Sweden has two channels for medicine and they behave in opposite ways. One sells you a box and is forbidden to advise you. The other must advise you, by law, for free. Knowing which is which saves an afternoon.
When you need this
You ran out of, lost, or had stolen the medication you brought. You want a painkiller and you are standing in a supermarket. You are holding a prescription from home and assuming it works. It is 21:00 and a child has a fever. Or the medicine you take every day has a different name here — or does not seem to exist at all.
Two places sell medicine in Sweden, and only one can advise you
Sweden ran a state pharmacy monopoly until 1 July 2009. The reregulation opened two channels at once: private pharmacy chains, and a limited over-the-counter range in ordinary shops. Around 1,400 pharmacies now trade where there were about 900 before — four chains plus roughly 50 independents and a few pure online operators, or roughly 7,600 residents per pharmacy in 2024 against 10,000 before.
The two channels are not two versions of the same shop.
| Apotek (pharmacy) | Supermarket, petrol station, kiosk | |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription medicines | Yes | Never |
| Non-prescription range | Full | A subset chosen by Läkemedelsverket, product by product |
| Paracetamol tablets | Yes | No — pharmacy-only since 2015 |
| Advice on what to take | Required by law | Not permitted |
| Age limit | Normal rules | 18, in statute, checked at the till |
| Who supervises | Läkemedelsverket | Läkemedelsverket, with local control by the municipality |
Selling medicine outside a pharmacy is regulated by lagen (2009:730) om handel med vissa receptfria läkemedel. A shop must notify Läkemedelsverket — the Swedish Medical Products Agency — before it starts, and the agency itself decides which medicines qualify. That is why not every ICA or Coop sells medicine, and why the shelf in one branch differs from the next.
What you can buy without a prescription — and the paracetamol trap
Here is the fact almost every European visitor gets wrong. Paracetamol tablets that you swallow whole may only be sold at pharmacies in Sweden, a restriction Läkemedelsverket imposed in 2015 after registering 1,558 poisonings in 2013, a 40 percent rise in four years.
What survived outside the pharmacy is the same substance in other formats: effervescent tablets, oral liquid and suppositories. So the supermarket shelf will happily sell you paracetamol — just not in the form you were reaching for.
The rest of the shop range is genuinely useful: a working set for pain, fever, allergy, heartburn and colds, plus nicotine products. What you will not find there is the decision. Läkemedelsverket’s position is that everything about a medicine except the price and what is printed on the packaging counts as advice, and shop staff may not give it. ICA says so on its own website: staff may pass on information from Fass, the Swedish medicines reference, but — in the retailer’s own words, translated — they may not advise which one you should choose.
Non-prescription medicine needs no Swedish personal number and no Swedish e-identification — at a pharmacy or anywhere else. Just be over 18 and prepared to prove it.
The pharmacist is free, qualified and legally obliged to help you
This is the most under-used resource in Sweden and the cheapest useful thing on this page.
Under lagen (2009:366) om handel med läkemedel, a pharmacy permit holder must keep the premises staffed by one or more farmaceuter (qualified pharmacists) throughout opening hours, and must provide what the statute calls individual and producer-independent information and advice about medicines, substitution, medicine use and self-care. The premises must be laid out so that your privacy is protected while that conversation happens. It is a condition of the licence, not a customer-service policy. There is no charge and no appointment.
Three practical consequences:
- Ask by active substance, not by brand. Alvedon and Panodil are paracetamol; Ipren is ibuprofen. Cross-border prescriptions are written in the common name for exactly this reason, and so should you be at the counter.
- Bring the empty box, or a photo of it. A pharmacist reads a foreign pack faster than you can describe it.
- Ask them to order it. A pharmacy must supply all prescribed medicines så snart det kan ske — as soon as it can be done. Ordering beats touring the city.
If you want a second opinion on a medicine rather than on a symptom, Läkemedelsverket runs a free information line, Läkemedelsupplysningen, on 0771-46 70 10, weekdays 09:00–17:00 excluding public holidays. It is a Swedish-language service and answers questions about medicines — how they work, how to store them — not about your symptoms.
Your prescription probably does not work here
This is the consequential one, and no English travel page says it.
A paper prescription issued in another EEA country for cross-border use can be dispensed at a Swedish pharmacy. It has to meet the common EEA requirements, be for a medicine approved in Sweden, and come from a prescriber qualified under their own country’s rules.
