One of the things that will strike visitors to Lanzarote is that there appear to be so many pharmacies here, known as farmacias, and identified by the flashing green cross sign.
The reason is that they are an integral part of the health service here. The staff are highly trained and they should be the first port of call for most non-emergency medical treatments.
It’s also worth noting that even basic drugs such as pain killers cannot be bought in supermarkets or other shops here, so your nearest Farmacia is the place to go for anything like that.
If you are given a prescription by a doctor here, the farmacia is where you go to have your medicine dispensed.
If you do visit a farmacia to find out it is closed, there will always be a notice in the window to tell you where the nearest one to you is open, or an emergency number to call.
Parafarmacias
Confusingly, we also have parafarmacias here in Spain. These are not the same as Farmacias, and they cannot dispense medicines, make diagnoses or fulfil prescriptions. Generally, they offer “alternative” medicines, using herbal products, for example, and the staff don’t require formal medical training.