Medicines from Egypt – which ones are worth buying, how and where to buy them, prices

One of the most popular purchases for tourists in Egypt is local medicines. Experienced travelers visit local pharmacies on every trip and stock up on meds in large quantities – some for themselves, others at the request of family and friends. The thing is, medicines in Egypt are very cheap, sometimes several times cheaper than back home. The reason is that this sector is strictly regulated by the government to make medications accessible to the population. Pharmacies sell at fixed manufacturer prices, and price speculation on meds is forbidden. Plus, you can buy prescription drugs here without a prescription – drugs that would require one in Russia and other countries.

But we're not trying to talk anyone out of buying medicines in Egypt – we happily buy them there ourselves. So let's go into more detail on how, where, and what to buy when it comes to medications in Egypt:

How and where to buy medicines in Egypt

You can only buy medicines in Egypt at pharmacies – nowhere else. In resort towns, pharmacies are very common. You'll find them in any tourist area and even in non-touristy neighborhoods. And what's really nice, even in ordinary residential areas, there are pharmacies aimed at working with English-speaking and Russian-speaking tourists. Whether you speak broken English or good Russian, they'll understand you and answer.

But it's still better to choose the largest pharmacies from the many out there. Several reasons for that:

• Large pharmacies have pharmacists who can recommend something based on your needs or find a substitute within a drug group. In small pharmacies, you might get regular non-specialist sellers who will suggest random things to all your questions – we've experienced this ourselves.
• Despite strict regulation and fixed prices printed on boxes by manufacturers, small pharmacies still manage to rip off tourists. They erase the price info on the boxes, quote a price in dollars at an unfavorable exchange rate, or simply take advantage of tourists not knowing how to find and read the prices.
• Storage conditions in small pharmacies aren't followed: they might not have a refrigerator, and medicine boxes sit in the heat right under the sun.
• And finally, pharmacies don't just sell medicines but also non-medical products like toothpaste, shampoo, cosmetics, oils. Prices aren't fixed for these, and they'll try to push them on you at inflated prices.

Now a bit more detail on medicine prices and how to read them

On every box or package of medicines made in Egypt, the price is printed on the box, and the product must be sold exactly at that price. The price is in Egyptian pounds and is usually marked L.E., but sometimes in piasters as PT. For reference, one pound equals 100 piasters – similar to our cents. In general, we recommend reading more about Egyptian money here.... Sometimes the price on the package is per strip, meaning the final price per pack is the strip price multiplied by the number of strips. For example, that's how prices are shown on Rennie packs.

Usually, the price is printed near the manufacturing date and expiration date – it might be ink-stamped or embossed. Finding it isn't usually hard, but sometimes you have to turn the box around a bit. As we noted, some sneaky sellers paint over or erase this price – if you see that, it's best to leave that pharmacy.

But we've come across medicines with prices shown not in the familiar modern numerals, but in what look like old Indo-Arabic numerals. For example, on a pack of 96 Rennie tablets costing 55 Egyptian pounds (about 1.06 USD), we found an inscription that looked a lot like 55 in Indo-Arabic numerals. It's hard to figure that out without knowing the digits in Egypt, so we recommend checking out our article about numbers in Egypt.

How to pay for medicines in Egypt

At official pharmacies, payment at the register should only be accepted in Egyptian pounds, and they should give you a receipt. In practice, you'll have no problem paying directly with dollars or euros (but not USD), or paying partly in foreign currency and partly in Egyptian pounds.

But the question is, at what exchange rate will the pharmacy convert to foreign currency? The answer is always the same: they'll use a rate that's unfavorable for you. What's more, they might easily round the price of a cheap 15-pound medicine up to one dollar when the current exchange rate is nearly 50 pounds to the dollar. So personally, we prefer to make such purchases after exchanging dollars for Egyptian pounds, and we recommend you do the same.

