Holiday health in Salou: what to do about the most common problems

Leave the water calmly, remove any tentacle remains with tweezers or the edge of a card, rinse with seawater and apply cold wrapped in a cloth for 10 to 15 minutes. Never fresh water, vinegar, ammonia, alcohol or urine. Call 112 if breathing is difficult or the swelling spreads.

Get out of the sun, cool the skin with a lukewarm or cool shower, drink water and apply aftersun with aloe vera or panthenol several times a day. Do not pop blisters or use direct ice, butter or alcohol. See a doctor for extensive blisters, fever or vomiting, or if a young child is affected.

Dry your ears well after every swim by tilting your head to each side, never use cotton buds and, if you swim a lot, consider silicone earplugs or drying drops. If severe pain, discharge, fever or reduced hearing appear, see a doctor: it usually needs antibiotic drops.

The priority is not getting dehydrated: oral rehydration salts in frequent sips and bland food. Loperamide only for specific situations, never with high fever or blood in the stool, and never in children without medical advice. It usually clears within 24 to 72 hours; see a doctor if it lasts more than three days.

The effective ones contain DEET, icaridin, IR3535 or citriodiol and carry a health authorisation number on the label; wristbands and ultrasound devices do not work. Apply it to exposed skin, after sunscreen, and never spray it directly on the face. No repellents at all under two months of age.

Often, yes. An electronic prescription from another EU country can be recognised at a Spanish pharmacy, and a paper cross border prescription is dispensed if it identifies the patient, the prescriber, the medicine by active ingredient, the dose and the signature. Bring the original and photo ID. You pay the full, unsubsidised price.

Come to the pharmacy before looking for a doctor. We can identify what you take by its active ingredient, suggest an over the counter equivalent where one exists and, at the pharmacist's discretion, bridge a short gap for some prescription medicines. Restricted medicines and new treatments need a Spanish prescription.

Farmàcia Arqué opens Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 21:00 and on Sundays from 09:00 to 13:30, all year round. Outside those hours, a different duty pharmacy covers the 24 hour shift each day: check today's rota on our duty pharmacy page or call 012.

Travel sickness tablets with dimenhydrinate are taken before you set off: at least half an hour before, ideally one to two hours before. Without medication, the most effective measures are looking at the horizon, not reading or using screens, and habituation. Allergy antihistamines do not work. Do not drive or drink alcohol while taking them.

SPF 50+ sunscreen reapplied every two hours and after every water ride, a hat, water and something salty, children's paracetamol or ibuprofen, plasters and blister dressings, wipes, hand gel and a children's antihistamine. For persistent high fever, repeated vomiting or signs of heatstroke, call 112.