Running out of medicine on a weekend or holiday

Terms used

• Receta electrónica — The receta electrónica is a digital prescription stored in the public health system, which a pharmacist can read with your health card.
• Tarjeta sanitaria — The tarjeta sanitaria is your public health card, used to get care and prescriptions in the public system.
• Farmacia de guardia — A farmacia de guardia is a pharmacy on duty that stays open at nights, weekends and holidays.
• Urgencias — Urgencias is the emergency department of a hospital.

Key rules

• Electronic prescription: An active electronic prescription can usually be filled at any pharmacy in your region, including one on duty.
• Emergency supply: Without a prescription, a pharmacist may give the smallest pack of a medicine you already take, and you pay full price.
• Controlled drugs: Narcotics and other controlled drugs are not given without a prescription.
• Urgent prescription: Out-of-hours primary care or hospital urgencias can issue a prescription when pharmacies cannot help.

Start with the quickest route: your electronic prescription

If you are in the public health system and your doctor issued an electronic prescription (receta electrónica), you may not need a doctor at all. Go to any pharmacy in your region, including a pharmacy on duty (farmacia de guardia). Show your health card (tarjeta sanitaria) or ID. The pharmacist can read your active prescriptions and hand over the medicine.

Two things to know:

• It works across regions in most cases, but a few regions and mutual funds (MUFACE, ISFAS, MUGEJU) only partly connect. If you are away from home, expect it might not work.
• Private prescriptions work differently, and controlled drugs can have extra limits.

No active prescription: ask the pharmacist

Spanish law lets a pharmacist give you a short emergency supply without a prescription. The conditions are strict:

• The need is urgent.
• You can show you already take this medicine, for example an old box, a report or a record in the system.
• The pharmacist gives the smallest pack that lets you continue the treatment.
• The pharmacist records it and tells you to see a doctor.

This does not cover controlled drugs such as narcotics and psychotropics. You pay the full price unless a prescription is issued later. Some regions use the electronic record to allow this, and practice differs by region and by pharmacy, so a pharmacist may say no. If so, move to the next route.

To find a pharmacy on duty, look for the list posted on the door of any pharmacy or check your regional pharmacy association's website.

Get an urgent prescription from a doctor

Outside normal hours, you can get a prescription from:

• the public out-of-hours primary care service. Its name depends on the region: PAC, SUAP, SAU or Puntos de Atención Continuada.
• the hospital emergency department (urgencias).

Take your health card, ID and the medicine's name or box. Then take the prescription to a pharmacy on duty.

If you are unsure where to go, call your regional health helpline. In many regions it is 061, for example in Andalucía, Galicia, Catalonia and Valencia. The helpline can advise you or send a doctor. Numbers and service names vary, so check yours. Call 112 only for a real emergency.

If you are not in the public system, private clinics and online doctors can issue private or electronic prescriptions that a pharmacy on duty can dispense.

Afterwards

Book a visit with your regular doctor to renew the prescription so you do not run out again. The checklist below walks through the steps in order.

Checklist

• Check whether you have an active electronic prescription (receta electrónica) for the medicine.

• Take your health card (tarjeta sanitaria) or ID to any pharmacy in your region, including one on duty (farmacia de guardia), and ask the pharmacist to read your active prescriptions.

• Ask the pharmacist at the on-duty pharmacy about emergency dispensing if you have no active prescription, and bring proof of your treatment, such as an old box or a report.

• Go to the out-of-hours primary care service or a hospital emergency department (urgencias) to get an urgent prescription if the pharmacy cannot help.

Frequently asked questions

Can a pharmacist give me strong painkillers or other controlled drugs without a prescription?

No, emergency dispensing without a prescription does not cover controlled medicines such as narcotics and psychotropics. For those you need a doctor to issue a prescription, for example at an out-of-hours care centre or a hospital emergency department.

Can I use my electronic prescription at a pharmacy in another region?

Yes, in most cases, because most regions are linked through a national system. Show your health card (tarjeta sanitaria) or ID and the pharmacist reads your active prescriptions. Mutual-fund schemes such as MUFACE and private prescriptions may work differently, so ask the pharmacist.

Which number do I call to get advice about an urgent prescription?

Call your regional health helpline, such as 061 in Andalucía, Galicia, Catalonia and Valencia, which can advise you or send a doctor. In a real emergency, call 112. Numbers and service names vary by region.