Medication—getting more in the UK if needed

All 3 drugs are available by prescription in the UK. You would need to see a GP or go to an Urgent care Center to get the prescription

I want to be ready for anything, especially with a heart condition so I keep a copy of my last cardiologist visit report and medication list. I also bring prescriptions printed out by the pharmacy (and I scan it all and put it on my phone).

EDITED: Why? Because for his meds and my meds, no way you should have an expectation of getting them in Europe without a prescription from a local doctor. All the paperwork is to make the local doctor confident to write the prescriptions with out a lot of tests.

And no, not everything available in the US is available in every European country. One of my heart meds is not available in Hungary so I have to get it in Austria.

Thank you for your replies! This is very helpful. We will also be in Budapest but earlier in our trip and hope my husband still has meds while we are there, meaning I hope we do not have difficulty with our flight from Budapest. He will have extra meds as I said.
So I will have him bring his last doctor’s visit report, as well as bottles of his meds with medication and dosage. Brilliant idea about the report.

Mr. E Hits the nail right on the head !! I also have numerous prescriptions for a heart condition . Eliquis is among them . In addition to having all the documentation required , I always carry an additional three weeks supply , just in case . I don't want to be struggling to find an alternate source while in Europe with all the additional issues that entails . Eliquis , even if it is available will be extremely expensive . Fortunately .my Rx coverage takes care of my needs , but without it the cost of the Eliquis would be prohibitive

As Steve said the cost of Eliquis is enormous if you were to pay for it yourself overseer should your insurance not cover it there. I am blessed with fantastic coverage so i pay an extremely!y low amount here but if not my co' pay would be over $400 each month. I always take an extra three weeks supply when out of the country just in case.

I have had to get a prescription refilled in England--but not that exact same one as you're asking about.

I went to an NHS clinic and told them what I needed. I waited and was eventually seen by a nurse. Bring a copy of the prescriptions with you. After a few questions, she wrote the prescription. (Nurses can write prescriptions in the UK.)

There was no charge for this visit.

I took it to a pharmacy (Boots) and had it filled. If your husband is over 60, the prescription will be free. People over 60 in the UK get prescriptions for free. I was over 60 and even though I was not part of NHS, my prescription was free.

My suggestion...get to the clinic when it opens otherwise your wait could be long. That's what I was told to do and only had about a 15 minute wait.

We just went through this last week. My husband needed a replacement for one of his medications. He made an appointment at a clinic, took a copy of his Rx, was given a written prescription which he took to Boots. Though he is 73, the prescription was not free. Nor was the visit. We will get reimbursed through our Medicare supplementary insurance when we get home. The caveat is that his prescription is fairly common and not expensive so it may work differently for you.

Eliquis , even if it is available will be extremely expensive

Well, you might actually be pleasantly surprised, many drugs, including Eliquis are significantly cheaper in Europe, as would be the appointment to get a prescription. (Think 10's of Dollars, not 100's). Due to national health care, many countries cap prescription costs, and of course companies are not spending Billions on advertising drugs in the EU. For many, the cost of an appointment and the prescription may be less than what you might pay in the US as a co-pay. (depending on your insurance)

Katiecem....did you go to a private clinic? (I'm thinking that if you made an appointment it was a private clinic or saw a doctor as a private patient which would cost.)

My prescription had my name and age on it. When I showed it to the pharmacist I asked if it was free and he said yes. It's a fairly common prescription.

I know a few other people--all non-Brits-- who went to NHS clinics, were seen for free, and got free prescriptions.

If you see a private GP or doctor of any kind then your prescription is outside of the NHS and you will be charged the full price of the drugs. NHS prescriptions issued by an NHS doctor are capped at £9.90 per item and are free for many groups. In Scotland all prescriptions are free.

All pharmacists are employed by the NHS but they can also dispense private prescriptions. You’ll just be charged the full cost rather than the NHS cost.

Generic apixaban is as cheap as chips in the UK. Cheaper possibly because the NHS pays typically a bit over a pound for 60 tablets. Eliquis is rather more expensive, as would private prescriptions.

Since you are coming to Budapest too, I will tell you about what it is like to be a tourist with a medical need here. This isn’t a one off experience I have lived it as a tourist and non-citizen on and off for over 20 years. First, for an emergency call and ambulance (the number is 112). Emergency health care here is very good (been there, done that).

You do not qualify for care paid for under the national healthcare system. Nor would you want to for something routine like prescriptions because if it isn’t an emergency you have to wait, sometimes weeks if not months. Besides, low-income locals pay about 20% of their income for free health care, compared to about 7% for ACA insurance paid by the poor in the US; and it’s not nice to take their place in line at the national clinics. I’m not being critical of Hungary as it really isn’t unique in Europe.

Not necessarily essentially, but as precaution, bring the documentation in my first post. Then you will need an appointment with a doctor in a private clinic. My recommendation is FirstMed https://maps.app.goo.gl/A2WyqNvmgcs5kTkZ9 . It’s a good clinic and it’s the sort of place where expats, tourists and other than the low income locals go for timely and efficient healthcare.

The location looks far from where you are staying in Pest, but it’s just one tram, the 4/6 tram, away. You will need to call for the appointment (you can walk in early in the day and probably get to see a doctor). The cost will be about 30.000 Ft which is about $90.00. Everyone speaks perfect English and the clinic is one of the few that does take some international travel insurance.

If the doctor is satisfied, thanks to all of the documentation you brought, that it is safe for him to give you a prescription without further verification of your condition, then you will get written script that you take to a pharmacy. Since you are outside the national health care system you will pay about the same as your US copay cost for the meds. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less.

Some medications, Flecainide comes to mind, are not available in Hungary. But a prescription written by a doctor in one EU country is good in any EU country and bringing meds for personal use from other EU countries is legal, so there are prescription courier services in town. It takes me about 10 days and about $10 in courier fees to get my Flecainide.

When bringing your medication to Hungary, there is no official website that says that original packaging is required. However, this is the stuff that keeps you alive and the inspectors do have the authority to use personal discretion and if they have an issue with you or the way the medication appears they might just toss it in the trash. With critical issues like this I error on the side of caution. Leave it in the pharmacy bottles.

And as always, if you need help you can contact me. Send me a PM and I will give you a number.

"no way you are getting them in Europe without a prescription from a local doctor."

That's definitely true in the UK but not all across Europe. I had need to get two of my prescription drugs whilst in Italy a few weeks ago and I bought both over the counter cheaply in a pharmacy with no questions asked.

Johnew52, yes, there are exceptions. But unless one is going to research all the possible exceptions .... just the same I revised.

Thank you everyone for your replies. They are very helpful. We are just a bit concerned about being in Europe longer than expected due to delays and want to be prepared in case of that. So because of your replies we will be better prepared. Thank you too to Mr E for info about getting meds in Hungary. That is very good to know, too!

My husband is bringing a lot extra.

Most countries have limits to the amount you can bring in. For example, for the UK, you can only bring up to 3 months supply of your medicine with you.

https://www.gov.uk/take-medicine-in-or-out-uk

So, make sure you don’t bring too much.