Obtaining medication in Germany

Certainly. Right after visiting a doctor and getting a prescription. You should be able to find a clinic with a doctor easy enough.

So, in other words, I need to have a doctor in Germany prescribe (?) All I have is the names of the medications and the dosage.

Yes, you will need a doctor to write a presecription if you are looking for prescription medication. Google Medical Clinic and make an appointment (or walk in). Explain the issue and they will generally take care of you. Might cost USD50. Small investment in health.

WELL ............ if you have the US meds in the original containers and its nothing too complex. If you are walking in with just a list of names of meds you might have a bit more trouble. You might call your US doctor and have them email you a descripton of the condition and what you have been prescribed or the local doctor may want to veryify through tests for his own peace of mind.

Thank. This is helpful.

I doubt it is the case for your medication, but it is always a good choice to stop in a pharmacy first, and ask if your medication requires a prescription there (Pharmacists in some countries have the ability to "prescribe" medication for common ailments) and if so, they can also usually recommend a clinic nearby.

Maybe too late for you, and if you forgot the meds, you would have not thought to bring the prescription, but if you do not travel with a bottle with a prescription label, bring copies of the prescription. While you know the name, you may not know the generic name, as your brand may not be available there. If you have a pill, they can identify it to the specific manufacturer and dose, or you could email your Doctor for a letter stating what, and why, he prescribed the meds, to ease the process.

The biggest issue is if your ailment would normally require testing to verify your condition, a Doctor may be reluctant to prescribe a drug with potential side effects based on your word that you take them. So something from your physician is critical.

When I was in Siena a couple weeks ago, I felt like I was starting to get UTI. My RS tour guide went to the pharmacy with me to translate. Because I am very sensitive to antibiotics, I keep a list on my phone of what I can take and what I can’t. I also keep a list of all medications with dosage.. The pharmacist said I needed to see a doctor. I said at 73 I know what I need. I showed her my list. Instead of having to find a doctor, she filled what I needed.
So start with a pharmacy, Then go to the doctor is they insist.

When I travel I carry a paper list of all current prescriptions with pharmacy labels I don’t carry it in my tiny daily purse, no room. But it’s in my paperwork file in my tote if I need it.
The phone list in Notes is very helpful at home too. Every time I see a new doctor, I show her or him the list so I don’t muddle the pronunciations.

If you have any sort of serious or chronic disorder … no, just in general … you should keep on your phone and in a cloud folder and have in the hands of someone on your contact list all the important information.

Name
Birthdate
Mother’s Maidan Name
Passport photograph
Driver’s License photograph
Address
Phone number
Emergency contacts
Doctors
Prescriptions
Insurance card photos
DNR orders
Attorney name
Location of your will
Shipping instructions for the remains
Travel Plans, hotels, flights

Christina, obviously you would like your medicine, but the same thing almost happened to me several years ago when I left for a 10 day trip. I didn't forget the thyroid meds, but forgot to refill it and was worried that I couldn't get a refill before I left. However, my doctor assured me that a short period without thyroid medication (I'm assuming yours is for hypothyroidism) would not cause any noticeable problems. She said not to worry about it if I couldn't get it but to just enjoy the vacation.

Obviously you probably want to check on that, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to send a message to your physician using MyChart. But just saying that is what I was told.

First of all, ask your doctor to send you the specifications of your medication immediately. This is because the active ingredient in question may not be available under the same brand name in the EU. Secondly, ask in a pharmacy whether the active ingredient is available on prescription or not. If the former, they are not allowed to sell you the medicine without a doctor's prescription. However, they may be able to put you in touch with one. Otherwise, ask your hotel to call 116117 to find the nearest on- duty practice.

Last time I was in Germany a pharmacist accepted a copy of my U.S. doctor’s proscription..

But that was just for a skin medication, and I’m not sure if she was really authorized to do that.

You need a prescription from a German doctor before the pharmacist will fill your needed meds. I did this in Berlin in 2017.

Go to a pharmacist, tell them your situation and they will tell you to go to a Klinik, which you can go to as a "walk-in" I did exactly that on a Saturday morning. Luckily the Klinik was around the corner from the pharmacy.

There you'll just be asked one basic question, (good to bring your passport, in case). They were not interested in seeing my passport until I almost politely insisted.

Their question is: are a resident of Germany or are you a tourist? That settles the issue.

You wait, I waited ca.15 mins or so. The doc sees you, all is conducted in English with the receptionist, the doc, if you want that. I did everything in German. After the talk with the doc, he will write you a prescription which you bring back to the pharmacist. Pretty straight forward

Bottom line: in 2017 I had no problems at all getting the prescribed pills I needed from the German doc and the pharmacist. I did not bring along the needed number of pills to last me the duration of the 7 week trip because I simply miscounted , so I was missing 2 weeks supply of this one particular med.

I paid 100 Euro, which only cash payment was accepted ...no problem.

.

Official regulation: it depends on country of proscription.
German pharmacies are allowed to accept proscriptions from EU and EWR countries.
Source of information: published statement (German) from Berlin Chamber of Pharmacists

Last time I was in Germany a pharmacist accepted a copy of my U.S. doctor’s proscription..
But that was just for a skin medication, and I’m not sure if she was really authorized to do that.

Very likely, the medication you were prescribed here in the US must be prescribed by a Doctor. There, the Pharmacist determining that was appropriate, was within their ability to dispense. Pharmacists in many European countries have a bit more latitude and ability to diagnose simple ailments and dispense meds.

One of the perks of nationalized medicine, it only makes sense to streamline the process, let simple things be done simply. In the US, they would likely charge you hundreds for an office visit to your GP, who would refer you to a Dermatologist for $100's more, and then to the pharmacy for a $30 tube of ointment, all in the course of a month or more....in Europe, go to the pharmacist, looks at your skin condition, sells you a 5 euro tube of the same stuff, all in 5 minutes.

I showed the pharmacist my med container, (this time I had it brought along ) , the name of which she immediately recognised as needing a German doc 's prescription before she could sell me the med. That was all.

Last time I was in Germany a pharmacist accepted a copy of my U.S. doctor’s proscription..

I doubt the pharmacist would risk his license. Likely he gave it to you because either there is no proscription needed for that product in Germany or he gave you a weaker concentration of the same product which is allowed to sell without proscription. This happens sometimes for pain medicaion.

I dunno. She would not dispense it (tacrolimus ointment) without a prescription, but said she would with evidence of the US one.

I had the feeling she was pushing the envelope a little.

so, christina, what happened?

So, after all that, I got a hold of my doctor at home and she said it would not hurt me to skip the medication for two weeks. However, I appreciated all the information from all these responses because my husband fell and hurt his hand and I was much more confident to help him find a clinic and get medical attention. He got an X-ray, and found it is a sprain not a break. They wrapped and put a soft cast on it and gave him his X-ray pictures and report on a disc so him he’s not better when we get home, his own doctor will have the information. So, thank you to all who responded to my inquiry!

Happy that worked out for you. This may sound odd but finding a clinc and seeing a doctor is one way to get to know a destination,

So, after all that, I got a hold of my doctor at home and she said it would not hurt me to skip the medication for two weeks. However, I appreciated all the information from all these responses because my husband fell and hurt his hand and I was much more confident to help him find a clinic and get medical attention.

Christina, I'm glad it all worked out. I was surprised when I had my issue with the meds to find that it wouldn't hurt to skip it for a few weeks, but it's good to know. And I'm so sorry about your husband, but he was lucky to have you to get him medical attention. Other than that, I hope you had a wonderful trip! I love Germany and it's such a great place to visit.