Which medicines to buy in Egypt

The selection of medicines in Egyptian pharmacies is large – tablets, ointments, creams, balms, syrups, sprays, powders for solutions, hygiene products, and even cosmetics. It's best to prepare a list of the drugs you want to buy in advance and note their equivalents, because familiar Russian names like "Citramon" or Activated Charcoal won't be found here.

Here's a list of popular and affordable medications by category that you can bring from Egypt and that cost significantly less than back home:

• Antibiotics – Augmentin, Septrin D.S., Ciprofloxacin, Cefzil (for children).
• Fever reducers and antivirals – Panadol, Abimol, Brufen, Oseltamivir, Zovirax.
• For headaches – Adol, Ketolac, Cetal, Amigraine, Exedrin.
• For sore throats – BBC and Pedro sprays, Bronchikum lozenges.
• For runny nose – Otrivin, Nasonex, Salinex.
• For colds – 123, Dolo-D Plus, Panadol Gold, PowerCaps.
• For muscle pain, rheumatism, arthritis – Ketolgin, Anticox, Voltaren.
• For diarrhea – Diax, Diasmect, Antinal, Lacteol.
• For heartburn – Famotin, Glycodal, Rennie, Antodine.
• For vomiting and nausea – Primperan, Motinorm suspension, Motil Fast powder.
• For spasms – Buscopan, Stopspasm, Spasmofree, Spasmomen.
• For sleep disorders – Sleepez, Night Calm.
• For ear infections – Otal ear drops, Viotic.
• For memory issues, lack of focus – Stimulan, Cervitam.
• For liver conditions – Hepatocure, Hepato-Forte, Farcovit.
• Heart medications – Dinitra, Cardiomep, Ezapril.
• For joint pain, rheumatism, arthritis, injuries – Elcaptain ointment, Ketolgin, Algason cream, Bristaflam, Ketofan.
• Ointments for burns and wound healing – Pantenol, Calamil lotion with white clay, Bepanten.

This list is not complete, but we focused on affordable medications, generalizing their uses. Only a doctor or pharmacist can give full and accurate advice on medications.

They also sell the popular men's medication Viagra here, but the price is even higher than in Russia or European countries. But you can buy cheaper local equivalents like Erec, Virecta, Durjoy, and Cialis.

Things to know about bringing medicines from Egypt, what you can take out and in what quantities

There are no special restrictions on taking medicines out of Egypt or bringing them into Russia or another country, nor are there any specific norms for carrying medicines in checked baggage or carry-on luggage on a plane. Only standard customs limits and airline rules apply. Here's a quick reminder:

First, let's talk about the quantity of medicines you can carry considering customs restrictions. You can take any medicines through customs, as long as they're not banned psychotropic or narcotic drugs. Another restriction: it must not be a commercial shipment but goods for personal use – this is typically checked upon entry, while exit from Egypt usually gets less scrutiny. So you primarily need to look at the import rules of your destination country. For example, Russia allows air travelers to bring items worth no more than 10,000 euros and weighing no more than 50 kg – anything above that is subject to duty. So if you're carrying large quantities of medicines to avoid customs issues, keep your receipts and don't bring large numbers of identical medications in their boxes. If you're unsure, it's best to take the meds out of their boxes and scatter them in different places in your checked and carry-on luggage – this also takes up less space. But of course, keep the instruction leaflets.

We recommend reading more:

• Egypt customs rules: what tourists are allowed to bring in and out
• Russian customs rules: what tourists are allowed to bring in and out

Now, regarding carrying medicines from Egypt on a plane. You need to follow the airline's rules on weight and size for checked and carry-on luggage – and these rules vary by airline and fare. So you'll need to check for each specific case. You can find this info on the airline's website, in your itinerary receipt (e-ticket), or in your tour documents.

And finally, remember that there are prohibited items for carry-on luggage. You can carry as many "dry" medicines in your carry-on as allowed by the airline's weight and volume limits. But for liquids – which include ampoules, gels, creams, shampoos, and even toothpaste – there are restrictions:

You also cannot carry syringes in your carry-on luggage unless they are essential for your health and you have a prescription.