A prescription is an official document issued by an authorized healthcare professional, usually a doctor, that grants permission to purchase or receive specific medications from a pharmacy. The prescription contains information about the prescribed medication, the dosage, any instructions for use, as well as the doctor's signature and contact information. Prescriptions are important to ensure the proper and safe administration of medications to patients.

An overview of your prescriptions can be found under "my prescriptions" on helsenorge.no, here you log in yourself via the website with bank ID. Only prescriptions printed electronically are displayed here, prescriptions in paper format are not registered here.

For children under the age of 16, parents (or a person with parental rights) have access to an overview of prescriptions printed for the child. You must have the same registered address to have access to this. You will find the overview on helsenorge.no, you click on your name when you are logged in and indicate who you want to work on behalf of.
If the child is between 12 and 16 years old, the child can, together with a doctor, decide whether a prescription should be visible to parents and guardians or not. This is called guardianship reservation, and is not the same as locking the prescription for inspection.

Are you traveling and wondering if your Norwegian prescription is valid? It's important to be aware that a prescription issued by a Norwegian doctor, whether from your regular GP or an online doctor like Dr.Dropin, will rarely be accepted by a pharmacy abroad.

This is primarily due to two reasons:

• No International Registries: There isn't a common, international database where foreign pharmacies can verify the validity of a Norwegian doctor's prescription or identity.
• Varying National Regulations: Every country has its own laws and regulations for medications. A drug that is common in Norway might have a different classification, strength, or even be illegal in another country, even if it's standard here.

As the Norwegian health portal Helsenorge clearly states: "You cannot expect your Norwegian prescriptions to be valid in other countries. Foreign pharmacies also do not have access to our e-prescriptions. Therefore, make sure you bring enough medication with you." This means that while our doctors can assess your medical situation via video consultation and provide advice, we cannot guarantee that a prescription issued will be accepted where you are.

What should you do?

• Bring Enough Medication: The safest solution is to bring a sufficient quantity of your regular medications for your entire trip. Make sure the medications are in their original packaging.
• Contact a Local Doctor if Needed: Should you require a prescription during your stay abroad, or for conditions that require a physical examination and tests (such as urinary tract infections or strep throat), the best advice is to consult a local doctor. They can diagnose you and issue a valid prescription according to local regulations.
• Travel Insurance: Remember to contact your travel insurance provider for guidance on accessing healthcare services in the country you are in.

We at Dr.Dropin are here to provide you with advice and guidance no matter where you are, but when it comes to prescriptions abroad, it's crucial to be aware of the limitations.

For more detailed information, please refer to Helsenorge's pages on travel and medication.