Pharmacy or online? Where to buy compression stockings

Compression stockings from the pharmacy or online? It mainly depends on one thing: whether your doctor has prescribed strong compression, or whether you are looking for light compression to keep your legs feeling more rested day to day.

You get home, take off your shoes, and your legs feel as if you had climbed ten flights of stairs. It is not the first time this week. Someone has mentioned compression socks to you, you open your phone, and the question comes up straight away: do I buy these at the pharmacy, or can I order them online and have them delivered?

Both options are good, and each fits a different situation. Before choosing a shop, it helps to know what level of compression you need. Let's work it out in a couple of minutes.

Which case is yours?

Think about skin cream. For everyday use, you buy a good moisturiser wherever is most convenient, and often it is your dermatologist who tells you to moisturise more. But if they prescribe a specific ointment for a skin problem, that one needs a prescription and you pick it up at the pharmacy. Both look after your skin, and each has its place.

Something very similar happens with compression. Ask yourself these questions:

• Has your doctor prescribed strong compression? If you were told at your appointment that you need high-compression stockings, with a prescription or specific mmHg levels in your report, that prescription rules, and your place is the pharmacy or medical supply shop.
• Has your doctor recommended light compression? This happens often, as a preventive measure or to get through the day better. In that case, a good pair of light compression socks is exactly what they asked for, and you can buy them online.
• Do your legs feel tired and heavy at the end of the day, with nothing diagnosed? Heavy legs after many hours of standing or sitting, a long trip, the August heat… This is where light compression fits.
• Do you want to help your legs recover better after a bike ride or a running session? That is also light compression territory.

Only in the first case do you need to go to the pharmacy. In all the others, buying light compression online is a great option (though reading the whole post won't do you any harm 😉).

When should you go to the pharmacy or medical supply shop?

When your doctor has prescribed strong compression. This usually happens when there is a diagnosis behind it, such as venous insufficiency, varicose veins already being monitored by a specialist, or recovery from leg surgery. In that case, the path starts at the doctor's surgery and continues at the pharmacy, for several reasons:

• They stock the stockings that doctors prescribe. In Spain, those funded by the public health system are normal and strong compression, and strong compression is the one most commonly prescribed².
• With a prescription, they are covered by public funding. Therapeutic elastic stockings have been part of the Spanish Social Security pharmaceutical benefit for decades³, and each region sets its own conditions. In Andalusia, for example, normal compression stockings need prior authorisation and there is a maximum number of prescriptions per year¹.
• They advise you in person. Which length, how to put them on, how many hours to wear them… and if something isn't right, you go back to the counter and talk it through face to face.

To give you an idea of the pressures involved, in the European classification of compression stockings class I starts at 18 mmHg, and class II already ranges from 23 to 32 mmHg⁴. These pressures are designed for a specific case, which is why a doctor decides on them.

And if you were looking for stockings for varicose veins at the pharmacy, the order is the same: first the doctor, who decides whether you need stockings and at what pressure. If they prescribe strong compression, pharmacy. If they say light compression would do you good, you can get it online.

Pharmacy or medical supply shop?

For medical cases, both work. The pharmacy is usually closer to hand, and it is where the prescription normally goes. A medical supply shop specialises in garments and mobility aids, and usually has a wider range of models and sizes, especially when made-to-measure stockings are needed.

The practical thing is to ask at your usual pharmacy. If they don't have your model, they will order it or tell you which medical supply shop to go to. And if your doctor has recommended a specific place, go there.

How much do compression stockings cost at the pharmacy?

It depends on quite a few things, which is why prices vary so much from one pharmacy to another. What makes a medical stocking cost more or less:

• The pressure. Strong compression needs a denser fabric than normal compression.
• The length. A knee-high sock does not cost the same as a thigh-high stocking or tights.
• Ready-made or made to measure. Flat-knit stockings, which are more often made to measure, also need separate authorisation to be funded².
• Whether or not there is a prescription. This is what changes the bill the most: with a prescription, and prior authorisation where required, the public health system covers part of the cost.

So if your doctor has prescribed strong compression, it is worth asking for the prescription before you go and buy them.

When does it make sense to buy them online?

Whenever light compression is what you need. That is the case for a great many people, and probably for you if, at the end of the day, you notice:

• Heavy legs after hours on your feet, in a shop, in a restaurant kitchen, on a hospital ward… We cover this on our page about compression socks for standing all day.
• Swollen ankles after hours of sitting, at the computer or behind the wheel. You will find out why in our post about legs swollen from sitting.
• Heavy legs on long journeys, by plane, train or car. We break it down in compression socks for travelling.
• Tired legs after sport, a bike ride, a long run or a Sunday walk.

And also if it is your doctor who has recommended wearing light compression day to day.

In all these cases, a sock with graduated compression squeezes a little more at the ankle and eases off towards the knee, so the blood finds it easier to travel upwards. If you want to understand the idea properly, we explain it in graduated compression, from more to less.

And this is where we come in. Calcetinos are light, graduated compression socks for everyday wear, with 14 to 17 mmHg tested in an external laboratory, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, and made in Spain. They are not a medical device and are not available on prescription. For everything that calls for light compression, from a shift on your feet to a bike ride, including your doctor's recommendation, they are made for exactly that. You put them on in the morning with the rest of your clothes, and they look like what they are: socks.

