Visiting Uk and forgot a prescription medicine (betamethasone tablets), what are my options?

[LeeMiller]

We are visiting from the EU and I forgot to pack a medicine prescribed for my son - betamethasone steroid tablets for croup. He doesn’t currently have croup but he does have a cold. We have the prescription for emergencies as he suffers from it frequently and has been hospitalised several times. I’m rather not have to rely on a&e here.

What options do I have in terms of getting some here? Are there any online services I could use to obtain it or get a prescription?

You need to see a doctor for a prescription. The steroid given may not be betamethasone and they will need to see your notes. Your best bet may be a private GP if you don’t want to wait until needed (when you would normally see a GP in A&E unless unwell). If you can get your home doctor to write a letter describing why you have them that will probably smooth the process.

My DS had bouts of croup when small and we had to take him to hospital each time to get the steroids. Never got them prescribed. Sorry as I know that's not what you were hoping.

unusual to give standby courses of steroids for croup in the UK as risk could be given at home when actually further treatment is needed. Best if he gets croup to phone 111 or go to A&E

Call 111 to try arrange getting a prescription, otherwise it will have to be an a&e visit to which isn't ideal

Go into the chemist and ask if they can fill an eu prescription for that medicine. If they can then get your home doctor to email/fax across a prescription straight to the pharmacy.

111 will only be able to help if he needs it to take now. Your best bet is either a prescription from home, but you may not find a pharmacy that will do an electronic prescription from abroad. Or a private GP online in the UK, again they may not prescribe preemptively.

You could try a private GP appointment and explain.

Steroid for croup here is usually dexamethasone, but it is not usually given unless there are active symptoms.

@LeeMiller From 1 January 2021, a prescription issued in an EEA member state (EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland can be dispensed in the UK if the prescriber is from a profession recognised by this guidance that is legally entitled to issue a prescription of that kind in the country in which the prescription is issued.

Any chemist like Boots should be able to dispense this.

Google private GP for a telephone appointment. They can send a private prescription to a chemist of your choice. It'll cost you but that'll be the easiest way.

Thank you everyone.i realise a preemptive prescription isn’t standard here but it’s frustrating when we have it at home, kicking myself for not packing it.

I’ll try and find a pharmacy that would take an EU prescription as I think our paediatrician would happily issue one on Monday. If that doesn’t work I’ll try the private GP.

Can anybody go to your home and post them to you? With Christmas post you might be out of luck unless you can courier them but it might be worth the cost if it means you can relax.

I think you would need a private GP - a pharmacist would not be able to dispense unless the prescriber was UK registered. Not sure they would issue beclamethasone though - we usually use dexamethasone and sometimes soluble prednisolone