What You Can Buy in a Turkish Pharmacy — and What You Cannot
Short answer: painkillers, antihistamines, rehydration salts, most creams and eye drops are available over the counter in Turkey. Antibiotics are not — they have required a prescription since 2013, and no reputable pharmacy will sell them without one.
How pharmacies work here
A pharmacy is an eczane, marked with a red E sign. Most open roughly 09:00–19:00 and close on Sundays. In every district one pharmacy is on night duty — the nöbetçi eczane — and the rota is posted in the window of every other pharmacy. Turkish pharmacists are well trained and many in Alanya speak some English, German or Russian.
Available without a prescription
- Paracetamol and ibuprofen
- Antihistamines for allergies and bites
- Oral rehydration salts — worth buying on day one, before you need them
- Antiseptics, dressings, burn gels, aloe vera
- Most eye drops and nasal sprays
- Indigestion and motion-sickness remedies
Prescription only
- Antibiotics — in every form, including creams and eye drops
- Anything containing codeine or a controlled substance
- Blood pressure, diabetes and heart medicines
- Adrenaline auto-injectors
This is a good rule, not an obstacle. Most holiday infections are viral, and taking an antibiotic for them causes side effects without any benefit. When one is genuinely needed, a consultation takes fifteen minutes and the prescription is valid in any pharmacy in the country.
Bring these from home
Your regular prescription medicines in their original packaging, with enough for the trip plus a few days; a photo or printout of the list, using generic names rather than brand names, because brands differ between countries; and your adrenaline auto-injector if you carry one — do not assume you can buy a replacement here.
If you run out
Bring the empty box or a photo of it. A doctor can usually identify the Turkish equivalent and write a prescription the same day. This is one of the most common non-urgent reasons residents and long-stay visitors contact us.
Medical disclaimer. This article is general health information, not a diagnosis. If someone is unconscious, struggling to breathe, bleeding heavily or has chest pain, call 112 immediately.
Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Oğuzhan Özkan, physician, Alanya. Last reviewed: 11 August 2026.
Need a doctor in Alanya? Call or WhatsApp +90 543 580 69 13 — we answer 24 hours a day, and the doctor comes to your hotel. How a house call works.