# Where to get info in English on Spanish drugs?



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Does anyone know of a website where I can get information in English on the Spanish drugs that I'm taking? Even better is if someone knows of a site where I can get the Canadian/American equivalents of Spanish drugs. :fingerscrossed: 

(Drugs, as in prescription medications  )


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

AllHeart said:


> Does anyone know of a website where I can get information in English on the Spanish drugs that I'm taking? Even better is if someone knows of a site where I can get the Canadian/American equivalents of Spanish drugs. :fingerscrossed:
> 
> (Drugs, as in prescription medications  )


Just google the main ingredient or even the Spanish name and it's all there.

I do this all the time just to check that I truly understand the potential side effects as I have some major allergies.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

snikpoh said:


> Just google the main ingredient or even the Spanish name and it's all there.
> 
> I do this all the time just to check that I truly understand the potential side effects as I have some major allergies.


Hi Snikpoh. I've been doing that to now, and it's been a nightmare navigating through all the info. It's easy for me to do for English drugs, as that was part of my job as a medical transcriptionist. But I'm having a heck of a time with this in Spanish. There are many databases for drugs in Canada and the US, as there probably are in the UK. Even if I can get a database of drugs in Spain without translation to English, then I can do my research from there. Maybe if I show examples of what I use for English, it'll be clearer as to what I'm looking for?

A - Z Drug List from Drugs.com

Drugs A-Z List - A on RxList

Prescription Drug List


Drugs and Supplements - Drugs and Supplements - Mayo Clinic


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Try the Spanish government website for medicines, AEMPS, which is also in English (click "Welcome" top right).

Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios - Medicamentos de uso humano - Portada


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Medicamentos por Nombre, letra a1 is the Spanish version of the BNF/MIMS but it is in Spanish so you may have to use a translator to understand some of the data. Many drug components have the same name (TM) in any language so you should be able to get the info you need. Vademecum also lists international equivalents.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I use Vademecum.es - Información: de Medicamentos y Principios Activos - Noticias, Diccionario for information on Spanish drugs. I then google the name or ingredients to get information elsewhere in English if required.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> Try the Spanish government website for medicines, AEMPS, which is also in English (click "Welcome" top right).
> 
> Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios - Medicamentos de uso humano - Portada


 Hi Alcalaina. Thanks so much for that. I clicked on practically every link and couldn't find a list of meds. If it's not too much to ask, could you please be more specific as to where that list is?


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Liz & Baldilocks, that's an amazing site and just what I'm looking for. Thank you! Baldilocks, I found the international equivalents list. They don't have Canadian or American drugs listed. But with the information I have in Spanish, I can figure out if there is an equivalent. When I hover my mouse over the drug, Google sometimes gives a translation in a popup. Fab, eh?! 

Some of my Canadian drugs simply aren't available in Spain, so they've put me on different drugs. Also yesterday I started a new drug that isn't available in Canada. When I get the pamphlets with info on the drugs I can't understand them, since they're in Spanish. But now that I have this database I can copy and paste into my online translation programs and figure it out. Thank you both! 

Snikpoh, perhaps this site will come in handy for you too with all your allergies.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

What drugs were you on in Canada and what are you on in Spain, I'll see If I can help; post a message or PM me.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> Liz & Baldilocks, that's an amazing site and just what I'm looking for. Thank you! Baldilocks, I found the international equivalents list. They don't have Canadian or American drugs listed. But with the information I have in Spanish, I can figure out if there is an equivalent. When I hover my mouse over the drug, Google sometimes gives a translation in a popup. Fab, eh?!
> 
> Some of my Canadian drugs simply aren't available in Spain, so they've put me on different drugs. Also yesterday I started a new drug that isn't available in Canada. When I get the pamphlets with info on the drugs I can't understand them, since they're in Spanish. But now that I have this database I can copy and paste into my online translation programs and figure it out. Thank you both!
> 
> Snikpoh, perhaps this site will come in handy for you too with all your allergies.


To get the more in-depth information from Vademecum you may have to be registered as a health-care professional as we are


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

After posting, I dug deeper into the Vademecum site, and can hardly access anything without being registered as a healthcare professional - as you say, Baldilocks. 

Yesterday I spoke to my pharmacist about my problem, and she highly recommended the Vademecum site, so I'll use whatever I can from there. She also gave me the link that turns out to be the same link as Alcalaina gave at www.aemps.gob.es. But I can't find any listing there. I'll go back tomorrow and ask her to be more specific as to where the drugs are listed.

