Precription for ADHD medicine - "controlled substance"

Your doctor cannot write a prescription that you can fill in Europe. He is not a licensed practitioner there. The letter to another doctor explaining your son's condition and current treatment plan would probably be helpful. Each country has different laws and lists of controlled substances- there isn't just one 'European' set of rules. I would expect that London would be the easiest place to deal with this issue due to not having to deal with language/translation issues. I would investigate how to go about finding a physician there to help you. I don't think going to an urgent care type center would be practical.

I have just one addition to the good advice above. Because of the way drug prices are negotiated with governments, (other than the U.S.) you may find the dosage strengths are different in Europe. Often, fewer dosage strengths are available in Europe (As a cost containment measure).

Since you will be in several countries, it would be to your advantage to ensure that you obtain the refill in a country that markets the appropriate dosage strength. With a little Internet searching, you can probably get an idea of what dosage strengths are approved in each country (or region, depending on how the company chose to obtain marketing approval). If you can find the link to the website for the appropriate drug in Europe, the package insert will be there, and at the end of the package insert there's typically a little block of text that identifies available dosage strengths.

I agree that you should get the letter and carry copies of the prescription. In Italy, for instance, hotel staff and Rick's guidebooks both have the names for English-speaking doctors who will often make a hotel visit for about €50 and can write prescriptions. However, some medications are not for sale in various countries, or not in the same formulations.

You are well-advised to seek this in London to avoid language problems. Why not pose your question to the London Forum on Tripadvisor? younwill get answers from locls who may know specifics.

You've gotten good advice above.

Don't assume Vyvanse is even available in every country (someone told me that no stimulants of any kind were available in Italy, for instance - she had to go to Switzerland to get her Ritalin).

BTW, the laws are different in each US state as well. In New York, you can get a 90 day supply - even if it's not covered by the insurance, it's legal to dispense that much, if the prescription is written correctly. See if you can do that, as that would eliminate the problem (although at great cost if it's not covered - Vyvanse is expensive).

One thing about drugs is that they often one chemical name and have different brand names in different countries. A doctor may have never heard of 'Vyvanse' because he is used to a different name. I found this in the Wikipedia article "Lisdexamfetamine", which is the chemical name:

Lisdexamfetamine is licensed under the brand name Vyvanse in the United States and Canada, Venvanse in Brazil, and Elvanse in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Spain and Norway (Tyvense in Ireland).

Drug testing and approvals are handled at the EU level. Approvals are done jointly for all EU countries as that saves bureaucracy and duplication.
It is a 'Class B' drug in the UK, so it definitely needs a prescription. According to German Wikipedia it is also a prescription drug in Germany (verschreibungsfähiges Betäubungsmittel), so I assume it would need a prescription in all other European countries.

My recommendation, if there is no way to get enough supplies before you leave home, is to definitely get a letter from your doctor and then take this, and the empty packaging which will have technical references on it, to a pharmacy (chemist) in London, tell them your story and ask them for a recommendation of a doctor to go to.

The brand name in the UK is Elvanse, but note it is available only in 30, 50 and 70mg doses from looking it up in the BNF. It is a Class B Schedule 2 drug here - you ought to verify any importation or licensing restrictions in the UK and your other countries.

You may need to find a psychiatrist to prescribe it. The cost of the drug is £60-£100 per month depending on strength and pharmacy.

Check out online help groups based in the UK (and elsewhere, but you may not have the language skills).

Carol, because the stakes are high, let me amend an earlier comment. It is not true that all drugs are approved at once throughout the European Union. That is certainly the most common route. However, for strategic reasons, companies will sometimes apply for individual approvals.

So for safety sake, ensure that the drug you need is available in the country in which you'll need it. (And I'm speaking based on a couple of decades of experience writing the clinical parts of drug approval applications, including 5 years of working exclusively on EU submissions.)

You would do well to carefully forward-plan and set this up well in advanced.

It goes without saying- controlled substances are controlled because they tend to be abused. I don't doubt the legitimate medical use of the drug in your son's case. But put it in the perspective of a European physician, who is probably very protective of his/her medical license. If you simply show up asking for a month supply of a controlled medication, don't be surprised if he/she says "no", or gives you the absolute minimum number of tablets to get you out of the office. Your best option would be to arrange an appointment far in advanced and inquire what documentation the physician will want to see.

If you can't find a solution... talk to your son's doctor about "drug holidays". Kids with ADHD don't need to be medicated around the clock every day. You may want to save the medication selectively for instances where your son's symptoms will need to be under better control, like during a tour or while waiting for a meal. But this would need to be a discussion you have with his physician.

Of course, you could always change the length of your stay in Europe from three months to two months.

Would it be possible for you to get 2 months now, and then 2 months again at start of summer? Alternatively could someone pick up the prescription and mail it to you in time? I have done that with my daughter.