Triage

Whenever I have a little health problem, such as a sudden skin eruption, strong cold, slight fever, etc., I don't go to the doctor. Because I would need an appointment. There is never an opening on the same day and by the time there is an opening, I could be dying. To be seen as an emergency case means that unless I'm dying I will probably be waiting four hours before I'm called in, looked at, and given a prescription, all in three minutes. When I notice something start up I do what most people here do, I go to the pharmacy. There, I'll get something for my affliction. Or be told to go wait in the waiting room because the symptoms are troubling.

Now, a pharmacy in the U.S. is a walled off and probably glassed off area at the back of a drugstore where you hand in a prescription and after a few minutes the pharmacist hands you a bottle of pills. If you have any health questions the pharmacist will almost always tell you to ask the doctor and he will NEVER give any medication without a prescription. In Spain the pharmacy is a pharmacy. The only things you can buy there are over-the-counter medications, baby formula, cosmetics for atopical skin, other health-related consumer goods, and prescription drugs. Whereas the American pharmacy will keep a copy of each prescription, that doesn't exist here. There are private doctors that write a prescription, but the pharmacy gives you back the paper and doesn't keep a copy. So Spanish pharmacies are not as controlled, giving the pharmacist leeway in handing out prescription medication to someone who needs it but hasn't a doctor's approval. For example, if you describe the symptoms of a urine infection to the pharmacist, they'll give you the appropriate antibiotics because there's little room for error. However, what is definitely controlled are medications that are psychotropic. Those medications, because they can cause serious addiction and can be used in drug trafficking, are only available through a special doctor's prescription and ID must be presented and a copy made to control their use. So don't just walk in and ask a pharmacist for a box of Valium. You won't get it and they just might invite a passing cop to step in out of the sun for a chat. 

But, if you have a small allergical reaction, upset stomach, a hacking cough, or other things that go away better with medication that's a little stronger than simple, over-the-counter meds, ask the pharmacist. They're willing to help. And you don't have to spend five hours in a waiting room.