Prescriptions from US
 

I will be in Europe from August to December on a study abroad program. I have several prescriptions that I take, but I don't want to fill 5 months of all of them and take them with me. If I have a prescription from a US doctor, can I get it filled in Europe (more specifically Germany)?

My husband ran out of one of his prescriptions when we were in Portugal last year. He took the original bottle to the pharmacy and they filled it for him.
Now. This wasn't a written prescription. But it was valid.
Could you fill them for 90 days with one or two refills available on the label and take that in to a pharmacy and have it filled?

I suppose I could get them filled for 90 days, however there are 4 prescriptions and I am backpacking for 20 days before heading to my home institution so that is a lot of room and weight to be carrying around. One of the prescriptions is also very expensive and I didn't want to have to ask my parents to shell out so much money at one time.

ab - I'd check with someone at your program. They've surely run into this very often. Some/many places won't fill prescriptions from a foreign doctor (which is quite understandable). We have had friends who've been able to have a local doctor in Europe issue a prescription after receiving it from US doctor but I frankly don't know what process/approvals they used to do that.

ab, I'd also look into insurance reimbursement for prescriptions filled out of the country, especially if some of your meds are expensive.

In Germany, you don't get refills. Either your doctor prescripes a larger quantity, or you have to see the doctor again to get another prescription when you used up the med. You don't get those little pill containers here, but prescription drugs come in same type of packaging as OTC drugs.

In emergencies, it can be assumed that you may get a "refill" (i.e. a similar med) at a German pharmacy, but I don't think it will be wise to make a habit out of it, or rely on that strategy for such a long period.

Asking someone in charge of your program may be the wisest idea. I'd assume that you should bring some documentation from your US doctor which lists the medication you need (active agents, not only the brand names as those often differ here from country to country), and a German GP can issue you a prescription then.

Meds are not cheap here, so you can expect to pay at least as much as in the States. Pharmacies often/ usually don't take credit cards for prescription drugs, but only debit cards. If that can be a problem with that one very expensive med, you may want to take enough for the whole trip of those with you.