She also gave a link to Medlineplus at www.medlineplus/spanish/medications.html. But the link doesn't work, and I searched Medlineplus to no avail.

So I'll keep trying and report back as to what I come up with.

Bob_Bob, thank you so much for your kind offer. We're working through the Spanish replacements as they're needed because I brought a huge stash of drugs from Canada. So far we've found out that my Canadian Oxazepam is not sold in Spain, but I only used it once or twice a month for sleep, and I sleep very well in Spain, so I won't get a replacement. 

We also found out that my Canadian Proferrin for anemia is also not sold in Spain, but they have replaced it with Foliferron. The trick with this is to find iron replacement that is not hard on my sensitive gastrointestinal tract.

But the big challenge now with my meds is that I've finally agreed to treat my pain symptoms after 20 years of chronic pain that is getting worse. I need anti-inflammatories, anti-spasmotics and pain killers. I have to bear in mind all my current medical problems and medications. But the biggest challenge lies in not upsetting my GI tract, not interacting with my psychiatric meds and not affecting my psychiatric condition. That's a very, very difficult challenge with these types of meds. So they've started me off this week on Buscapina compositum (without the N), which is not available in Canada or the US. Here's what Vademecum says:
BUSCAPINA COMPOSITUM de BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM ESPAÑA

Not a lot, eh? I looked up the ingredients and can't find a website with the pamphlet info. I also looked for the manufacturer's site (Boehringer Ingelheim) and found nothing. 

So that's my sob story.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

This may not be exactly what you are taking but may help in your research:

BUSCAPINA - Prospecto

Butylscopolamine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As for sleeping, a mild aid that I have used in the past, available over the counter here, is Dormidina. It is an antihistamine which causes drowsiness and helps start and maintain sleep with no ill effects the next day. I believe it's the same as Nytol that is sold in the UK. I find 12.5mg effective, so buy 25mg pills and break them in half, since I am a meanie. 
It may help until you find something better.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Lorazepam is another similar one which you may well be able to get over the counter without prescription.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Baldilocks & Liz, thanks for the sleeping pill suggestions. But like I said, I rarely took it in Canada and I don't need it here in Spain. I'm sleeping like a baby here in Spain. 

Liz, thanks for the info on butylscopolamine. That's one of the ingredients of Buscapina Compositum. I'm taking tablets (grageas), so that's the link I gave above BUSCAPINA COMPOSITUM de BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM ESPAÑA

You can see the other ingredient is metamizol, which may be the same as metamizole (with an e), which is on Wikipedia also. But I don't know for sure.

The thing is, this Wikipedia info is helpful, but it doesn't talk at all about what the pamphlets talk about - side effects, interactions with other medications, contraindications with illnesses, what to do if a tablet is missed, what are the toxic symptoms, etc.

At this point in the game, I'm not in too much trouble, but as we start with other medications for the pain, that's when I have to really buckle down and have my resources lined up to be able to be on the ball with all the information. One of the pills that I take that I'm particularly worried about is Synthroid (levothyroxine), which I need because my thyroid has been ablated with radioactive treatment to treat my Graves disease. So I absolutely have to have that pill working optimally or my whole body gets messed up. This pill interacts with a lot of other pills because it's a salt.

I'm thinking other people may have similar problems finding information in English, so I'll post here to let you know what my pharmacist says tomorrow. Hopefully she can clarify the links she gave me. :fingerscrossed:


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Levothyroxine is available over the counter as Eutirox.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I take Eutirox myself and it costs me about €5/100 tablets.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Baldilocks & Liz, thanks for the name of levothyroxine in Spain. I'm not looking for the name of that drug... It's that I'm worried about interactions between this drug and the new drugs I'm taking. However, I talked to my pharmacist about this, and she ran a check for interactions between this and all the other prescription and over-the-counter drugs I'm taking. I'm good to go! She said she will do the same with all my meds as we go along adding new drugs. 

She also gave me the proper link for Medline Plus in Spanish:

MedlinePlus - Información de Salud de la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina

And here's the link on that page with drugs (medicinas y suplementos):

Medicinas, hierbas y suplementos: MedlinePlus

Here are two other excellent links for Spanish drugs that she gave me:

Prospectos.net

Tu web de medicamentos y prospectos Â» tusprospectos.com - Prospectos

I hope that helps others out. 

Again, thank you all for your help!


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