An electronic prescription cannot. Läkemedelsverket’s own published answer, updated in November 2025, is blunt: the prescription must be issued on a paper form, electronic prescriptions cannot currently be transferred between other EU/EEA countries and Sweden, and Swedish pharmacies may not accept a prescription from a foreign prescriber by email, telephone or fax. E-hälsomyndigheten, the Swedish eHealth Agency, says the same thing in English on its visitor page: “Swedish pharmacies cannot currently handle foreign e-prescriptions.” Sweden is taking part in a European project that would eventually change this. No date has been given.
Most of the EU now issues e-prescriptions by default. If that is what you have, you do not have a usable prescription in Sweden.
| What you are holding | Can a Swedish pharmacy dispense it? |
|---|---|
| Paper prescription for cross-border use, from an EEA country | Yes, if the medicine is approved here |
| Electronic prescription from your home country | No |
| A photo, PDF or scan of a prescription | No |
| Your prescriber emailing or faxing the pharmacy | No — expressly not permitted |
| Any foreign prescription for a controlled medicine | No — including certain sleeping tablets, certain painkillers and certain ADHD medicines |
| A Swedish prescription | Yes, from any pharmacy in the country |
Two more things follow. Swedish e-prescriptions live in a national register, the Nationella läkemedelslistan, which any Swedish pharmacy can read — which is why a Swedish prescription works anywhere but a foreign one has to be carried. And Swedish high-cost protection follows the prescriber, not the patient: it applies only where the prescription was written by someone working at a workplace in Sweden. On an EEA paper prescription you pay the full pharmacy price whatever card you hold, so keep the receipt and claim at home.
Take your passport. 1177’s instruction is to bring your legitimation to collect a prescription; for a visitor that means photo ID.
If you have run out, lost it, or cannot find it
Work down this list.
- Non-prescription? Buy it at an apotek, with the empty pack in your hand so staff can match the substance.
- Prescription-only, and you have the paper EEA prescription? Any pharmacy can dispense it, at full price.
- Prescription-only, and your prescription is electronic? You need a Swedish prescriber, which means being seen in Swedish healthcare — start with healthcare for visitors in Sweden.
- No Swedish personal number? Agree with the prescriber which single pharmacy the prescription goes to. Without a personal number it cannot enter the national pool that every pharmacy can read.
- Medicine not approved in Sweden? There is a route — a licens, a permission for a pharmacy to sell an unapproved medicine, applied for by the pharmacy with the prescriber’s justification and normally decided in about seven working days. It is a route, not a same-day fix.
- Controlled medication? Sort this out before you travel; see bringing medicines into Sweden.
Opening hours, and what to do at night
Nothing in Swedish law sets pharmacy opening hours. The statute requires a pharmacist to be present during opening hours; it does not say what those are. Hours are a commercial decision, and most branches keep ordinary shop hours, with mall branches longest and small-town pharmacies closed on Sundays. Public holidays close most pharmacies and shorten the rest, and July is the national holiday month, so reduced hours are normal.
Apoteket C W Scheele at Klarabergsgatan 64, beside Stockholm Central, is long established as the country’s only round-the-clock pharmacy. The operator publishes 00:00–24:00 every day, and the branch holds a national assignment for snake antiserum and certain antidotes. Treat it as the exception it is.
Everywhere else, the mechanism is: check tonight’s hours in the chain’s own store finder, and call 1177 for advice at any hour — the line is open around the clock, nurses assess your need and direct you, and from a foreign phone number you dial +46 771-11 77 00. In sparsely populated areas the nearest thing to a pharmacy may be an apoteksombud, a local shop that hands out medicines ordered in advance, typically after a couple of days.
One recent change worth knowing: since 1 July 2026, pharmacies with a staffed checkout must accept cash for small payments, within limits.
