Forgot Meds

[Jancruz]

My friend just texted me from Copenhagen she forgot her meds here at home..anybody have a great idea how she can replace them..I checked and in Denmark you need a prescription

unlike Spain

Jancruz1

[Noxequifans]

If the meds are critical best to visit the Danish equivalent of the emergency room at a hospital. They can order the meds (or the euro equivalent) from their pharmacy. 

 

Of course if she is on board a cruise, see if the medical facility can help in replacing.  

[rucruisn2]

Is it possible for you to get refills for her and fedex them to the next port?

[Mura]

This is why Howard has learned to carry prescriptions for any med that he might need while traveling.  He learned the hard way!

 

 

[Cruseforme]

Is she able to text, call or email her physician here?    They may be able to email, fax or call in to the cruise rep, or Cruise physician or get her replacements?   

[Sny]

I would start at the medical area on the ship.  This can't be the first time they've had a passenger with this problem.  They should be able to provide a step by step roadmap for your friend.

[Mura]

As I am thinking about it, probably when Howard learned his lesson about carrying prescriptions it was on an independent trip, not a cruise.  In that case the particular med was a super-strength headache remedy and he hadn't brought any with him ... we rarely use it.  But in this case he did need it.  With other regularly taken meds, he NEVER forgets ... nor have I.  But I can understand that in the last minute rush in packing one could forget meds that will be necessary.  I once walked out of our apartment without my camera which was waiting by the door downstairs, but due to circumstances I had to leave from the upstairs floor and totally forget that I didn't have my camera.  I only had to wait 6 days on a TA to be able to buy one in our first port ...

 

It does seem to me that talking to the cruise medical staff could solve the problem ... although ... how abstruse are the meds in question?  The doctor could give a 'scrip, I'm sure, but probably wouldn't have the med on hand.

 

Our experience in Europe has been that pharmacists did accept our U.S. prescriptions.

 

Mura

 

 

 

[azam71209]

Definitely go to the medical center on the ship. The doctor may have the meds you need on hand. If not, they can tell you how to get them in the next port. If you got travel insurance, they should also be able to help you get the name of a local doctor or clinic to get the meds.

 

I have learned to carry a list of all my meds in my emergency packets, along with a copy of my passport, glasses prescription, etc. One packet goes in my carry-on and one in my checked luggage.

 

Mary

[BenMurphy]

Hi

pharmasists  are usually pretty good in Europe.

Could someone at home take a photo either of the meds or his prescription and send it over to you?

If you know the name of the medication I suggest that you write it down and ask in a pharmacy if they can supply it or something generic that they could match?

best of luck 

Josie

[keithm]

14 hours ago, Jancruz said:

My friend just texted me from Copenhagen she forgot her meds here at home..anybody have a great idea how she can replace them..I checked and in Denmark you need a prescription

unlike Spain

Jancruz1

Obviously the number one thing NOT to forget! If she's cruising her Dr. can fax the ship's medical facility the info. they need to refill the scripts. If she's traveling independently of a cruise, basically the same thing can be done. 

[kathy9]

Perhaps her Traveler Insurance policy or if a member of Am Ex they could be of assistance. 

I am not sure if the ship's formulary would stock whatever prescription medications she is on or have enough for the cruise.

 

[floridatravelersforlife]

58 minutes ago, kathy9 said:

Perhaps her Traveler Insurance policy or if a member of Am Ex they could be of assistance. 

I am not sure if the ship's formulary would stock whatever prescription medications she is on or have enough for the cruise.

 

 

58 minutes ago, kathy9 said:

Perhaps her Traveler Insurance policy or if a member of Am Ex they could be of assistance. 

I am not sure if the ship's formulary would stock whatever prescription medications she is on or have enough for the cruise.

 

I would call the State Dept in the next port.  This is not the first time this has happened to a tourist.

[donaldsc]

3 hours ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

 

I would call the State Dept in the next port.  This is not the first time this has happened to a tourist.

 

Why should the State Dept get involved?  What would you expect them to do?

 

DON

[Mura]

The State Department has a program where you can register your travel plans in case of any emergency. They can also send you alerts if problems should develop in an area where you will be traveling.  This is the Smart Travel Enrollment Program.

 

https://step.state.gov/step/

 

So they probably could help with a problem like this BUT ... as long as Jan's friend will be on board a ship, I do think the doctor is the best person to consult.

 

Mura

[Petoonya]

Ooooooooh. I would absolutely panic to find I'd forgotten my meds. Take so many and would be incapacitated without them.

Automatically when I get my luggage out to pack for a trip I get out duct tape and put a big sign on my carry-on, "MEDS!" Infact I'm paranoid enough about it that I keep a roll of duct tape in my carry on so I'll remember to put up the sign!

