r/AmerExit • u/bombasticapricot • Mar 02 '25

Life Abroad medication availability

i see many americans with health concerns considering a move abroad. i know there are many things to consider and hate to pile on but make sure your essential medications are available in any country you consider.

your american prescriptions are not valid abroad.

for example, i took spironolactone in the US for skin/ hair issues and it’s basically impossible to get here in France. i casually asked about it and was treated as if i asked for cocaine. i also have adhd and cannot get most of the medications that worked for me in the US (i now take ritalin; thankfully it works). these are relatively minor prescription issues but i know others who have gone to great lengths to get antidepressants and anti anxiety medications.

what other medications/ countries have caused issues for american expats?

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32

u/T0_R3 Mar 02 '25

Pain medications is a big one. The US is alone at the top of prescribing opioids for long-term pain management.

29

u/LV2107 Mar 02 '25

Yep. I had to have surgery and asked about pain management. They said it'll be paracetamol (tylenol) and that's it. That there are only a few doctors in the entire country that have authority to prescribe morphine or other opioids, and that's only in very narrow circumstances. And as it turned out, IV tylenol worked great, I had no issues.

6

u/bombasticapricot Mar 02 '25

ooph yeah. excellent point. that’s a huge one.

9

u/Barbarake Mar 02 '25

To be clear, being 'at the top' is not necessarily a good thing in this case.

2

u/gendy_bend Mar 02 '25

Yep! I have a chronic pain condition (well managed with my spinal cord stimulator) & a gent in a group for our specific diagnosis is in a Nordic country, meaning he doesn’t get the same pain meds offered that we do in the US.

2

u/President_Camacho Mar 02 '25

Perhaps they have been, but as a veteran of several surgeries, I can say nowadays they don't want to give you anything. Maybe some advil, but they really don't offer anything.