Need urgent medical prescription in Stockholm

September 4, 2022 2:15 AM

My daughter is visiting Stockholm for a week and just realized she has taken an empty medical prescription package with her. She really needs a replacement today. Where to go, what to do? Help? She's tried the 1177 phone line but it connects to a menu only in Swedish.

She's 19, the medication is a birth control pill that she's taking continuously due to severely painful endometriosis. She can't skip even a day without risking debilitating pain.

She's an EU citizen and also has travel insurance covering medical expenses, so private care would be an option. We're just struggling to find out where exactly she should seek help.

Or would a Swedish pharmacy give her a couple of emergency pills if she shows an empty package? Sometimes even a delay of half a day can lead to spotting and pain.

posted by muuratsaari to Travel & Transportation around Stockholm, Sweden (12 answers total)

Yes, it seems very likely that they would. That's the first thing I would try.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:34 AM on September 4, 2022

Best answer: Download the KRY app and get an emergency doctor online. She can also possibly go to a "närakut" (not regular emergency room) and see if they can help. But doctor in an app den simplest.
posted by Iteki at 2:39 AM on September 4, 2022

Maybe call the number listed on this page:
https://bbstockholm.se/content/contraception
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:40 AM on September 4, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks for your quick replies. KRY requires signing in with a personal identity number, not an option. The BB Stockholm clinic isn't open today, I'm googling and calling around all the time and failing to find a private clinic that would be open now.

She got through to 1177 after 45min on the phone and they told her to go to what I guess is the closest Närakut, but they also told her that she probably won't get the prescription there? She didn't really understand why due to the language barrier. She's panicking...
posted by muuratsaari at 3:00 AM on September 4, 2022

First go to the pharmacy - it’s worth a try to talk to an actual pharmacist. If she’s in Stockholm can’t be that far. If she’s not successful, ask if they will accept a US prescription.

Next, find a US virtual Doctor (I have a recommended one via my insurance). They can prescribe medication through an online meeting (I’ve had this done before). Hopefully at worst you can have the US prescription sent, and fulfilled locally, may or may not be covered under insurance.
posted by artificialard at 3:27 AM on September 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

She's from the EU but a local app doc could be good.
posted by Iteki at 3:29 AM on September 4, 2022

Could they have told her that they would not fill the prescription in the Närakut? Meaning that she would have to find a pharmacy after she gets the prescription? Considering the circumstances it would be the right place to go.
posted by furisto at 3:56 AM on September 4, 2022

A Swedish pharmacy may well not accept a prescription from an overseas doctor. Even if they did accept overseas prescriptions in general, they would be bound by the local dispensing rules and limited to medication approved in Sweden so specific brands may not be available. There are rules around prescriptions from EU based doctors within the EU but your US tele health provider not so much.

She should still find a pharmacy that is open on Sunday because birth control pills are available otc in many countries. If Sweden is one of those countries she can just buy them.

If they are not available otc she should find a Swedish doctor. On Sunday, chances are that would mean going to the hospital, if the non urgent care places are not open. If she is staying in a nice hotel they may also be able to connect her to a doctor.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:02 AM on September 4, 2022

Whilst traveling for work in Oslo I pick up a case of walking pneumonia. The hotel desk just directed me to a local clinic and I got everything taken care of, plus all my prescriptions (the clinic was connected to a chemists). I'm sure that someone can help her find something similar in town.
posted by qwip at 4:09 AM on September 4, 2022

In fact, these are her options to obtain a prescription in Sweden
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:09 AM on September 4, 2022

Response by poster: Thank you for all the responses, she has obtained the medication. The receptionist at the Närakut told her that they usually don't help tourists who have forgotten their medication at home, but the doctor thankfully made an exception. (Still unclear what she could have done if they'd sent her away.)
posted by muuratsaari at 4:46 AM on September 4, 2022 [15 favorites]

To see if the specific medication even needs a prescription, search for it on apotea.se, one of several online pharmacies. If it says “receptbelagt”, one needs a prescription. If it doesn’t show up in the search, it could be sold under a different name in Sweden. You can find that out by searching for the name or main ingredient at fass.se, the registry of meds in Sweden.
posted by meijusa at 4:50 AM on September 4, 2022 [1 favorite]