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Forgot to Bring Your Medication to France? Here Is What You Can Do

Leaving your regular medication at home is one of the most common problems travellers face, and it is usually one of the easiest to fix. In most cases it can be resolved the same day. I am Dr Simon Gordon, a British GP (MB ChB) registered with both the GMC and the Ordre des Medecins, and based in Valbonne on the Cote d’Azur. I offer confidential video consultations for English-speaking visitors anywhere in France.

After a consultation I can confirm your usual treatment and, where appropriate, email you a French prescription (ordonnance). You can then collect your medication from any French pharmacy immediately.

Unlike anonymous telemedicine platforms, you know exactly who you are speaking to: a named, GMC-registered British GP with a verifiable background and a longstanding practice in this region.


Before you book – one thing that helps 

If you take regular medication, you almost certainly know what it is. But it helps both of us if you can show me the details during the consultation. Before you book, consider doing one of the following:

  • Ask someone at home to photograph the medication box or your repeat prescription slip and send it to you.
  • If you are a UK patient, open the NHS App — your current repeat medications and doses are listed there. If you are a US patient, check MyChart or your health system’s patient portal for the same information.
  • If you use the same pharmacy at home, they can usually confirm your medication list over the phone.
Before you book - one thing that helps 

How it Works

You book a video consultation using the link below. I will take a brief medical history, confirm which medication you take and your usual dose, and where appropriate issue a French prescription by email. You take that to any French pharmacy – in Paris, Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Grasse, or anywhere else in France – and your medication is dispensed on the spot.

Book a video consultation
What I can assess and prescribe

For people already established on treatment, I can assess and continue most regular medications – for example blood pressure tablets, cholesterol treatment such as statins, thyroid medication, asthma inhalers, antidepressants, and the contraceptive pill. This is continuity of your existing treatment rather than starting or adjusting therapy from scratch. Some medications, including controlled drugs such as strong painkillers and certain sleeping tablets, cannot be prescribed by video consultation under French rules. If anything in your history suggests you would be better seen in person, I will tell you honestly.

Book a video consultation
I will take a medical history at the consultation, and in most cases patients know their own medication and dose reliably. Supporting evidence makes it easier: a photo of the box sent from home, your repeat prescription slip, the NHS App, MyChart or your patient portal, or a call to your usual pharmacy all work. I will use my clinical judgement in each case, and if I cannot safely confirm what you take, I will tell you honestly.
The consultation fee is €100. This covers the video consultation and the emailed prescription. There are no additional charges.
Usually the same day. Once I have emailed your French prescription, you can take it to any pharmacy in France and it will be dispensed on the spot. Almost all commonly prescribed medications are stocked or can be obtained within hours. In some cases the French brand name differs from the one you know at home, but the active ingredient is identical – I will point this out at the consultation so there is no confusion at the pharmacy.
It depends on the medication. For some treatments a short gap carries no acute risk; for others, restarting promptly matters more. There is usually no need to panic, but it is sensible to resolve it quickly rather than wait until you are home. I will assess your specific situation and advise you.
For someone already established on treatment, a video consultation to confirm your medication, dose, and history and to issue a short continuation prescription is appropriate and within French prescribing rules. What I cannot do remotely is start you on new treatment, prescribe controlled drugs, manage a complex or unstable case, or make dose changes that would require a physical examination. If your situation calls for that, I will tell you honestly at the consultation.

About the Author

This page was written by Dr Simon Gordon MB ChB, a British-trained GP registered with the General Medical Council (UK) and the Ordre des Médecins (France). Dr Gordon trained at the University of Glasgow and has over 20 years of experience in general practice across the UK, Israel, and the French Riviera, including time at the London Clinic on Harley Street. He is based in Valbonne on the Côte d’Azur, where Cabinet Medical Gordon has been providing English-speaking medical services for over 30 years.

LinkedIn | Google Business Profile | gordonmedical.fr | +33 4 93 12 95 66

Dr Simon Gordon, British GP in Valbonne, France
This page is for informational purposes only. Dr Simon Gordon (MB ChB) is registered with the Ordre des Médecins in France and the General Medical Council in the UK. All consultations are conducted in accordance with French medical regulations and the deontological rules of the Ordre des Médecins.

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