LeeMKE

We may need to refill a delicate Rx, Praluent 150mg, when in Paris next month.
What are the chances we can get this (French manufactured) drug without needing a French doctor's Rx? I have Rx from Bangkok Thailand, Seattle WA US, and Bogota Colombia doctors.

If possible, I'd like to avoid having to find a cardiologist, see them and get whatever tests they want administered (I'm paying $$$ each stop so a doctor can send us running for all kinds of tests that won't change the diagnosis, and then having to pay $$$$ for Praluent and the other drugs DH needs.)

I'm trying to get enough refills here in Bogota to carry us until we see the cardiologist in Bangkok, (6 months from now) but it is proving difficult. I'm wondering if I should wait until we reach Paris.

ajGoes

I've twice bought prescription meds in Paris without getting a French Rx and indeed without showing an American one. This may have gone smoother for me because I speak French, but whether you speak the language or not, enlisting the pharmacist's support by confessing that the problem is yours (the magic words are Excusez-moi, mai j'ai un problčme) may get you the refill.

The first time it happened, I'd caught a cold in England and was using a steroid nasal inhaler that comes in a brown bottle. I had examined the bottle before leaving home, but I didn't know the trick you have to use to actually see the fluid level. (Simple: hold it up to the light!) When I ran out in Paris, I thought "This is going to be a pain." It wasn't. I went into the first pharmacy I saw, explained the problem to the charming and efficient pharmacist, and gave her the product's American trade and generic names. She looked it up in a reference manual, disappeared into the back of the shop for a moment, and brought out a new bottle. I asked her "Don't I need a prescription?" and she said "Yes, but it doesn't matter."

It cost me €4.00, less than my copay for a prescription back home.

The second time was just last July. My son had forgotten to pack one kind of pills. We had no evidence he actually had a prescription, but the pharmacist was able to sell us his medicine. This was a much more tightly-controlled med than a steroid inhaler, but she was able to help us out. It cost one twentieth of the retail price at an American pharmacy.

I have no idea whether you'd have a similar experience, but it's certainly possible. Good luck!

obscure2k

I think it is important to note that Praulent is an injectable medication for the management of high cholesterol. This is not a medication which is normally stocked in pharmacies. Indeed, very few pharmacies carry this medication. One dose in the U.S. can cost approximately $700.

ajGoes

I was wondering about that when I looked up Praluent.

OP, this probably changes things considerably. You're likely in find a specialist, get tests, and get the medicine territory. The good news is that the cost of all this in France is likely to be a tiny fraction of what you'd pay in the States.

This article in Les Échos says that Praluent costs €225.79 per dose in France including tax.

LeeMKE

Thanks for the replies.

Yup. This Rx is $$$$. But, the price is falling fast, and that's good news for us. I'm making another push to try to get a supply before we leave Colombia. Hope it works.

Goldorak