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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Spanish nesties...doctor related
Quick question, my US med supply is almost out. I need to go to a doctor here in Spain to get a local perscription. I am taking allergy meds/inhaler & depression meds. Do I need to go to seperate doctors to get my perscriptions? In the States my Allergist perscribed my allergy meds/inhaler and my OBGYN (who was my main doctor) perscribed my depression meds. Not sure who I need to see here...we do have private insurance.
Re: Spanish nesties...doctor related
If you speak some Spanish then I would see a public doctor because you will pay a lot less for the medicine when you go to the pharmacy. For example, I think my asthma inhalers are like 0,30 each.
If you need an emeregency inhaler like Ventolin you dont need a perscription. It will be cheaper with one (maybe you will save two-three euros) but you can go to pharamay and just get it.
The only thing I would be worried about in the depression medicine. Here they dont have a lot of the same drugs that they do back in the States but they do have things that are really similiar. However, since it difficult sometimes to find the right kind of depression meds. I would make sure to check around. Bring all of the pamphlets to the Drs. so they can see the ingredients.
At least my Dr. was willing to write out a perecription for me without seing a specialist. Maybe, your Dr. wont fill comfortable doing that. If you go through the public system you might have to wait awhile to get an apt. with a specialist (You will first have to go to the primary physician first anyway)
If you dont speak Spanish very well, call up your`private insurance company to see if they have a list of Drs. who speak English.
Well I speak some Spanish, I don't know if I am at a level to talk to a doctor in Spanish though.
I know the US consulate has a listing of doctors that speak English that I was going to refer to. I will call my insurance though...there website is kinda confusing.
What private insurance do you have? You could call up a few Drs. and see if they take your insurance. Also, if the Dr. perscribes you something you can always call your Dr. in the states to confirm it.
Do you already have a primary Dr. with the public system? I mean did you get your healthcard and everything? Maybe, in Barcelona it is probably easier to find someone who speaks English then in other places. I would try going there first and see what happens.
No, I haven't been to a doctor here yet.
Strike that...I did go see a English speaking doctor when I sprained my ankle, but he is a specialist...I think Orthopedic.
We have Adelsas insurance.
I don't think I am allowed to see a public doctor...I am here on a non-lucrative visa and had to provide proof of my own health insurance here in Spain when I applied for my visa.
I think that everyone is allowed to see a public doctor. It has been a long time since I signed up but I think all you need is a some sort of ID card and you have to be empadronado with your local town hall. Maybe, if you need your meds now then I would just go with a private doctor. However, maybe you want to consider getting the public healthcard. Beside cheaper medicine, I think sometimes you get better care with the public system. If something serious were to happen with me, I would go through the public system first.
I have only used Sanitas and Caja Salud but I know Adelsas is really popular.
No, not everyone is allowed to see public doctors (obviously yes if it's an emergency) and with the contract your H has grosnl I would think you don't have a public healthcare card (or the ability to get one as far as I know) so I would stick to using your private insurance. You'll get in faster anyway and prescriptions are still way cheaper here than in the US even going through private.
As for where to go to get your prescriptions renewed see if you can find an English speaking doctor that takes your insurance. I go to one here for my regular checkups because it's just much simpler to do doctor stuff in your first language. I do all pregnancy stuff in spanish because I didn't feel like going through the hassle of looking for an english speaker, but I think in your case it'd be worth it especially since you'll have to describe previous prescriptions and conditions. If you find a general doctor who will see you they'll let you know if you need to go to a specific doctor to get the other prescriptions and hopefully they will be able to rec someone.
If you need help finding a doc let me know. I checked my school but they only list english speaking doctors in Madrid.
I dont know how long you are going to be in Spain so maybe it is not worth getting the public card. But if you do want to get it you need:
1.) Passport
2.) Certificate of empadronamiento
3.) Documento de Afiliaci?n a la Seguridad Social, el cual se puede obtener en cualquier oficina de la Tesorer?a de la Seguridad Social
LadyMadrid is right medicine here is cheaper back in the States. However, I dont know what medicine you need but asthma medicne can be "expensive". I paid almost 60 euros for an inhaler once.
I am almost one hundred percent positive she CAN'T get the public healthcard. When I was living here as a student I couldn't and when you're on a limited time visa I'm pretty sure you can't either. I suppose she could do some research into it, but I honestly don't think public is that much better than private or worth going through the trouble to get for the few years she'll be here.
Yes, the public hospitals may be more advanced in some cases, but for day to day regular things I prefer going through private. I have asthma too and have never paid that much for an inhaler. I think mine was 15 euros, but I only use albuterol so that may impact it.
Thank you for everyone's advice. I called our insurance and I have to call back later for an English speaking customer service agent to help me.
I also had my DH print out my perscription drug information for each drug I take from the Walgreens website. Hopefully that will help my Spanish doctor provide something similar.
I will be here until November 2012, I don't know if I want to go get a public healthcare card seems like a hassle. Will I really get better service? I always though private was much better than public.
I dont know. I really like my primary physician with the public system but the one I see at the private is also nice. It is easier to see a specialist in the private system but I feel that I get better care in the public just because when I go through the private system they seem quick to just send you home with a perscription for an antibiotic even if I just have the flu or a cold.
Plus, things like the flu shot are free in the public.
Anyway, I am glad you are going to get someone to speak English. I bet there are several doctors in Barcelona who speak English. Good Luck!