# obtaining prescriptions for medication within the first year



## Stewie7 (May 18, 2016)

Considering relocating to Spain. I am not a UK state pensioner and will not be working. I have a work service pension.
I am on various prescription medications under the UK NHS which I understand will expire on moving to Spain.
From information I have researched I wont be able to obtain a Spanish social security number until after a year and therefore unable to join the Spanish state healthcare system and apply for the 'Convenio Especial'
My concern is how do I obtain the medication and drugs I require until then?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Stewie7 said:


> Considering relocating to Spain. I am not a UK state pensioner and will not be working. I have a work service pension.
> I am on various prescription medications under the UK NHS which I understand will expire on moving to Spain.
> From information I have researched I wont be able to obtain a Spanish social security number until after a year and therefore unable to join the Spanish state healthcare system and apply for the 'Convenio Especial'
> My concern is how do I obtain the medication and drugs I require until then?


:welcome:

You will have to *register as a foreign/EU resident* when you move here, & for that you will need private healthcare. So your private GP will issue prescriptions. All medication will be charged at the full cost.

*Only after you have been registered as a foreign/EU resident for 12 months *will you be able to apply for the _convenio especial_ where it is available. With the _convenio especial_ all medication will still be charged at the full cost, but there are no exclusions for any pre-existing conditions, as there are with private healthcare.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> :welcome:
> 
> You will have to *register as a foreign/EU resident* when you move here, & for that you will need private healthcare. So your private GP will issue prescriptions. All medication will be charged at the full cost.
> 
> *Only after you have been registered as a foreign/EU resident for 12 months *will you be able to apply for the _convenio especial_ where it is available. With the _convenio especial_ all medication will still be charged at the full cost, but there are no exclusions for any pre-existing conditions, as there are with private healthcare.


This however may not be as expensive as it sounds because many drugs here are a fraction of the price that you would pay for a UK prescription. My mum takes a whole load of medications and although gets SS prescriptions, the full price of some of them are centimos. On the other hand some can be very expensive so it depends what you require.

If you come over and work you will get SS healthcare from day one.


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Also, depending on what medications you are taking you may find that they are available here at the farmacia without prescription.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

If you know somebody in Spain, send them a list of the drugs you need and they can check to see if they are available over the counter and how much they cost.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

You can check online too, Lynn posted something last week. You will still need private health insurance though and sounds as if you have a pre-existing condition.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Isobella said:


> You can check online too, Lynn posted something last week. You will still need private health insurance though and sounds as if you have a pre-existing condition.


Yes, thank you. All you need to do is a Google search for "precio de xxxx (name of medication)" and look for the pvp (retail price).


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## Stewie7 (May 18, 2016)

xabiachica said:


> :welcome:
> 
> You will have to *register as a foreign/EU resident* when you move here, & for that you will need private healthcare. So your private GP will issue prescriptions. All medication will be charged at the full cost.
> 
> *Only after you have been registered as a foreign/EU resident for 12 months *will you be able to apply for the _convenio especial_ where it is available. With the _convenio especial_ all medication will still be charged at the full cost, but there are no exclusions for any pre-existing conditions, as there are with private healthcare.


Thank you for that, so basically its private medical insurance for everything until after a year. I take it besides covering for emergencies, you can visit docs etc and get the usual check ups I require as I do now in UK, bloods done etc, but for meds I pay full price? (Depends what insurance is taken out)
Also, when I'm on the 'Convenio especial' I read you pay a proportion for each drug as it depends on the level of your income as to how much you pay for the prescription, ie 40% etc...?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

xicoalc said:


> This however may not be as expensive as it sounds because many drugs here are a fraction of the price that you would pay for a UK prescription. My mum takes a whole load of medications and although gets SS prescriptions, the full price of some of them are centimos. On the other hand some can be very expensive so it depends what you require.
> 
> If you come over and work you will get SS healthcare from day one.


True - but some things are really expensive! An inhaler my daughter uses would be over 80€.........


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Stewie7 said:


> Thank you for that, so basically its private medical insurance for everything until after a year. I take it besides covering for emergencies, you can visit docs etc and get the usual check ups I require as I do now in UK, bloods done etc, but for meds I pay full price? (Depends what insurance is taken out)
> Also, when I'm on the 'Convenio especial' I read you pay a proportion for each drug as it depends on the level of your income as to how much you pay for the prescription, ie 40% etc...?


Yes once you can access state healthcare you get access to everything, just as you would with the NHS in the UK (only better ime)

With the _convenio especial_ you pay full costs of medication, regardless of income.

You only get the income related % discounts if you access the health system by working or as a state pensioner. For example, here in the Valencia region pensioners actual pay no prescription costs at all for their medication. I pay 40% because I work.

