The Surprising Realities of French Pharmacies - 10 Things Every Expat Should Know

How do pharmacies in France actually work? 🇫🇷 If you’re moving to France or living in France, understanding French pharmacies, prescriptions and medication is one of those practical things nobody really explains before you arrive. In this video, I went into our local French pharmacy and asked a pharmacist 10 practical questions about pharmacies in France that I genuinely wanted answers to. We talk about prescriptions in France, what happens when your prescription expires, whether you can use a UK, US or other foreign prescription in France, what a pharmacie de garde is, how to get medication in France on a Sunday or at night, and just how much a French pharmacist can actually help without you seeing a doctor first. I also discovered that pharmacists in France can do much more than simply hand over medication, including vaccinations and, in certain specific situations, even supplying antibiotics! And of course, I share little real-life experiences too… including what happened recently when my five-year-old had an ear infection and I desperately tried to find a doctor, while doing everything possible to avoid making a phone call in French. 😅 If you’re moving to France, living in France, or trying to understand the French healthcare system, I hope this video helps make pharmacies in France a little less confusing. CHAPTERS: 00:00 French Pharmacies: What You Need to Know. 01:29 What Happens When Your Prescription Expires and You Can't Get a Doctor's Appointment in Time? 02:29 What Do You Do When Your Child Is Sick & You Can’t Find a Doctor? 04:33 Can French Pharmacists Give You Antibiotics? 05:40 Can You Use a Foreign Prescription in France? 06:56 What is a Pharmacie de Garde, and What Happens on Sundays, Nights & Holidays? 07:40 Why You Can’t Buy Paracetamol in French Supermarkets, and Why Is So Much Medicine Behind The Counter? 08:51 What Foreigners Get Wrong in French Pharmacies? 09:38 What Can a French Pharmacist Do Without You Seeing Your Doctor? 10:45 What Medication Can You Actually Buy Without a Prescription? 12:03 The Rule of Carte Vitale & Mutuelle at the Pharmacy? 13:02 Free French Healthcare Guide 13:23 What I Learned About French Pharmacies 🇫🇷 FREE FRENCH HEALTHCARE GUIDE I’m currently putting together a free guide explaining the French healthcare system, including Carte Vitale, CPAM, mutuelle and much more. I’ll be sharing it very soon. 😊 In the meantime, I also have several other relocation guides available, including some completely free ones. 🇫🇷 MOVING TO FRANCE? I created The Honest Relocation Guide to France for anyone thinking about making the move. It’s based on our own experience of relocating to the South of France and covers many of the things I wish we had known beforehand. 👉 The Honest Relocation Guide: https://simplelifefrance.gumroad.com/... I also have a FREE 'South of France Relocation Mini Guide' and a FREE 'The First 90 Days' Guide available. 👉 South of France Relocation Mini Guide: https://simplelifefrance.gumroad.com/... 👉 The First 90 Days Guide: https://simplelifefrance.gumroad.com/... A quick note about the free PDFs: They’re hosted on Gumroad, which will ask you to “Name a fair price” - that’s just how the site works. The guides are completely free, so simply enter €0 if you’d like to download them for free. Gumroad just gives you the option to leave a small tip if you’d like to support my work. 💚😊 🏡 LOOKING FOR A RENTAL IN FRANCE? If you’re looking for a rental in France, feel free to email me at: 📧 simplelife.sof@gmail.com I can recommend a trusted company that may be able to help. 😊 Disclosure: I receive a commission if you use their service, at no extra cost to you. ☕ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL If you enjoy my videos and would like to support the channel, you can use the Super Thanks button below the video. Creating, filming and editing these videos takes a lot of time, so your support genuinely helps me continue sharing our life here in France. 💚 You can also support the channel through Ko-fi: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/simplelifeinthesout... And of course, simply liking the video, subscribing and leaving a comment helps enormously too. ☺️💚 I’d also love to hear about your own experience - have you ever been surprised by how pharmacies or doctors work in France? Leave a comment below. 😊 Thank you so much for being here. 🤍 À bientôt, Gabi #MovingToFrance #LivingInFrance #FrenchHealthcare #PharmaciesInFrance #ExpatLifeFrance