Emergency Supply of Medication - Sweden

August 23, 2017 11:50 PM

I can't find my US prescribed medication - can I get an emergency supply here in Sweden?

I am traveling, and while I could have sworn that I had packed it (its always on my list to double check), now I can't find my fluoxetine. I need a four days supply.

While I call the airline to see if it fell under a seat and search through everything for it, is there a way to get an emergency supply here in Sweden? I have a photo of my US prescription bottle, with the name of the drug, my name, prescriber name and date all visible.

I am going to call Läkemedelsupplysningen, but does anyone have any experience in this or recommendations?

posted by troytroy to Travel & Transportation around Sweden (9 answers total)

Call your doctor in the US, and ask them to fax the prescription (or email) to the pharmacy. Speak to the pharmacy first and ask if they'll accept it, because I think it also depends on the class of drug. Most hotels in Sweden will also have a go-to doctor who can help you with an emergency prescription, if required.
posted by frumiousb at 12:03 AM on August 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yes, start with the hotel. They should have an English speaking doctor who can tell you what you need to do.
posted by fshgrl at 12:28 AM on August 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I am staying with family, so no hotel doctor.
posted by troytroy at 12:32 AM on August 24, 2017

Go to a pharmacy, explain, ask what you need to do. Fluoxetine isn't prone to abuse and they are likely to help you out with specific requirements or even the 4 day supply.
posted by theora55 at 12:38 AM on August 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I called the local pharmacy, and they said that they cannot dispense anything without a prescription. I have the option of going for walk in hours at a local clinic, or I am going to contact a family friend.
posted by troytroy at 1:47 AM on August 24, 2017

I'd try walk in hours at a local clinic.

But I have been given a few days supply of antidepressants in a foreign country (Ireland) by walking in to a pharmacy and describing my cock-up. I suspect it's the kind of thing that pharmacists have leeway to make a judgement call in on person (especially if they could be sure you were only in the country a few days), but would feel obliged to refuse if you phoned them up. So if it's tricky to get to a walk in clinic, try walking into a pharmacy and throwing yourself on their mercy.

Also, don't panic. The half-life of fluoxetine in the body is long, so if you are feeling that any doses you end up missing are having an effect, then remind yourself that it's probably due confirmation bias more than any chemical changes in your brain.
posted by ambrosen at 3:10 AM on August 24, 2017 [8 favorites]

My husband forgot a prescription drug when we went to Ireland, and had no trouble at all getting another prescription from the local doc my Irish cousin uses, and the local pharmacy was great too. I had much more trouble in the US visiting LA when we stayed extra days due to snow on the east coast, and I ran out of meds. Had to deal with the insurance, have the pharmacy track down my regular doctor etc. It took all day and was nerve-wracking.

Hope that you have a decent experience in Sweden and that you get your prescription from the walk-in clinic.
posted by mermayd at 8:43 AM on August 24, 2017

I suspect you won't have a problem, it's a common enough medication ,no real abuse potential and inexpensive.

Go to the local clinic and not worry.

Without it you may experience some withdrawl symptoms, primarily emotional in nature. But you may also experience nauseous feelings and the seratonin 'zaps.'
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:49 AM on August 24, 2017

When I lived in Sweden as a student, they had a system of state-run urgent-care clinics that would probably be ideal for this sort of thing. They accept walk-ins, though the system is set up assuming you have a Swedish ID number. I assume these clinics still exist, and your family should be familiar with them. I imagine they'll find a way to bill you, as a tourist, and it will be easier than getting a local doctor's appointment and less hassle than an ER. (And while Swedes are compassionate folks, I can't see them bending the rules enough at the pharmacy to give you emergency meds without a prescription.)
posted by serathen at 8:08 PM on August 25, 2017