Can we get a UK NHS prescription fulfilled in t... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

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Can we get a UK NHS prescription fulfilled in the EU and then import the medication back to the UK?

Abi-Abster profile image
11 Replies

Hi All,

Has anyone from the UK managed to get prescriptions regularly fulfilled in the EU?

We have prescriptions which theoretically could be fulfilled in the EU (say France, as it’s closest) but obviously since Brexit it’s become trickier to achieve this. But apparently it is possible.

Has anyone travelled to the EU for regular prescriptions to be fulfilled, and if so, how does it work? Apart from travel, what are the costs involved? Please talk me through it!

Many thanks,

A x

PS: I found this online about the wording of prescriptions for the EU, but not about *how* to actually fulfil them.

There is no specific form or format needed to use a prescription in another EU/EEA country or the UK. In general, prescriptions cannot currently be emailed. The prescription must include information about the patient, doctor or other health professional and medical product(s) prescribed including:

Your details as the patient

Your first name and surname written in full (not initials)

Your date of birth

The details of the health professional writing the prescription including their:

First name and surname written in full

Professional qualification

Contact details (email and telephone or fax including international prefix)

Work address (including the country)

Signature (written in ink in their handwriting or by electronic signature)

Date the prescription is issued

The prescription should also include details of the prescribed product including the:

Common name instead of the brand name. (If a specific brand is medically necessary the prescription should include a brief statement of the reason.) In the case of biological medicinal products, brand names may be used.

Format of the product, for example, tablets or solution.

Quantity and strength.

Dosage or instructions for use.

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Abi-Abster profile image
Abi-Abster
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11 Replies

yes I do this. My doctor is in the EU, he prescribes for me, I order it directly from an EU country by emailing them my prescription and paying them, they then send it to me directly. €41 for 100 tabs if thybon henning, including delivery.

HealthStarDust profile image
HealthStarDust in reply to

How does one get a doctor in the EU when resident say in the UK? Not sure if you are UK based.

in reply to HealthStarDust

I am UK based, my doctor is in Ireland

HealthStarDust profile image
HealthStarDust in reply to

Thanks for that. I suppose it must be private doctor now that I think about it.

Abi-Abster profile image
Abi-Abster in reply to

Wow! That’s great.

Wonder how to make it work with a UK prescription from an NHS doctor.

Can I send - or deliver in person - my NHS written prescription to an EU pharmacy? Pretty sure I read somewhere that we can’t send electronic prescriptions from the UK to the EU…

Or…how does one go about finding an EU doctor if you live in the UK?

in reply to Abi-Abster

If your doctor is UK, they won’t be able to prescribe from EU, unless they have an international prescribing license and have practicing rights inside the EU.

There are places in UK that will be able to provide T3, but it is charged at a premium (they know how hard it is for us to get hold of it and they use that to their advantage)

Abi-Abster profile image
Abi-Abster in reply to

Thank you for clarifying. I have so far got my T3 from a website. Not ideal!

in reply to Abi-Abster

Tbh I will likely be switching to the self source T3 - usually Tiromel - as it’s so cheap and I can buy as much as I want, enough to keep my going for many months without reordering. I only use the thybon because I am being careful about fillers, but I’ve realized I don’t have issues with excipients so I can cope with Tiromel.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK

The problem is brexit.

While within the EU, the information you posted was good. But even then there was no requirement for any one EU country, or any one pharmacy in an EU country, to accept prescriptions from another EU country.

We found that several German pharmacies were very willing to supply against UK prescriptions. But, as soon as brexit was actually implemented, that largely stopped.

Few, if any, French pharmacies were willing. (Online dispensing seems to have passed France by - at least at present!)

There is confusion. Many German pharmacies stopped shipping anything to the UK - even over-the-counter products.

One of the issues was mutual recognition of qualifications. A German doctor's qualifications were recognised i n the UK. And a UK doctor's qualifications were recognised in Germany. And there was some sort of agreement about how they could be checked. I have become lost off but at least for some time, this issue was a source of problems.

I'd far rather purchase online than needing to travel. Aside from cost, and time, it would be awful to travel and then find you couldn't get what you want for any of many possible reasons. Much better to get an email at home saying: "Sorry, we cannot supply that."

In the far past, I have used regular NHS FP10 prescriptions to get products from Germany without any issues. However, you obviously have to pay the usual price - the NHS side means nothing.

And pharmacies did widely move to requiring actual physical prescriptions be sent by post - not scans or photos.

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle

Hi Abi-Abster please consider signing this petition and sharing if you can, Thanks Tattybogle : healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

a private prescription would get you access to Thybon Henning 20mcg T3 - cost 60-80p per tablet

Look at this private prescription service

rosewaylabs.com/patients/pr...

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