What it costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Pharmacist advice at the counter | Free — a statutory condition of the pharmacy permit |
| Läkemedelsupplysningen, 0771-46 70 10 | Free service; normal call charges |
| Non-prescription medicine | Not published here — set per product, per chain, per pack size. Compare in store |
| Prescription medicine on a Swedish prescription | Not published here — the high-cost protection thresholds are revised; check TLV for current figures |
| Prescription medicine on a foreign EEA paper prescription | Full price — the subsidy requires a prescriber working in Sweden. Keep the receipt |
| Seeing a doctor for a Swedish prescription | Covered in our healthcare guide, not here |
Practical information
| Thing | What applies |
|---|---|
| Pharmacies in Sweden | About 1,400, four chains plus ~50 independents |
| Age limit outside pharmacies | 18, in statute, checked at the till |
| Paracetamol tablets | Pharmacy-only since 2015; effervescent, liquid and suppository forms still in shops |
| Foreign paper prescription | Dispensable if the medicine is approved in Sweden |
| Foreign e-prescription | Cannot be dispensed; not by email, phone or fax either |
| Swedish subsidy on a foreign prescription | Does not apply — full price |
| ID to collect a prescription | Yes — passport for a visitor |
| 24-hour pharmacy | Apoteket C W Scheele, Klarabergsgatan 64, Stockholm |
| Advice line, medicines | Läkemedelsupplysningen 0771-46 70 10, weekdays 09:00–17:00 |
| Advice line, symptoms | 1177, around the clock; +46 771-11 77 00 from abroad |
| Cash at a pharmacy | Must be accepted for small payments since 1 July 2026 |
| Coming 1 January 2027 | A new category of non-prescription medicine sold only after mandatory pharmacist counselling |
FAQ
Can I use a foreign prescription at a Swedish pharmacy?
Only on paper, and only from an EEA country (not the UK or US). Läkemedelsverket’s position is that a Swedish pharmacy may dispense a prescription from another EEA country if it is issued on a paper form for cross-border use, is for a medicine approved in Sweden and comes from a qualified prescriber. Electronic prescriptions cannot be transferred to Sweden, and pharmacies may not accept one by email, telephone or fax.
Can I buy paracetamol in a Swedish supermarket?
Not as tablets. Since 2015, paracetamol tablets swallowed whole may only be sold at pharmacies, after Läkemedelsverket recorded a sharp rise in poisonings. Supermarkets and petrol stations may still sell paracetamol as effervescent tablets, oral liquid or suppositories, alongside other permitted over-the-counter medicines. For tablets, go to an apotek.
Are Swedish pharmacies open at night?
Rarely. No Swedish rule sets pharmacy opening hours, so they are a commercial decision and most branches keep ordinary shop hours. Apoteket C W Scheele beside Stockholm Central publishes round-the-clock opening every day and is long established as the country’s only such pharmacy. Elsewhere, check the chain’s store finder and call 1177 at any hour.
Do Swedish pharmacists give advice, and is it free?
Yes, and yes. Providing individual, producer-independent advice about medicines, substitution, medicine use and self-care is one of the statutory conditions of holding a pharmacy permit, and the premises must be arranged so your privacy is protected while it is given. A pharmacist must be present during opening hours. There is no charge and no appointment.
What if I run out of my medication in Sweden?
If it is non-prescription, buy it at a pharmacy — take the empty pack so staff can match the substance. If it is prescription-only and you hold a paper EEA prescription, a pharmacy can dispense it. If your prescription is electronic, it cannot be used here; you need a Swedish prescriber, which means being seen in Swedish healthcare.
Why can’t I find the medicine I take at home?
Two reasons. Brand names differ between countries, so ask by active substance rather than by the name on your box. And whether a medicine is approved, and whether it needs a prescription, is decided nationally — several products sold freely elsewhere are prescription-only here. If a medicine is not approved in Sweden, a licens is possible but not immediate.
Do I need ID to collect a prescription in Sweden?
Yes. 1177’s instruction is to bring your legitimation to the pharmacy; for a visitor that means a passport or equivalent photo ID. Collecting for someone else requires their ID too, or a registered power of attorney. Non-prescription medicine needs neither a Swedish personal number nor Swedish e-identification.
Is medicine cheaper in Sweden with an EHIC card?
Not on a foreign prescription. Swedish high-cost protection follows the prescriber, not the patient: it applies only where the prescription was written by someone working at a workplace in Sweden. On an EEA paper prescription you pay the full pharmacy price and claim reimbursement through your own country’s system, so keep the receipt.
Related guides
- Healthcare for visitors in Sweden — how to actually see a doctor, which is the only route to a Swedish prescription.
- Over-the-counter medicine in Sweden — the non-prescription shelf in depth, once you know which shop to stand in.
- Swedish medicine names decoded — Alvedon, Ipren, Treo and the substance behind each one.
- Getting a prescription filled as a visitor — the prescription system itself, for anyone staying longer.
- 112 and Sweden’s emergency numbers — for the situations a pharmacy is the wrong answer to.
Facts verified 2026-07-26. Sources: Läkemedelsverket, E-hälsomyndigheten, 1177 Vårdguiden, Tandvårds- och läkemedelsförmånsverket, Sveriges Riksdag (statute texts) and the European Commission — full register in this topic’s source file. No medicine prices are published here on purpose: they move, and a pharmacist will tell you for free. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.