Where to buy compression socks and what to check first?

The best place is the maker's own website, since they can tell you what goes into the sock and answer any questions about sizing. You will find all of ours in compression socks. And before you pay, on our website or any other, these are the things worth checking:

• The stated mmHg. A label that just says "compression" with no figure tells you nothing. Look for the millimetres of mercury and, if possible, make sure they have been verified by an independent laboratory. We explain how to read them in what mmHg means in compression stockings.
• Graduated compression. More pressure at the bottom and less at the top. A sock that squeezes equally everywhere, or more at the top, works against you.
• Size by the leg. It doesn't matter where you buy: you always need to measure yourself. Many people choose by shoe size, but what counts is the calf circumference, because that is where the sock spreads the pressure. The foot stays comfortable whatever size you choose. Grab a tape measure and check the size chart before ordering.
• The material for the use. For standing or sitting, any of our models will do, and the right one depends on everything else. For everyday wear, the Basic in combed cotton. For sensitive skin or cycling, the Nature Bamboo. For hiking and trekking, the Dynamic, with a reinforced sole. And for hot weather, the Fresh in Coolmax.
• Fabric certification. You are going to wear them against your skin for many hours. A label such as OEKO-TEX Standard 100 guarantees that the fabric is free from harmful substances.
• Exchanges and returns. Especially if it is your first purchase and you are torn between two sizes. Have a look at our returns policy before ordering.

A couple more details, so nothing takes you by surprise. Our socks don't have a tight elastic band at the top, on purpose, so as not to cut off circulation just below the knee: if they feel a little loose at the top, that is by design. They don't have raised patterns either, because every decorative seam squeezes one specific spot and throws the compression off. And if your leg itches slightly when you put them on, that is a good sign: it is your blood getting moving.

By the way, if you find them hard to put on, a stocking donner makes it much easier. We explain how to use one in our post about the stocking donner, and you will find ours on the compression stocking donner product page.

How do the pharmacy and buying online compare?

Everything at a glance:

	Pharmacy or medical supply shop	Online, light compression
Who it is for	People whose doctor has prescribed strong compression	People looking for light compression: tired legs, work, travel, sport, or because their doctor recommended it
Advice	In person, at the counter	Via the website, chat or email
Prescription and funding	Yes: with a prescription, and prior authorisation where required, they are covered by public funding	No: Calcetinos are not a medical device and are not available on prescription
Convenience	Close by, and you take them home straight away	Delivered to your door, and you can exchange the size

Frequently asked questions about compression stockings at the pharmacy

Do I need a prescription to buy compression stockings?

To buy them, generally not. In Spain, the prescription is what gets normal and strong compression stockings funded by the public health system and, above all, what makes sure the pressure is right for your case when there is a health problem behind it. For light compression you don't need one, whether your doctor recommended it or you are looking for it yourself.

Are support stockings compression stockings?

Yes, light compression. It is the name usually given to stockings designed for tired legs, with no medical indication. In practice they play in the same league as light compression socks: what is worth checking is the same, starting with the mmHg and whether the compression is graduated.

Are there compression stockings for men?

Of course. Knee-high compression socks are worn by men and women alike, and they go completely unnoticed under trousers. Ours are not split into men's and women's models: the size comes from your leg measurement, and the colour is up to you. And if you are wondering how many hours a day to wear them, see how long to wear compression socks.

Can I wear light compression if I have varicose veins?

If you have diagnosed varicose veins, ask your doctor first, since they know your case. If they tell you light compression is enough, a pair of Calcetinos will keep you company perfectly well day to day. If they prescribe strong compression, that is the one you need, and you will find it at the pharmacy.

Disclaimer: this content is for information only and does not replace the assessment of a healthcare professional.

So, pharmacy or online?

If your doctor has prescribed strong compression, pharmacy or medical supply shop. For everything else, which is nearly everything, you can get light compression delivered from the comfort of your sofa, as long as you choose the right size and material. You will find them all together in compression socks.

What matters is that each leg gets the compression it needs. And remember: not all compression socks are Calcetinos… or anything like them 😉

Sources

1. Servicio Andaluz de Salud. Condiciones de visado. Medias elásticas de compresión normal. February 2022. Available at: sspa.juntadeandalucia.es
2. Molina Carrillo R, Rozas Martín JM. Revisión bibliográfica de las recomendaciones de las Guías de Práctica Clínica para la prescripción de Medias de Compresión Médica. Revista de Enfermería Vascular. 2020;3(6):22-29. Available at: revistaevascular.es
3. Orden de 22 de julio de 1983 por la que se regula la inclusión de las medias elásticas terapéuticas en la prestación farmacéutica de la Seguridad Social. Boletín Oficial del Estado. Available at: boe.es
4. Perdomo-Pérez E, Jiménez-García JF, Arantón-Areosa L, Blasco-García C, Durán-Sáenz I, García-Ruíz MP, Homs-Romero E. Compresión en las lesiones de extremidad inferior: lesiones venosas. GNEAUPP technical document. Gerokomos. 2025;36(Suppl. 1). Available at: gerokomos.com