Paracetamol

Throughout the entire time that Will and I lived in Germany and traveled across Europe, we never once found a pharmacy which sold acetaminophen, the active ingredient in the pain killer most of us know as "Tylenol." Aspirin and ibuprofen were easy to find in every country, from Ireland to Morocco, but we found literally no acetaminophen anywhere in Europe. I even tried describing the medicine to pharmacists, but none of them had any idea what I was talking about.

In England, however, we have finally been able to find it- except here, it goes by the name "paracetamol." At first we weren't sure it was the same medicine. However, the following facts let us to conclude that acetaminophen and paracetamol are indeed the same: 1) Paracetamol is quite inexpensive, often costing less than 1p per pill. 2) It acts as a stand-alone pain-killer but is also find in numerous more potent painkillers. 3) Any product containing paracetamol has very severe-sounding overdose warning, such as "Contains paracetamol. Do not exceed the stated dose. Do not take this medicine with any other paracetamol containing products. Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose with this medicine, even if you feel well, because of the risk of delayed, serious liver damage."

We actually brought enough Tylenol with us to last for the entire year, but if we happen to need some when we're away from home, now we know what to look for!