Originally Posted by
WorldLux
Yeah, but do you carry around anti-diarrhoea medication with you while at home as well? Otherwise, this advice is somewhat hypocritical. Unless you eat primarily food that poses such risks, the chance that you'll get diarrhoea in Europe are pretty slim. And if it happens, Europe has pharmacies too...
I used to, on my person at all times. Side-effects of the pink bismuth I used to take led me to drop the practice. As another poster mentioned, the last thing you want to have to do when in need is look for a pharmacy. As it happens, pink bismuth is not available in France, so I made doubly sure to have a supply when traveling there. This reminds me that I had to search for some in England when I ran out while out in the country. It would've been a lot nicer to have had it with me.
I had a great interaction with a charming pharmacist in Paris once. I'd run out of a prescription medicine, so I walked into one of the ubiquitous pharmacies and asked what I'd have to do to get a bottle of it. I explained what it was and told her the American trade name as well as the generic. She looked it up in a big cross-reference guide and came back with a package, telling me it was €8.00. (I think the American price was more like $30!)
Surprised, I asked, "doesn't it need a prescription?" She said yes, it does, but it doesn't matter.
Knowing French was a big help, but quite likely a non-Francophone could have gotten through the transaction without too much difficulty.