In other regions pensioners pay 10%.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

We were told by a lawyer today that the convenio especial has now been restricted to 3 months in every 12 month period. Anyone know about this??


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

thrax said:


> We were told by a lawyer today that the convenio especial has now been restricted to 3 months in every 12 month period. Anyone know about this??


Not heard of it.

will try to find out


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## Stewie7 (May 18, 2016)

I gather then if you're not working or of state pensioner age everyone therefore pays in full for all medication!? (including Spanish citizens) 
Is there a source I can contact or website to find out what I am likely to pay for my meds in Spain?
All these are deciding factors whether I make the move , ie weighing up pros and cons of additional expenses I need to budget for that are covered here in the UK NHS


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Stewie7 said:


> I gather then if you're not working or of state pensioner age everyone therefore pays in full for all medication!? (including Spanish citizens)
> Is there a source I can contact or website to find out what I am likely to pay for my meds in Spain?
> All these are deciding factors whether I make the move , ie weighing up pros and cons of additional expenses I need to budget for that are covered here in the UK NHS


As I explained earlier you can do a simple Google search to find out the costs of your medications - you could use this site to check them all but you'd still have to check them one by one and if you don't speak Spanish it might not be so easy to navigate around the site.

Vademecum.es - Su fuente de conocimiento farmacológico


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## Stewie7 (May 18, 2016)

Lynn R said:


> As I explained earlier you can do a simple Google search to find out the costs of your medications - you could use this site to check them all but you'd still have to check them one by one and if you don't speak Spanish it might not be so easy to navigate around the site.
> 
> Thanks Lynn, still having difficulty to easily follow how to ascertain info via that site or find anything giving simple answers on a google search elsewhere, except for seeing loads of private companies worldwide offering drugs through the internet and usually quoted in US$!
> I would have assumed as everyone has to pay for meds in Spain there would be a national regulated cost you can request from major pharmacies and therefore easy to obtain via government websites?
> ...


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Stewie7 said:


> Lynn R said:
> 
> 
> > As I explained earlier you can do a simple Google search to find out the costs of your medications - you could use this site to check them all but you'd still have to check them one by one and if you don't speak Spanish it might not be so easy to navigate around the site.
> ...


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

List your medications and I'm sure Lynn will be happy to cost them for you


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Stewie7 said:


> I would have assumed as everyone has to pay for meds in Spain there would be a national regulated cost you can request from major pharmacies and therefore easy to obtain via government websites?


I don't know if that's the case, because healthcare is provided by autonomous communities, so the prices may vary by autonomous communities. But you can get a ballpark figure on the net. Or you can do as Thrax suggested and list your medications and the autonomous community you're planning on moving to, then someone can check for you at the pharmacy. If you're moving to the Andalusia community, where I live, I'd be happy to do that for you.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

The cost of medications seems to be one of the (few) things which is standard across all of Spain. It is all overseen by this public body.


Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios - Legislación - España - La AEMPS - General


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

looking through this thread I'm starting to think its a wind up?


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

bob_bob said:


> looking through this thread I'm starting to think its a wind up?


why?


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## Stewie7 (May 18, 2016)

By who and why you thinking that?


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Stewie7 said:


> I gather then if you're not working or of state pensioner age everyone therefore pays in full for all medication!? (including Spanish citizens)


That´s not quite true.... depends on area but in Com. Valencia once you have worked you get rights for life to healthcare and if you are ever not working you get the green prescriptions just like someone who is working (discounted prices).


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xicoalc said:


> That´s not quite true.... depends on area but in Com. Valencia once you have worked you get rights for life to healthcare and if you are ever not working you get the green prescriptions just like someone who is working (discounted prices).


Really?

A friend was autonomo for ages and then lost his job. Within 3 months he'd had his SIP card taken away from him.


Were the authorities (INSS) wrong to do this then?


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> Really?
> 
> A friend was autonomo for ages and then lost his job. Within 3 months he'd had his SIP card taken away from him.
> 
> ...


Yes, exactly the same happened to me when I first was in Spain. After being Autonomo and stopping I went for my repeat prescription and it came out in black rather than green and they reception said my sip had stopped. I went to INSS and they said that as I was not working any more i dont get healthcare.

This was a long long time ago before I knew much about Spain and I called the Consulate for advice and they told me that in Valencia there is a "former worker" right to healthcare. Now, as well as autónomo i had worked for a while employed so I dont know if this made any difference but when I went to the INSS again and said this they reinstated my health card.

I have worked every since so never had to try it again but this is what I was told and in my case a few years ago it proved to be true.


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