Posting for traffic - DD forgot her medication and we’re at the airport

[VeryGoodVeryNice]

My DD (age 19) forgot both to take her antidepressant this morning, and to bring them with her. We’re about to board the plane to Amsterdam, going for a week. I tried phoning 111 and my GP, but neither could help (we were already through security).

Is there anything we can do when we get there to get an emergency prescription for her? If not the holiday is going to be a write off, I know from previous experience of her missing a day or two she gets awful withdrawals, and her dose has been upped recently so I’d imagine it’s going to be even worse. I realise any option is probably going to cost £££££ but I’d rather pay and save the holiday if possible.

Rude much?

So?

It's not my fault the drip feed came after the suggestions.

It's not my fault my 19yo wouldn't be phased by sorting this out himself.

I can't believe nobody checked on her behalf!

Phone your GP and ask the receptionist nicely if they can email her prescription. Then you'll have to find a clinic in Netherlands, see a doctor to re-prescribe and then fulfill at a pharmacy.

DH did this enroute to Canada and the surgery faxed the paperwork to our hotel. We wasted a morning sorting it out but it was worth it.

No but it is your fault that you chose to be unnecessarily and weirdly aggressive about it. Well done your 19yr old but not all 19yr olds are the same, particularly when it was clear from the start of the thread that this particular 19yr old has a mental health condition that might affect their ability to deal with this issue.

So if your daughter is disabled and unable to sort it herself, surely it's you that forgot it, not her

Maybe if some people could stop being dicks so the OP doesn't have to wade through acres of shite to find the useful suggestions...

I'm just going to guess here @00100001 that your dc is not on antidepressants or depressed/anxious at all. Because I have a 19yo and they absolutely would not be able to cope in the way you suggest.

There’s no way I can get it sent, even on an express service bearing in mind it’s Friday night now, I guess the earliest I would get it is Tuesday.

we are flying to Amsterdam but not actually staying there, we are going to be near Eindhoven. Although can drive into Amsterdam tonight if there’s any way I could get it sorted, if that’s what I need to do.

Are you with another adult?

Could one of you take the kids on the flight, the other head home, get the meds and then fly out on tomorrow?

OP I am sorry there are some judgy cunts on this thread. Get the prescription emailed to you. Sertraline is a very common medication so you should be able to get some in amsterdam. Pop to a walk in clinic with prescription you have, and get them to issue a Dutch one, then you can buy some at a pharmacy.

That's what I thought too. Hopefully you can get something abroad like a PP suggested otherwise it's a lesson for you OP not your poor DD. She probably feels rubbish about forgetting her meds.

I'm in the US so this might not apply but I would think that most doctors work the same: I once forgot my inhaler and when I travel to a different state so I sent a message to my doctor and let her know and gave her the name and phone number of a pharmacy that was local to where I was visiting and she just called it in for me. Will your doctor do something like that?

In some countries you can purchase medication over the counter which would be prescription only here in the UK.

My university student DD3 did this occasionally during her year abroad. She began in South America and was able to purchase her fluoxetine there once her NHS supply began to run out.

I think you can in some parts of Europe too, so it is worth asking at a pharmacy when you get to Amsterdam.

There will be doctors in Eindhoven too. As a PP said, the NHS app will show her prescription. Speak to your hotel front desk and they will be able to put you in contact with a local GP.

Are you staying in a hotel? Ask reception for the details of a pharmacy or private GP that are open tomorrow.

@VeryGoodVeryNice there is a GP clinic at the airport at Amsterdam.

Airport Medical Services is located in Departures 2 at Schiphol. First Aid & GP Services are not only accessible and available to employees, but also to passengers and visitors of Schiphol Airport. The clinic employs GPs and other doctors and nurses specialising in travel and health.

Take your UK prescription in there, and get them to reissue you a local one, then you can buy the sertraline at a pharmacy.

Oh, and it's 24 hour.

Pretty sure the Boots at all the airports I have ever flown from are retail only - no pharmacy counter. So that tack was unlikely to have worked even if OP wasn’t at the gate.

@VeryGoodVeryNice My travel insurance has a 24 hour online GP service attached. Maybe yours does too?

Other than that there will be walk-in clinics in Amsterdam. You’ll have your DD’s prescription record on the NHS app which should help.

Hope you get it sorted and have a good break.

You need to see a doctor on your first day in Amsterdam. If there's a cost you can claim it back on insurance if need be, but if she's got an EHIC card you can use that to access state healthcare in the EU and Switzerland. Are you staying in a hotel? If so they'll be able to tell you where to go/what to do. Otherwise if you look up travel advice sites for Amsterdam you should be able to find info on how to see a doctor, or go to a pharmacy and ask them for advice on who can prescribe.

This kind of thing happens to people all the time. It will be fine, don't worry. At most you'll lose an afternoon of your holiday faffing about trying to get it sorted.

I would expect them to contact their GP to resolve this themselves at 19 years old. My children are 22 and 24 now and have been responsible for packing their own bags for trips since they were in brownies and cubs and they remember important things like medication.

Do you have private mefical insurance with GP video calls by amy chance?