I plan to travel to western europe for 3 months and I use the monthly nuva ring contraception. This product must be refrigerated prior to use so it is impossible to carry it in my backpack. If I bring prescription slips from my US doctor, will I be able to purchase this in western european pharmacies?
Posted by
Texan in CA
4415 posts
The NuvaRing website says you can keep it at room temperature for 4 months after being dispensed by the pharmacy (avoid going over 86F and direct sunlight).
Are you more concerned with the going over 86F part? There are cold packs meant for medication (diabetes, arthritis, etc.), so you could investigate those.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
One of the problems with prescriptions for specific products like the Nuvaring is that it probably has a different brand name in each language market. This isn't a problem for pills, because the generic names are the same everywhere, but it is for a drug-impregnated device like the Nuvaring. Now, it is possible that it has the same name everywhere (I don't personally know), but I've seen a few examples of a trade name being used for different drugs in different countries. So, your best option would be to get a cooling pack like the last poster suggested.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
My daughter gets hers via mail order pharmacy, so she gets 3 months are a time. Both the pharmacy and her doctor told her they don't need to be refrigerated because she would be using them within the 3 months.
Posted by
Houten, Utrecht, Netherlands
73 posts
NuvaRing is widely available in Europe. It's an Organon now Merck) product. Organon was at the time of introduction still a Dutch company.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NuvaRing
However, obtaining medication with a foreign prescription may be a pain in any country.