First steps — how much time do you actually have
Running out is different from losing your medication. The supply at home is still intact and a refill probably exists in your normal pharmacy — the question is whether either is reachable in time.
- How many doses do you have left? Even one or two changes what's possible.
- How long until you are home? If it is two days, the right answer may simply be careful rationing where it is safe to do so, or a tactical missed dose.
- Can someone post the medication to you? For most non-controlled medications, a family member can send a package by next-day delivery. Spanish customs are generally fine with personal-use quantities of normal prescription medication clearly labelled in the original packaging.
- Is the medication something you can get topped up in Spain? Many common medications are available as a Spanish receta privada with very little fuss.
One thing not to do: stop taking the medication abruptly without thinking it through. Some medications are safer to miss than others.
When this is more urgent than it looks
Some medications cannot be safely missed even for a day or two. If you are running low on any of the following, do not wait for the supply at home to catch up — get a prescription locally now.
- Insulin or other diabetes injectables
- Anti-rejection medication after a transplant
- Seizure medication, particularly if you have had recent seizures
- Heart-failure or angina medications
- Severe psychiatric medication (lithium, clozapine, some antipsychotics) where stopping abruptly is dangerous
- Long-term opioid pain medication — stopping abruptly causes severe withdrawal
- Steroids if you have been on them for more than three weeks — these cannot be stopped abruptly
For any of these, the right next step is Urgencias or a Centro de Salud the same day. Online consultations can help with some — particularly oral steroids — but not insulin, anti-rejection drugs, or controlled medications.
What a Spanish pharmacy can do without a prescription
Spanish pharmacists are more empowered than UK ones in a small number of situations. Walking into a farmacia with the original packaging or a clear photograph of your current UK prescription is sometimes enough — particularly for medications that are over the counter in Spain but prescription-only in the UK.
This depends on the medication and on the pharmacist's judgement. Some pharmacies will help. Others will direct you to a doctor. Either way, it costs ten minutes to ask and the pharmacist usually knows the local options.
Pharmacies cannot supply controlled drugs, antibiotics, anti-coagulants, weight-loss medications, or anything else on the Spanish prescription-only list without a valid receta.
How to get a Spanish prescription the same day
Public route: Centro de Salud
With an EHIC, a UK GHIC, or a Spanish tarjeta sanitaria, any Centro de Salud will see you for a re-supply prescription. Realistic wait times vary by region.
Private in-person GP
A private GP appointment costs EUR 50 to 120 with same-day availability. The right route if you take several medications and want one consultation to cover all of them in person.
Online private consultation
For a single in-scope medication where you have your prescription history available, an online consultation is often the fastest route. Our doctor reviews your details and your history, often confirms a clinical detail by phone or email, and if appropriate, issues a Spanish receta privada the same day.
What to have ready: the full name of the medication, the dose, how often you take it, the condition it is for, the name of your UK GP, and a photograph of the box or a recent prescription if you have it. The NHS app on your phone usually has all of this in one place.
What we cannot help with
The Holiday Doctor scope is deliberately narrow.
- Controlled drugs — strong opioid painkillers, ADHD medications, benzodiazepines, sleeping tablets, and others
- Weight-loss medication
- Anti-coagulants and medications requiring regular blood monitoring
- Insulin starts and complex diabetes regimens
- Complex psychiatric medication regimens, particularly antipsychotics
- New conditions outside our published scope
- Anything that needs an in-person examination to assess safely
For any of these, the right route is a Centro de Salud, Urgencias, or a private GP in person. The consultation form will tell you immediately, at no charge, if your situation is outside scope.
Practical advice and avoiding it next time
- Travel with one to two weeks more medication than you think you need. Trips are extended for all kinds of reasons.
- Set a reminder a week before any trip to check your supply against the trip length, and request a repeat early if needed.
- For longer trips, ask your GP for a longer prescription in advance, particularly for medications you cannot easily get abroad.
- Photograph your prescriptions and the boxes before you travel. It saves time at any pharmacy, anywhere.
- Keep a written list of medications in your phone notes. Include dose, frequency, condition, and prescribing doctor.
- Most travel insurance covers the cost of replacing medication abroad if the need was unforeseen. Keep all receipts.
Important. The Holiday Doctor does not re-supply controlled drugs, anti-coagulants, weight-loss medication, complex psychiatric regimens, or any of the situations listed above. For any time-critical medication, go to Urgencias or call 112.