Medicine analogs in Italian pharmacies

Sooner or later every person who has moved runs out of the medicine cabinet they brought, and they have to buy medicines at an Italian pharmacy (farmacia). The main difficulty is that trade names in Italy are different, so a familiar brand from the country of origin will mean nothing to the cashier. You should go by the active ingredient (principio attivo): by it the pharmacist picks a local analog. Below is how to look for matches, how OTC differs from prescription drugs, and how an SSN prescription lowers the price, based on community experience.

An important caveat: this is reference material, not medical advice. We deliberately do not give dosages and dosing schedules. Any choice of a drug, substitution with an analog, and dose must be confirmed by a doctor or at least a pharmacist - self-medication is dangerous, because the wrong choice of drug or dose can harm. Verify the lists and dispensing rules on salute.gov.it and at your local ASL.

Why you should search by the active ingredient

The key principle: the brands are different, but the active ingredient (principio attivo) is common. The same ibuprofen or cetirizine in Italy is sold under a different trade name, but chemically it is the same substance. So before going to the pharmacy, according to the community, it is useful to:

• open the leaflet of the familiar medicine and write down the international (Latin) name of the active ingredient;
• name to the pharmacist the substance specifically, not the Russian brand;
• ask the pharmacist in what form and dosage the local analog is available - without automatically transferring your old schedule.

That way the pharmacist can offer an equivalent even if the specific brand does not exist in Italy. Sometimes a brand name coincidentally matches (for example, ibuprofen is also sold under an international brand similarly), but you should not rely on this.

I came to the pharmacy with the Russian name of an allergy remedy - they looked at me without understanding. A simple trick helped: I had written down the active ingredient from the leaflet in advance. I named it - and the pharmacist immediately gave me the local analog.

Examples of matches by group (a guideline, not a prescription)

Below is a guideline for how familiar groups correspond to Italian analogs by active ingredient. This is not a prescription and not a call to self-medicate: the specific drug, form, and the need to take it are determined by a doctor or pharmacist.

• For allergy: ebastine, cetirizine, loratadine, dimetindene - in Italy there are analogs with the same substances (including familiar international brands).
• Fever reducers and painkillers: ibuprofen, paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, nimesulide, ketorolac - all these substances are also present in Italian pharmacies.
• For cough: acetylcysteine, ambroxol - there are local equivalents.
• For a runny nose: sea water (sprays), xylometazoline - analogs by substance are available.
• For a sore throat: drugs based on benzydamine, hexetidine, and antiseptics.
• For heartburn and stomach pain: alginates, aluminum and magnesium hydroxides, calcium and magnesium carbonates.
• Intestinal remedies: loperamide (for diarrhea), lactulose, activated charcoal (carbone vegetale), pancreatin (enzymes).
• Antiseptics and external remedies: hydrogen peroxide (acqua ossigenata), povidone-iodine; ointments with diclofenac and ketoprofen for joints; dexpanthenol for burns; acyclovir for herpes.

This is only part of the common groups. If the substance you need is not on the open shelf, it may be prescription-only - then it is the road to the doctor.

A couple of tips from the community, as an example of the very principle (not a prescription): over-the-counter allergy eye drops were looked up by participants by active ingredient (azelastine), and a vasoconstrictor nasal spray - by xylometazoline; the pharmacist picks the Italian brand for the substance you need. This is only an illustration of how to search by substance: the specific brand, form, and the need to take it itself are confirmed by the pharmacist or doctor.

Separately keep in mind: some remedies familiar from the country of origin are either named differently here or simply do not exist (the community names, for example, miramistin and "brilliant green") - such things make sense to bring with you. And many eye and ear drops in the EU are prescription-only: even a banal conjunctivitis turns into a trip to the doctor, so it is better to bring your familiar set from home.

A tip that saved my nerves: I made myself a short list of "substance - what I had at home" before the move. At the pharmacy I did not try to recall brands, I simply showed the substance. They picked an analog in a minute.

What is sold freely and what only on prescription (ricetta)

According to the community, in Italian pharmacies there are two large categories:

• Over-the-counter (OTC) - painkillers, fever reducers, remedies for allergy, colds, heartburn, and the like. They can be bought freely, including at a parafarmacia and sometimes at a supermarket.
• Prescription (by ricetta) - this includes, for example, many antibiotics and more serious drugs. They will not sell them without a prescription.

For a prescription you go to the family doctor (medico di base). How to register with a doctor and change them if needed - in the material on the medico di base. If the doctor is not accommodating with a prescription, the doctor can be changed through the ASL - it is legal.

I thought I would buy my familiar antibiotic like at home, without anything. But they do not give it without a prescription. I went to the family doctor, he wrote a ricetta - and only then they dispensed it. Now it is first to the doctor, then to the pharmacy.

