• Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here.
This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Over the counter pain killer UK warning for Spain

David

Veteran Member
Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
First one in 2005 from Moissac, France.
Hi - it is not uncommon to need to go to a pharmacy and buy painkillers, we all have bad days. A health warning has just been put out in the UK re Metamizol, banned in the UK and many other countries for many years but freely available in Spain.

Gov says that is has caused the death of over 40 ex-pat Brits living in Spain in the last few years due to severe side effects. It can cause Agranulocytosis, which apparently kills white blood cells and stops the body making more.

In Spain, it is supposed to be prescription only but it can be bought over the counter in many locations. It sells as Nolotil, but look for "Metamizol" in small print on the label of any pain killer you buy. Just saying.

 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
In 2018 the Ministerio de Sanidad in Spain alread warned for this. Be careful indeed.

Metamizol y riesgo de agranulocitosis

Última actualización: 30/10/2018 Puede consultar esta nota en formato pdf Información para profesionales sanitarios Fecha de publicación: 30 de octubre de 2018 Categoría: MEDICAMENTOS DE USO HUMANO, SEGURIDAD Referencia: MUH (FV), 15/2018 Tras la revisión
www.aemps.gob.es
 
Camino Cleanup Program & Retreat
Join the Camino cleanup. Logroño to Burgos May 2025 & Astorga to OCebreiro in June

excellent - and relevant to us, one of the warnings -
  • Do not use metamizole in patients in whom monitoring is not possible (e.g. floating population).
Though to be fair many pilgrims weighed down by a rucksack don't feel exactly "floating"
 
Same warning also for over the counter Nurofen ( Ibuprofen ) in Spain. 600 mg is available without prescription where in most other European countries max is 400 mg. Makes a huge difference when someone normally takes three a day ( not that I would advise that ). It always angers me when I read here about Ibuprofen as Vit I on the Camino!
 
Agree re Nurofen and similar ones - in UK they come in 200 mg pills with a maximum dosage of two every four hours so very easy to overkill, (p.s. what is Vit 1?)
 
Download free today.
Holoholo automatically captures your footpaths, places, photos, and journals.
Similarly with Tylenol (acetaminophen). In the US and Canada you can buy heaps of acetaminophen over-the-counter with no prescription, though I believe in Europe it's more tightly regulated. Overuse is toxic to the liver, whether that is a single overdose or chronic overuse (as a pilgrim might do over several days). And don't take it with alcohol, compounding the toxicity to the liver! Wine flows freely in Spain....
 
Thanks for the warning!
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
While medication warnings are being shared, Tylenol (acetaminophen) toxicity levels have recently been lowered in the US from 4,000 mg/day to 3,000. In June of last year I had emergency surgery and was given 4,000mg/day, and after a few days the phlebotomist came in to tell me my bloodwork had been flagged for acetaminophen poisoning. I was lucky I had been very healthy because it did a lot of damage fast. At the rate people were popping Tylenol thinking it was safe, I was told by a doctor that it is the #1 reason for liver transplants now. Ibuprofen is just as dangerous, but we’ve been fooled into believing over the counter meds are safe.

VOLTAREN is another cream and pill that is very popular in Spain over the counter and now in the US. Be careful of using the cream around dogs and cats who might lick your arm, hand. It is deadly to them!

I appreciate the OPs information!
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Judicious use of pain relief products is the antidote to overdosing. Acute pain is the body asking you to change your behavior and the drugs are intended for temporary not chronic use. It is good for the risk info to be highlighted, but there is a middle ground between banning and endorsing.
 
A pilgrim I met on the trail last summer was buying up VOLTAREN because it was double the strength of cream sold in the U.S.
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Gosh! When I lived in Spain, I used to gobble Nolotil like Smarties, for any aches and pains. Hope all that badness has worked its way out of my system by now! Thanks for the heads-up!
 
asl said:
A pilgrim I met on the trail last summer was buying up VOLTAREN because it was double the strength of cream sold in the U.S.
Click to expand...
The Voltaren cream sold in the US is less than half the strength sold in Europe, Canada, Mexico. AS a result, it really does very little to reduce inflammation or pain.
 
SabsP said:
Same warning also for over the counter Nurofen ( Ibuprofen ) in Spain. 600 mg is available without prescription where in most other European countries max is 400 mg. Makes a huge difference when someone normally takes three a day
Click to expand...
Different SE, but it can be just as deadly - causing gastrointesinal bleeding and kidney damage or failure. Not to mention potentially masking pain from serious injury growing ever worse by the day. This is not candy, or (cringe) "Viramin I". For us pilgrims from overseas, this is likely a far more dangerous med than Nolotil, because of widespread overuse.
 
Last edited:
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
rainswift said:
in Europe it's more tightly regulated. Overuse is toxic to the liver,
Click to expand...
Bumping these quotes about acetaminophen, because they're so important. Thank you for sharing your story, Lynn. A lot of damage fast, indeed, and there's no predicting who has that happen to them. Ibuprofen is no less complicated.

If someone has Nurofen side effects, they're awful and dramatic and life-threatening too.

The take-home message is restraint, or better yet complete avoidance if that's possible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Camino Photo

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Most read last week in this forum

Similar threads

Aging On The Camino
Replies
53
Views
3K
JabbaPapa
Walking the Camino Francés for SSD UK
Replies
0
Views
417
davejsy
M
  • Locked
OBSOLETE COVID THREAD Travelling from UK to France and Spain: Covid testing requirements
Replies
18
Views
2K
Mahonsk
M
St Cuthbert's Way - a short Pilgrimage route in the UK
Replies
22
Views
2K
TravellingMan22
T
my walk on the Camino - to be continued
Replies
1
Views
904
J Willhaus
Menu
Log in
Register