Medical Matters

When on a year abroad the everyday sniffles and headaches that can crop up in England don't just disappear. What can make for an even bigger headache, however, is working out how to get hold of the medicines you need to get you feeling better.

A few weeks before Easter I came down with a horrible virus that affected my ears and throat even spreading to my eye in the form of conjunctivitis (super sexy...). I wanted to make sure it wasn't a bacterial infection but delayed trying to get a doctor's appointment because I thought it would just be a massive faff. In fact the opposite was true:

How to register with a Doctor/Make a Doctor's Appointment

Things you will need:

• Your European Health Insurance (EHIC) card
• Your Passport or NIE (if you've got it)

Find your local health centre/doctor's surgery and explain the situation in person at the front desk (you're an english student studying abroad who needs to be registered with a doctor as you'd like an appointment). In my experience the registration process should take about 15 minutes and you'll be assigned a doctor to see while abroad. I asked for an appointment that day and after waiting for about 30mins was seen by a GP.

Once registered you can make any future appointments over the phone.

I'm sure it's pretty obvious but make sure you swot up on the vocab you'll think you'll need regarding your specific complaint. It'll be a pretty awkward appointment if all you can do is point at parts of your body and mime pain...

Medicine

If what you have is mild or can be treated with a medicine that you can buy over the counter head to your nearest pharmacy. You'll most definitely have seen these on travels in Europe as they advertise their presence with enormous neon green signs in the shape of a cross. I've found the staff to be knowledgable and helpful with any questions I've had. In fact if you're not sure what you've got, or even if you need to find a doctor in the first place, paying a visit to your local pharmacy and asking the pharmacist is often the best thing to do.

Find out the name of the medicine you're after in Spanish/French etc as it's often different to the English name.

CHECK THE DOSAGE!! - Before you take any medicine check the dosage on the pack to avoid accidentally taking too much.

In Spain, for example, Paracetamol can be found in packs of up to 40, 1g tablets whereas in England each tablet contains around half that amount. The maximum amount per dose is 1g but if you're used to taking 2 tablets it's easy to see how you could accidentally take double that.



IMPORTANT
This post is designed to give general advice to future students on their year abroad about getting hold of medicine while away. Of course if you have a long standing or serious health condition that requires certain medicines or care then you must consult your doctor before going abroad.

If there's a medical emergency and you need an ambulance phone the EU Emergency Number: 112