How an SSN prescription lowers the price

Medicines themselves in Italy, according to the community, are more expensive than in countries of origin, especially when bought at the full price. But a prescription from your family doctor under the public SSN system often gives a serious discount or free dispensing. In practice this depends on the drug, the region, and - frankly - the human factor: one doctor writes it willingly, another will drag their feet.

For the prescription to work, you need to be enrolled in the SSN and have a tessera sanitaria - it is presented at the pharmacy. On how to enroll at the ASL, get a tessera, and link the data, - in the material on the SSN and the tessera sanitaria. The tessera sanitaria is combined with the codice fiscale card - it is this code that in the system links you, the doctor, and the pharmacy, so it is worth making sure your codice fiscale is calculated and linked correctly. To break down and check your code letter by letter, use the tool:

At full price the local medicines bite. But as soon as I arranged a tessera and started getting prescriptions from the family doctor, much of it went at a discount, and some was free. The difference over a month is noticeable, I recommend not buying prescription drugs "around" the SSN.

A few practical details from the community, so that there are no surprises at the counter:

• the discount works specifically on the electronic SSN prescription (with a barcode), not on a note-recommendation on a scrap of paper - ask the doctor for a full prescription and ask at which pharmacy to "fill" it;
• on such a prescription a generic analog is often dispensed free or for a symbolic fee of around 2 euro per box, while for the original drug when a free generic exists they usually ask for a surcharge (and even so it is often less than the full price);
• on a paper prescription (ricetta in carta bianca) or a prescription brought from the country of origin you, as a rule, pay in full; foreign prescriptions are officially not valid in Italy;
• even on reduced prescriptions with an esenzione code, in some places, per accounts, they have started charging around 2 euro per package - "completely free" is not always literal.

All amounts and rules here are time-sensitive and differ by region - verify the current details on the spot.

For chronic conditions, according to the community, a stable scheme works: a relevant specialist lays out the therapy, with their conclusion you go to the family doctor, and it is they who write prescriptions on a regular basis, by which the medicine is collected at the pharmacy (often free generics, originals - with a surcharge). Over time the prescription is often renewed remotely: you write or call the doctor - in a couple of days you collect it at the pharmacy, without extra visits.

I was surprised at the counter: on the electronic prescription they gave the generic for free, but for the original of the same molecule they asked for a surcharge. The familiar medicine from home on a Russian prescription was, of course, rung up at the full price. Now I specifically ask the doctor for an electronic prescription.

For my chronic condition everything is set up: the specialist prescribed the therapy, the family doctor set up regular prescriptions, and I collect the medicines for free, analogs. I used to go to an appointment for each new set, now I just write to the doctor, and the next day I collect it at the pharmacy. Access to the drugs here turned out to be no problem at all.

How the pharmacy (farmacia) works and where to go after hours

A few practical points from the community:

• the classic farmacia (with a green cross) dispenses both OTC and prescription drugs;
• a parafarmacia sells only over-the-counter remedies and parapharmacy;
• a pharmacist in Italy is a full-fledged consultant: you can describe a symptom to them, and they will offer an OTC option or send you to the doctor;
• in each district a pharmacy is on duty in turn after hours (farmacia di turno) - the schedule is usually posted on the door and published online.

A couple more nuances from the community:

• some prescription drugs are not on the shelf - they are made individually by prescription in a galenic laboratory at the pharmacy (Laboratorio Galenico); if the pharmacist says the medicine is "being made," it usually means this;
• dispensing the same drug without a prescription is a lottery: at one pharmacy they may sell an antibiotic, at the next refuse, and lately control over prescription drugs has tightened, so relying on "somewhere they will give it" is not worth it;
• if a prescription is needed urgently and the family doctor is unavailable, in some cities the cure primarie outpatient clinics at the ASL help (the name may differ) - a walk-in line there, they examine and prescribe treatment if needed.

You should not demand a prescription drug from the pharmacist without a ricetta - they will not dispense it, this is not spite but the rules. And remember: a pharmacist can suggest an analog, but changing the treatment scheme or dose must be done by a doctor.

I thought the medicine I needed had simply run out, but the pharmacist explained that it is made separately by prescription in their own laboratory. And I also became convinced that without a prescription it is hit or miss: at one pharmacy the same drug was sold, at another politely refused. Now I do not guess, I go to the doctor for a prescription.

I really appreciated that the pharmacist actually consults. I described what hurt - they picked an over-the-counter remedy and honestly said when it is better to go to the doctor after all. At the on-duty pharmacy at night they helped too.

