Tuesday, February 5, 2008

The Pharmacy




One of my anxieties about moving to Rome was getting prescription refills. When I came here in July I had a three-month mail order supply of the medications I take regularly. The director of my school told me that I probably would have no problem in getting refills. Just go to the drug store and show them the empty U.S prescription bottles and they would give me the refills. When my three-month supply was almost gone I made my way to the Farmacia San Paolo, near the Basilica of St. Paul. The pharmacist was amused at the odd collection of containers that held my medications. But, there was no problem getting refills. I did not need a doctor's prescription and I did not have to show identification. (The retail price that I paid was just about the same as my co-pay back in the United States.) Medications in Italy come in boxes that are pre-counted in pop-out foil and plastic cards. The boxes are all stored in drawers at the pharamcy, making getting a refill a very quick process. I now go regularly to my neighborhood pharmacy, Farmacia Santa Rita. You can notice the saint's icon at the top of the photo that I took of my pharamcist.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

yes but try to find one open on a Sunday.
Hope you guys are ok, have not heard in a while.
Ciao
LNB