I suffer with migraines and let me tell you, I don’t want to be trying to get Relpax in a country where no one speaks English.
Last year, I was in China and forgot to bring sunscreen so I stopped into a pharmacy. I walked up and down the aisles and didn’t recognize a thing except Viagra, by the way, which incidentally is even sold at the airport.
A typical Chinese pharmacy looks extremely different than a typical Western pharmacy. In Chinese pharmacies, the employees wear nurse’s caps and nurse’s uniforms. I couldn’t find a person who spoke English. There was no Coppertone or Hawaiian Tropic anywhere in the store. There wasn’t any brand that I recognized. I couldn’t differentiate one product in the pharmacy from the next.
I spoke to one of the women who was eager to help. I pointed at the sun, my skin, and fanned myself. The pharmacist had that ‘aha’ look and handed me a carton to purchase. I didn’t question the SPF, knew there was no way to get that across UVA protection. I just paid and applied. The cream was lightweight, and not the least bit goopy. It was not too thick, not too heavy. It went on my face first and was going onto my neck as I approached my husband who was hysterical. I had zinc oxide all over. I was white as a ghost.
I can’t imagine what I would have gotten if I was trying to explain headache. Make sure you bring all the medications and products you might need!