch the opening hours and find your nearest 'duty' or on-call pharmacy for nights and holidays. There's usually a rota posted in the window or online — worth knowing before you need it at 2am.

Some things I assumed needed a prescription were freely available and cheaper here, and vice versa. It genuinely pays to just ask the pharmacist rather than assuming the rules match home.

Also check whether your regular medication even exists here under any name before you run low. One of mine wasn't sold at all, and I needed the doctor to prescribe an equivalent — not a last-minute discovery you want.

For us older folks especially: ask the pharmacist to flag any interactions when you're juggling several prescriptions across two countries' systems. Mine caught a duplication my two doctors hadn't spotted.