Posting Meds to Portugal

sezzlebum

Hi all

Wasnt sure where to post it but i usually get the right answers in this section so thought why not lol

My FIL is away in Portugal for a month, he fb'd my OH last night and asked if we could collect his pescription up for his heart meds (tablets i presume) and send them over to him

can we do this though? hes saying hes only got a weeks worth left so really needs them

eta: just found the holiday section so post may be being moved there if better suited.

hermum

From RM site

Prescription and over-the-counter medicines Prescription and over-the-counter medicines may be sent by, or at the specific request of: a qualified medical practitioner, a registered dental practitioner, a veterinary surgeon, a registered nurse or a recognised laboratory or institution. Any medicine that uses an aerosol where the volume exceeds 50ml is prohibited and will not be accepted. Any aerosols that use flammable or toxic gases as propellants are also prohibited. Controlled drugs or substitutes for controlled drugs are prohibited and will not be accepted. Private individuals may send medicines in prescription quantities in cases of emergency only. See Drugs. See below for further information about sending and packaging medicines.
I would assume that heart medicine would be seen as an emergency, if he forgot to take them with him.

sezzlebum

i read that but wasnt sure if it had to be the gp sending them,
he was originally going for 2 weeks, but hes met up with some friends and wants to stay a bit longer, otherwise he would have been back in time
hopefully it'll be some form OH will have to fill in for him but i was just double checking

thanks

JoJoC

Hi there,

I'm not sure if you've already received a more appropriate answer but last year my mum went on holiday without her medication and she only had three days worth with her for a two week break.

I did quite a bit of online searching and I remember the postal system being really funny about sending them.

We contacted a few courier companies who said that they'd happily take them to her hotel in Portugal but there were a few stipulations.

(This is all from memory so i'm sorry if it isn't 100% accurate!)

When we posted them, we had to include the prescription in the package. We also had to write on the back of the parcel exactly what was included (name and type of medication, how many mg per tablet and how many tablets) I also put on there that it was to cover my mother's two week holiday in Portugal and that the parcel was sent by her daughter.

The courier company also said that it would be good to include a note from your doctor if possible but that it's not essential. We didn't have time to do this and the package got there fine and unopened.

It did cost me about £40 though but it was worth it!

The other suggestion (and something that my mum tried) was to go to a local pharmacy to see if they had her medication but they didn't stock that particular kind int he whole of Portugal. Maybe worth a try?

Hope this helps,

sezzlebum

thanks for that JoJoC, we're going post office later so will see what they say, if its a no then courier it is

silly man

hermum

Private individuals may send medicines in prescription quantities in cases of emergency only.
You're a private individual & sending a prescription quantity.
Has he been to a local surgery to see if they'll prescribe them for him there.