rpjs

Does anyone know if a US pharmacy will fill a prescription written in the UK (on a standard green NHS prescription form). It's signed by my UK GP and everything. Obviously if they did I'd have to pay full price, which might not be worth it but I was just wondering if they would in principle.

Thanks

MarylandNed

No. There are serious legal implications. A pharmacy will only fill a prescription when it's written by someone who is licensed in the US.

MsElui

i would suspect your options are to take your uk prescription to a new doctor here in the US and get them to treat you for the same ailment and prescribe a new prescription accordingly. (although bear in mind they do things differently here sometimes. In the UK my husband had a simple blue inhaler for his asthma - here his new doc insisted on doing lung capacity test and gave him a whole new type inhaler)

or sign the prescription and get someone in the UK to fill it for you and try and send it in the post. Not sure if it would encounter any customs difficulties that way though.

Ozzidoc

No customs difficulties with this.

I don't know the OP's situation...Remember that NHS prescriptions are not usually available to non-UK domiciled people.

Duncan Roberts

Also keep in mind that the prescription may be for something that is not available in the US or is available over the counter.

rpjs

UK domiciled until tomorrow and I understand both items are on prescription in the US. Just have to wait until I'm signed onto my employer's health insurance I guess.

Thanks all!

dunroving

Why don't you just get it filled in the UK and take it with you?

Duncan Roberts

You don't need to be on a health insurance plan to get a prescription, you'll just have to pay more without insurance. I guess what you should do depends on what the medication is an how important it is for you.

rpjs

Lack of time mostly, and I have enough for a few weeks anyway.

dunroving

It takes Boots about 15 minutes to fill my prescription - I'd say that is a worthwhile use of your time, especially as you may be paying anything from $20 to $200 per medication in the States - even with health insurance. depending on what the medication is and how many types, you could be spending several hundred without health insurance.

I suppose time is relative (according to Einstein, at least), but from your post it sounded like you were planning on getting a script anyway and unless you live way out in the Boonies, presumably your nearest chemist isn't too far ... but then who am I to tell you what to do ... your time, your money.

TimNiceBut

Don't forget that depending on the employer, it can take a while until you're eligible for their health plan. If I were you I'd get the prescription filled in the UK to be on the safe side.

NatashaB

You should be able to find the actual cost of drugs fairly easily on drugstore.com or somewhere similar. You may be shocked by the total price, I just found out my stepdaughters tablets are $150 a month at full cost, we pay $25 with our prescription plan

dunroving

I used to get Claritin on prescription (before the patent ran out and it could be sold over the counter) and it was $50 per script with health insurance ...

AdobePinon

That's because they actually try to treat asthma over here, rather than throw the blue inhaler (and maybe brown inhaler too) at you, and tell you to get lost for a couple of years.

MarylandNed

Good point. Also many US health insurance plans now have high deductibles whereby you pay the entire deductible (e.g. the first $3000 or so of healthcare costs) out of your own pocket. The actual coverage (which might cover 90% of cost) only kicks in after you've met your deductible.