hello all,

Friends of ours, aged 63 and living in Ireland want to spend next October to March in Spain to avoid the bad winter weather. The lady is on various tablets for BP and arthritis mainly.

How does one go about getting more than a month's supply of medication when overwintering abroad. She has been unable to get much information thus far (no PC so no friendly forumites to ask).

Thanks for any info.

She will have to ask her Doctor.

Thanks. The lady in question has a 3 month prescription from her doctor and also an E111 European card.( Pharmacists in Ireland are not allowed to dispense more than one month's worth of tablets at a time). I presume if she took the prescription privately to a Spanish Pharmacy she might be able to get it filled, but have to pay the full cost?

I wonder if there is any way she can get the prescription filled using the E111 card or does she have to go to a Spanish doctor and get a Spanish prescription for the drugs.

Yes, a Spanish pharmacy will only fill Spanish prescriptions, however, even if she has to pay for the medication, it doesnt always follow that they will cost very much. I needed steroids a while ago and they cost 2€ for a pack of 30!

Jo xx

Actually, her best bet is to go to a pharmacy with an old packet of the required medicine and ask for the same again.

I have yet to find a Pharmacist that will not do this for any sort of medicine (even an epipen for adrenaline - sting allergy).


<<By-the-way, I guess you mean the EHIC card as there is no such thing as an E111 any more - these are for emergencies only which a repeat prescription isn't.>>

The EHIC covers a lot more than just emergencies.

Any treatment you need as a result of a pre-existing illness is covered so it should be perfectly possible to get a prescription from a doctor - but you may have to pay for the drugs and get reimbursement, if appropriate, back in the UK.

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthc...iscovered.aspx

Thanks Fred, I didn't know that.

I guess a lot of medical centres and hospitals don't know that either. I have a bad back (several operations etc. etc.) and recently slipped another disc - well, the medical centre and hospital weren't interested. All they did was to give me a couple of injections in the b*m and told me to get "proper" treatment back in England.

But don`t you live in Spain ?
If you do then you are not entitled to use it anyway, unless you go back to the UK on holiday.

At the risk of 'dobbing' myself in - you're correct, I live in Spain.

I still have an EHIC card (which is, of course, wrong) because I can't get a SIP card nor a TSE card here in Spain.

I can't go private as I have insufficient funds for a family of 5 plus I have a pre-existing condition which would not be covered.

I am currently trying to go Autonomo but am having difficulty in persuading the authorities that my rental income constitutes a business (see other thread).

So, when I slip a disc, what should I do? (Apart from paying for the treatment which is what I did).

Snikpoh, I though children were covered anyway under the Ley de Menores. Also please have look at the last post on this thread

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=669368

If you´re resident, it is possible you may be able be covered thru public health care system in at the end of the year.

When I needed more tablets for blood pressure I did exactly as you said and went to the farmacia but was told to get a prescription from the doctor as they could not supply my drugs without one. So I guess it very much depends on what tablets she is on as to whether she will be able to buy them over the counter or not.

Rosemary

You have all overlooked the obvious. Go to Uk doctor and get all the medication written as 3 seperate scripts, tell him its one per month and explain why you require it like that. then take the 3 scripts with the medications to 3 seperate pharmacists. job done, all your medications and enough to last 3 months before you leave!

GPs arent really supposed to do that!

Jo xx

Depending on the drugs she may not be able to get that many.

Our daughter did a 'year abroad' at University in Sevilla, and although her English University took care of all the arrangements concerning health insurance etc., she was able to obtain all her blood pressure medication through her UK GP. Repeat prescriptions and posting out drugs that I obtained on her behalf was the way forward ...