Cyprus-Forum.com

[allison adams]

how much are presciption charges do you pay aer item ?

[twinkle]

You pay per item at the chemist cost price (ie some medication can run up to CYP30.00 per packet) unless you manage to arrange the pink card at the local hospitals which can take weeks to do.

[Beth_Josephine]

If you are a brit, you can write to the NHS in the UK and tell them you are living abroad and ask for an NHS card, it’s obv different from the one in the UK but it gives you the exact same rights as that pink card thingy

[lalababy]

does anyone know if the rumour about not being able to bring dihydrocodiene into Cyprus? My mother is reliant on this medication and it would be a real problem if she has to go for a few weeks without it on holiday.

[Helen & David]

i'm not sure about the specific medication you mention but I stayed in Cyprus for a month last year and have to take a once weekly dose of Methotrexate for my psoriatic arthritis. I took sufficient medication to last me the period of time I was staying and this wasn't a problem. I was told by a doctor in Cyprus that if I required a repeat prescription for a longer stay that this would not be a problem as long as I had a letter from my GP in the UK. Cyprus are now part of the EU and offer the same medical services we expect at home in the UK. HTH

[cyprusgrump]

Our experience is that medicines are re4latively cheap here. Mts. CyprusGrump was ill recently and the four prescription medicines that she needed came to seven Pounds. Also, you can buy lots of drugs over the counter here without going to a doctor for a prescription.

However, a friend of ours needs some blood pressure pills on a regular basis and his particular pill isn’t available in Cyprus. The hospital prescribed an alternative but that made him quite ill so his local pharmacist now imports ‘his’ pill from the UK which is obviously quite expensive. Our advice is not to assume that all ‘UK’ drugs are available here.

[devil]

does anyone know if the rumour about not being able to bring dihydrocodiene into Cyprus? My mother is reliant on this medication and it would be a real problem if she has to go for a few weeks without it on holiday.

Codeine derivatives are strictly regulated here, as are all opiates. However, I'm sure that if she brought a sufficient quantity for her stay, in the original packaging (blister pack in the maker's carton), with a doctor's note stating the reason she has to take it, with the prescribed dosage, there will be absolutely no problem.

That having been said, you may find that she won't need it (or less), if she takes it for bronchial/tracheal spasms or similar. The high temps/low humidity in summer may do wonders!

[Helen & David]

That having been said, you may find that she won't need it (or less), if she takes it for bronchial/tracheal spasms or similar. The high temps/low humidity in summer may do wonders!

Good point, that's the reason I'm moving to Cyprus later this year:

When visiting the Island for a month last August after a few days aclimatising I was able to walk 2 miles from our apartment down to the port whereas on my bad days in the UK I can barely walk 100yds and always in pain.

I suffer from psoriatic arthritis which can only be treated with strong medication putting my liver and kidneys at risk. During our stay in Cyprus I was able to reduce my arthritis medication to only 3 tabs instead of 6 I need at home. I also need anti-inflammatories in the UK but after a week in Cyprus, I stopped taking them as I was pain free!

Sadly, 2 weeks after our return to the UK I had a flare up and am now taking all the medications at their maximum dose (enuf said)

[Niki]

That having been said, you may find that she won't need it (or less), if she takes it for bronchial/tracheal spasms or similar. The high temps/low humidity in summer may do wonders!

Good point, that's the reason I'm moving to Cyprus later this year:

When visiting the Island for a month last August after a few days aclimatising I was able to walk 2 miles from our apartment down to the port whereas on my bad days in the UK I can barely walk 100yds and always in pain.

I suffer from psoriatic arthritis which can only be treated with strong medication putting my liver and kidneys at risk. During our stay in Cyprus I was able to reduce my arthritis medication to only 3 tabs instead of 6 I need at home. I also need anti-inflammatories in the UK but after a week in Cyprus, I stopped taking them as I was pain free!

Sadly, 2 weeks after our return to the UK I had a flare up and am now taking all the medications at their maximum dose (enuf said)

It makes such a difference. My husband needs medication and his symptoms are so much beter in Cyprus.

Good luck on your move.

[Crivens]

Yep, my asthma, heyfever, and excema have pretty much cleared up in the 6 months since I moved here. Ok, so most of that is to do with a lot less farm and forest (used to live near Ascot) type efforts near me, and the fact I'm near the sea (Aberystwyth didn't effect me much when I was in Uni there either) helps.

Plus my mum has arthritis and osteoporosis, and she has been a lot better since moving here about a year and a half ago. Hasn't gone away obviously, but she reckons it's a hell of a lot easier to live with now. Probably is mainly because of the warmer weather I reckon. Whatever. Better for her to be here basically.

Cheers