Yeah, it's pretty weird here. Pharmacies stock both: the placebo on the shelves, and the real one behind the counter, usually called "such-and-such ORIGINAL" or something.

So if you don't want a placebo, you have to know that the real one exists, ask for it, and then present ID so they can track how much you're buying.

I've only bought the real one a couple of times. One was to help with a long-lasting post-viral cough in advance of an important meeting. I can't for the life of me recall how I already knew about the distinction.