Pharmacies in Turkey : Information and 24h Pharmacies

In Turkey, drugs are taken only sold at pharmacies. Simple medicines that do not require a special prescription can be purchased directly from there. However, many drugs are sold only by prescription. Especially, since incorrect use of antibiotics in Turkey has risen antibiotic resistance of bacteria in the past, antibiotics are not sold without a prescription.
According to the working conditions of pharmacists in Turkey and regulations governing their responsibilities, some of the responsibilities of pharmacists are as follows.

The pharmacist helps the patient to use his medicines, tools used in the application of medicines and medical devices and materials safely and effectively, and ensures that they have sufficient knowledge and understanding about them.
The pharmacist ensures that the drug presentation is error-free, suitable for the purpose of prescribing, is compatible with the patient's requirements and safe.
The pharmacist provides safe and rational supply of non-prescription drugs and all health-related products in accordance with the patient's needs and provides consultancy services in this regard.

In line with the above information, you can consult with a pharmacist about the use of prescription drugs in Turkey.
When you enter the pharmacy in Turkey, you will see a few people working. So is everyone you see in the pharmacy a pharmacist? No, usually every pharmacy has an owner, and this person is generally the pharmacist. Other people you see in the pharmacy are people who work here and have not studied pharmacy. Therefore, when you want to ask something about the use of a drug in a pharmacy in Turkey, you need to make sure that the person you ask is a pharmacist. Due to legal requirements, you can see the photo of the pharmacist with a diploma sample, usually hanging in a visible place in the pharmacy. From this diploma and photo you can see if the person you are asking is a pharmacist.

You come on holiday to Turkey and you are wondering if you can find the medicines you use in your country in Turkey. Where can you get this information whether a drug is sold in Turkey or not? Below, located in Turkey Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency website, you can access the page containing the list of drugs that are in active use in Turkey by clicking here. When you click on the link located at the top of the 'Dosya' column, from the list in Excel, you can check that whether a drug is sold in Turkey or not.
What if you need drugs at night? In every district of Turkey, at least one pharmacy is held open for 24 hours in coordination with the local authorities ('Nobetci Eczane' in Turkish). This number can be increased according to the size of the city you are staying in (For example, more than 100 pharmacies are open every night in Istanbul). Every night, a different pharmacy in the region serves during the night. So how can you know which pharmacy is open in the night in Turkey? Below you can find lists of pharmacies that work 24 hours for some major cities and touristic places (All links below are web addresses of local pharmaceutical authorities, which are in Turkish. You can use these web sites by translating with Google translate if needed; click here for Google Translate web site )