What you should not do

A short list of warnings from the community:

• do not mechanically transfer the familiar dosage to the Italian analog - the composition and form may differ;
• do not self-medicate serious conditions "out of old habit" - go to the doctor;
• do not try to bypass the prescription - prescription drugs without a ricetta will not be sold;
• do not go only by the brand - always check the active ingredient.

If you still have no residence permit or are only waiting for it and need urgent help, basic and emergency medicine is available even without a tessera - more in the material on emergency care and STP/ENI.

Related articles

• Medico di base: choosing and changing the family doctor - who writes the prescription and how to change the doctor.
• The SSN and the tessera sanitaria - enrollment in healthcare and the card for a discount on medicines.
• Emergency care and the STP/ENI codes - healthcare without a residence permit and urgent cases.

Official sources

• Ministero della Salute - dispensing of medicines, prescription lists, the SSN and esenzione
• the local ASL website - changing the medico di base, the ticket, and the prescription procedure in the region

Frequently asked questions

Can you just come to an Italian pharmacy with the name of a Russian medicine?

According to the community, a brand name from Russia at an Italian pharmacy (farmacia) most often means nothing, because the trade names are different. You should go by the active ingredient (principio attivo) - it is by this that the pharmacist picks a local analog. So it is useful to write down in advance from the leaflet the international (Latin) name of the ingredient. Whether the drug is suitable for your case is decided only by a doctor or pharmacist - this is not medical advice.

Are all medicines in Italy sold without a prescription?

According to the community, some drugs (painkillers, fever reducers, allergy remedies, etc.) are sold freely as OTC, while many are dispensed only on a prescription (ricetta). They will not sell you a prescription drug without a prescription. For a prescription you go to the family doctor (medico di base). Check the specific status of a drug and its indications with the doctor and pharmacist; verify the current lists on salute.gov.it. This is not medical advice.

Is it true that medicines in Italy are more expensive?

According to the community, many medicines in Italy are noticeably more expensive than in countries of origin, especially if bought without a prescription at full price. But a prescription from your family doctor under the SSN often gives a significant discount or even free dispensing - in practice this depends on the drug, the region, and the human factor. Verify the current dispensing and ticket rules on salute.gov.it and at your local ASL.

Do the dosages and forms of the Russian and Italian analog match?

According to the community, even with the same active ingredient, the dosage, form, and excipients of the Italian analog may differ. So you cannot mechanically transfer the familiar dosing schedule - this must be confirmed by a doctor or pharmacist. We deliberately do not give dosages: choosing a dose is a medical question, not a reference one. This is not medical advice.

What do you do if the family doctor does not want to write a prescription?

According to the community, dispensing by prescription and the doctor's willingness to write it depend heavily on the human factor. If your medico di base is not accommodating, the doctor can be changed by contacting the ASL - it is a legal procedure. Verify the current details of changing the doctor at your local ASL and on salute.gov.it. This is not medical advice.

Is it true that with a prescription the medicine will be free?

According to the community, it depends on the type of prescription and the drug. On an electronic SSN prescription (with a barcode) a generic analog is often dispensed free or for a symbolic fee of around 2 euro per box, while for the original (brand) drug when a free generic exists they usually ask for a surcharge. On a paper prescription (ricetta in carta bianca) or a prescription from the country of origin you, as a rule, pay the full price. Participants note that even on reduced prescriptions with an esenzione code, some places have started charging around 2 euro per package. All amounts are time-sensitive and depend on the region - verify the current details on salute.gov.it and at the pharmacy. This is not medical advice.

How do you get regular medicines for a chronic illness?

According to the community, the scheme is this: a relevant specialist makes the diagnosis and lays out the therapy, with their conclusion you go to the family doctor (medico di base), and it is they who write prescriptions on a regular basis, by which the medicine is collected at the pharmacy - often free (a generic) or at a big discount. For chronic and severe conditions (for example, cardiovascular, asthma, allergy, diabetes, autoimmune), participants describe access to therapy as really working. Over time the prescription can often be renewed remotely - write or call the doctor and collect it at the pharmacy in a couple of days. The specifics and the admissibility of a substitution are decided by the doctor; this is not medical advice.

What is Laboratorio Galenico and why is it needed?

According to the community, some prescription drugs are simply not on the shelf at an ordinary pharmacy - they are made individually by prescription in the so-called Laboratorio Galenico (a galenic laboratory at the pharmacy). If the pharmacist says that the remedy you need is made separately, it usually means exactly this. The choice, composition, and admissibility of such a drug are determined only by a doctor or pharmacist - this is not medical advice.

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Documents for this topic

• State-Regional Agreement on Medical Assistance to Foreigners in Italy (2012, Rep. N 255/CSR)
• Directive of the Ministry of Interior of Italy on the Rights of Foreigners During the Waiting Period for Permesso Renewal (August 2006)