Amsterdam pharmacies
 

Soon will be in Amsterdam but will run out of a medication and cannot refill the prescription here. Anyone know if the pharmacies there would sell Lortab (or similar) to a person without a prescription? My husband has 3 different ailments that are helped greatly by a daily Lortab but the insurance companies/FDA have rules on how much they will dole out--understandably--and he cannot get enough to last the whole 5 weeks in Europe.

He can't get an adequate amount even if he explains he will be out of the country? My insurance allowed that, although in general they were quite harsh. Might need a push from his doctor's office.

As for an equivalent, I doubt you can get anything OTC. In France you can get generic Tylenol with low dose codeine without a perscription, I think also in ND, but that's not near the strength of Lortab.

http://www.amsterdam.info/health/pharmacies/

try emailing some and ask that question - they will probably speak excellent English.

when i forgot one of my prescriptions once I went to a clinic where for just a few bucks a dutch doctor wrote me a new prescription - in case you need a prescription perhaps the pharmacy could recommend a doctor or even accept your American prescription?

It isn't registered as a medicine here, so I think you will have a serious problem trying to get it.
It falls under the opium laws here so even if it was available it would only be on prescription.

Do you have travel insurance? If so try a doctor or hospital in Amsterdam - they should be able to prescribe an alternative so he doesn't suffer withdrawal symptoms, but with no prescription you won't get anything to help I'm afraid.

How about the clinic at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport? There used to be one but not sure today.

The problem is the drug is not registered for use here, so it won't be available.

There is still a clinic at Schiphol, in departure hall 2, but I can't see they'd be any more help than any other doctor in the city. They cost the same.

Well there must be some equivalent drug that Dutch doctors recommend for similar conditions?

I just do not see why your local doctor could not override the FDA rules in such a situation. I had one such controlled substance drug once and asked for two refills at one just because of the same reason and they did it.

Otherwise I guess your screwed!

How about if you could have some proxy get the drug when a refill is possible and have it sent FedEx or UPS or whatever to where you are?

Is that possible>

Thanks, folks. We will probably visit a doctor in amsterdam if it becomes a real problem. I am pushing for him to try 3 or 4 Ibuprofen or Tylenol for one of the two doses a day. Just maybe that would tide him over and the amount of pills he has will last long enough.

Does it have to be Netherlands? "Soon will be in Amsterdam" seems to indicate you are somewhere else. In some other country? I have not done this in Netherlands, but in Italy I was able to get a prescription refilled by showing the existing prescription bottle when I found out that the I might be stuck in Italy longer due to flight cancellation. The pharmacist seem to be more interested in making sure the correct dosage of the right medicine was provided. Depending on where in Netherlands you might be, Germany, Belgium, or even France are not that far away.

You might not be able to get the medicine itself, but can you get a prescription which can simplify getting the medicine filled if not in Netherlands?

If you trust Wikipedia, the only country where the active ingredient was still considered medication and which is near NL would be Luxemburg.
In Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, UK, and others it is not medication or a controlled substance but a drug or illegal substance which cannot be prescribed.
IMO, it would be best to address your US doctor with this problem. He might even be familiar with this problem and should be able to suggest possible (and legal) alternatives.

Get a new RX from your local Dr. and don't have it filled on your insurance , pay the cash price. That the easiest. I worked as a pharmacist in an insurance co ( Cigna) And we had the Ability to put an override in computer for vacation supplies.Hac=ve pharmacy call for an i=overrede