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Free Medical Advice sponsored by
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Got an ache or pain? Have a question about a prescription or over-the-counter drug? Looking for some FREE medical advice?
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Question:
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| I asked about the albuterol inhalers, I should have been more specific. My son has asthma. Before we left, I picked up refills on his inhalers and I need to refill his emergency inhaler. Is it possible to do this here at a regular pharmacy or do I need to get a new prescription?
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Answer:
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| As in most countries, pharmacies here do not usually fill another country's doctor's prescription. Exceptions may be made when the (other country's)doctor has written a letter covering the fact that his/her patient is a traveller/transient, but even then the usual rules require a new prescription. That said, a pharmacy may sell a refill of a prescription drug without a local prescription even when they are not supposed to. The reasons for such drugs being dispensed by prescription are the usual i.e. does the dose need to be adjusted, do side effects need to be checked for, and in the case of asthma drugs, most countries and most doctors like to see a record of "peak flows" i.e. peak expiration flow rate (the best measure of the success of any asthma drug including Ventolin / salbutamol (the more commonly recognised names for albuterol), which is a much more accurate reflection than anything else - including how the patient feels- of efficacy) to assess whether the dose and indeed the drug is appropriate.
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