And I don't remove till I get out the door. Know this doesn't help your friend now, but for anyone else, it works.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Petoonya

[floridatravelersforlife]

3 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Why should the State Dept get involved?  What would you expect them to do?

 

DON

The State Dept is the authority on what and what cannot be sent into a country, prescribed, etc.  If the Rx are not Class 3 Narcotics, meds can be Fed Ex'd.  This would be the cheapest, but not fast enough for 2 week cruise.  US Rx sent to a enlightened pharmacy, knowledgeable of its country's regs is the fastest, but finding one is the problem.  State might be able to help.  Again this is not the first time for this occurrence.

[lourdest]

Something very similar happen to us.  We were doing a pre-cruise stay and somehow we lost my husband medications between the hotel stay and the ship.  We notice as we were unpacking on the cruise.  As soon as the medical office opened we went and spoke to the doctor and he was able to give us enough medication to last until we arrived home. I will say that the cost was very close to what we paid in the states.  Same thing happened to a friend and the ship's doctor was able to dispense the medication.  Tell your friend to visit the ship's medical office, they will help her solve her problem. 

[clo]

9 minutes ago, lourdest said:

Tell your friend to visit the ship's medical office, they will help her solve her problem. 

It's going to depend on the med(s).  As you can imagine, no ship's pharmacy can carry everything.  I've been able to get things a couple of times in Brazil when I became ill, through local pharmacies but it sounds like Europe is different.  I wonder if there are 'urgent care' equivalents.

[Jancruz]

FYI, I just heard from my friend..she called a doctor in Copenhagen (got his name from the hotel) called him and he charged $70 to write all her perscriptions and call an all night pharmacy for them..she picked them up  and for much less than she pays in California got all her meds..

Now we all know what to do if that happens to us..

Thanks for all the ideas..

Jancruz1

[Traveling Fools]

3 hours ago, lourdest said:

Something very similar happen to us.  We were doing a pre-cruise stay and somehow we lost my husband medications between the hotel stay and the ship.  We notice as we were unpacking on the cruise.  As soon as the medical office opened we went and spoke to the doctor and he was able to give us enough medication to last until we arrived home. I will say that the cost was very close to what we paid in the states.  Same thing happened to a friend and the ship's doctor was able to dispense the medication.  Tell your friend to visit the ship's medical office, they will help her solve her problem. 

 

This is the BEST and most sensible advise!  Go to Ship's Dr. and provide him with list of meds.  He will either provide them for a fee, or advise you of how best to get replacements.  The End

[Mura]

4 hours ago, Jancruz said:

FYI, I just heard from my friend..she called a doctor in Copenhagen (got his name from the hotel) called him and he charged $70 to write all her perscriptions and call an all night pharmacy for them..she picked them up  and for much less than she pays in California got all her meds..

Now we all know what to do if that happens to us..

Thanks for all the ideas..

Jancruz1

PERFECT!!  And now she doesn't have to worry.

 

Mura

 

 

 

[Redtravel]

My friend had his bag with his drugs taken on the train from Rome to Civitavecchia.  He fell asleep on the train.  As a diabetic, he was frantic.  He was on the Silhouette.  Ship medical facility got him what he needed.  

[GeezerCouple]

On 9/22/2019 at 4:06 PM, floridatravelersforlife said:

The State Dept is the authority on what and what cannot be sent into a country, prescribed, etc.  If the Rx are not Class 3 Narcotics, meds can be Fed Ex'd.  This would be the cheapest, but not fast enough for 2 week cruise.  US Rx sent to a enlightened pharmacy, knowledgeable of its country's regs is the fastest, but finding one is the problem.  State might be able to help.  Again this is not the first time for this occurrence.

 

Careful ... if/when shipping meds to a different country.  There can be very significant differences in "what is allowed".

 

In some countries, meds that are OTC in the USA are TOTALLY FORBIDDEN, or meds that require an Rx in the USA but are not restricted are indeed forbidden.  In some cases, there is a process to request permission for some - but not all! - of these.

 

The last thing someone would want would be to get a friend/relative in serious legal trouble in a foreign country when they tried to retrieve their "package of meds".

 

GC

[clo]

9 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

In some countries, meds that are OTC in the USA are TOTALLY FORBIDDEN,

Could you give an example please?  The second part of your sentence I'm aware of and have first hand experience.

[Mura]

I may well be misremembering but I'm thinking that when we were in Copenhagen a couple of years ago we were told that aspirin was not available.  I'll have to check my diary to see if this is true.

 

Aha!  I was right.  The pharmacy told us aspirin wasn't available in Denmark ... but they had something that contained codeine!  Later, when we spoke to our Danish friends, they said that aspirin IS indeed available in Denmark, so perhaps it was just this one pharmacy that didn't have it and they wanted to sell us what they did have.  Not being interested in anything with codeine, we took a pass.

 

Mura