Can you get over-the-counter medications here? Short answer — yes!
But the experience is very different from what most Americans are used to. Here’s what you need to know.
Pharmacies Are the Only Game in Town
In France, a pharmacy is the only place legally allowed to sell medication — even over-the-counter stuff. You won’t find ibuprofen at a grocery store, and you definitely won’t find it at a convenience store. Pharmacies here also don’t double as snack shops or general stores. No greeting cards, no pantyhose, no last-minute school supplies. Just medication, health products, and beauty items.
We learned this firsthand — from the other direction — on a recent trip to the US. We were with our French friends when one of them needed some cream for an itchy rash.
“No problem,” I said. “We’ll stop at the pharmacy on the way.”
When we walked into Walgreens, they were shocked.
“Why are there Doritos and beach towels here?” our friend asked. “This is so weird!” 😂
The Pharmacist Experience
A Different Kind of “Self-Service”
During this same visit, I walked down the aisle and grabbed some Benadryl cream and hydrocortisone cream right off the shelf — not a pharmacist in sight. Our friend’s eyes went wide.
“How do you know what to choose? What if it’s the wrong thing??”
That moment I realized something that had NEVER occurred to me before as an American used to walking into a story and buying drugs off a shelf.
What I experienced as convenience — walking in, deciding for myself, no input needed — she experienced as a stressful burden.
I’m still not sure which system I prefer. But our different reactions was one of those reminders that living in a country that isn’t your own isn’t always about what’s better or worse. It’s about what you’re comfortable with.
How Getting OTC Meds Works in France
When you need something from a French pharmacy, the process is usually quick and easy. Walk up to the counter, ask for the pharmacist (“le pharmacien” or “la pharmacienne“), and tell them what’s going on. They’ll ask a few questions and pull together everything you might need — the right product, the right dosage, sometimes a few options.
It’s genuinely helpful. But personally? Sometimes I just want Tylenol in my medicine cabinet at 8 pm on a Sunday without making it a whole thing. 100% we bring back those huge bottles of Costco Kirkland ibuprofen from the states. 😅
(Also worth knowing: Tylenol is called Paracetamol here. Same medication, different name — very common across many OTC products in France.)
What to Pack Before You Move to France
Here’s our practical advice: pack a small stash of the OTC medications you already know and reach for regularly in your suitcase when you come over.
It buys you time to settle in before you need to navigate finding a French equivalent — or manage a medical conversation in French while also feeling terrible.
If we were packing all over again for our first few months, we’d bring:
- Tums (familar antacids aren’t as easy to find here)
- Ibuprofen — yes, that big Costco bottle 😄
- Zyrtec (or your go-to allergy medication)
Those were the three we reached for most when we lived in the US, and having them on hand during those first months would have made settling in just a little bit smoother.
Baguettes and Butter 4eva, Raina, Jason, and Juliana ❤️
