If you have lost your prescription, your medication, or you are away from home without it, you usually have three fast routes: an emergency supply from a pharmacist, the NHS 111 online emergency prescription service, or a same-day private GP consultation. Do not simply stop taking a medicine your body depends on while you work out what to do. [1,2]
This guide explains exactly what each route can and cannot supply, what to bring, and how to get back on track today.
Route 1: emergency supply from a pharmacist
A pharmacist can supply certain prescription-only medicines in an emergency, without a prescription, if you have been prescribed them before. They will need to confirm that you need the medicine immediately, who prescribed it and what dose you take. Take an old prescription, the repeat slip or the medicine packaging with you if you have it. [1,3]
What a pharmacist can supply in an emergency:
Most regular prescription medicines, up to 30 days of treatment at the pharmacist's discretion.
Insulin, inhalers, ointments and creams: the smallest available pack size.
The contraceptive pill: enough for one full cycle.
Liquid oral antibiotics: the smallest quantity for a full course. [3]
What they cannot supply this way: most controlled drugs, anything you have never been prescribed before, and any medicine where the pharmacist is not satisfied the supply is safe and appropriate. This is not an NHS service at the pharmacy counter, so a charge usually applies. [1,3]
Route 2: the 111 online emergency prescription service
If your medicine is on repeat prescription and you have completely run out, the NHS 111 online emergency prescription service can arrange a limited emergency supply through a local pharmacy. You answer questions about where you are and when your medicine is due, and they suggest the best way to get it. Your usual prescription charge applies, and it is free if you do not normally pay. [1,2]
If your medicine is not on repeat, or you also have symptoms, call 111 and speak to an adviser instead. [1,2]
Route 3: a same-day private GP consultation
Sometimes the cleanest answer is a new private prescription, for example when your GP surgery cannot fit you in, you are travelling, or the medicine was originally prescribed privately. A doctor can issue a private prescription where clinically appropriate after a consultation, sent to a pharmacy of your choice. The pharmacy charges for the medicine itself at its own private rate, which varies by medicine. [4]
At The Online GP, telephone consultations are £59 for up to 15 minutes and video consultations are from £150 for up to 30 minutes, usually available the same day. A prescription is issued only when a doctor judges it appropriate, and some medicines cannot responsibly be prescribed remotely. Read the consultation options. [4]
Lost your medication while travelling?
The same routes apply anywhere in the UK: any pharmacy can advise on an emergency supply, and 111 online works wherever you are. If you are abroad, contact your travel insurer's medical helpline and a local doctor or pharmacy, and keep your medication list and a copy of your prescription on your phone for exactly this situation. [1,3]
Have this ready
The name, strength and dose of each medicine, ideally from the packaging or a photo of the label.
Who prescribed it and roughly when your last prescription was issued.
How much you have left, if any.
Whether the medicine is one that must not be stopped suddenly.
Common questions
Can I get an emergency supply of antidepressants?
Usually yes, if you have been prescribed them before and the pharmacist is satisfied. Stopping many antidepressants suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms, so do not wait. [1,3]
Can I get controlled drugs like strong painkillers this way?
In practice, no. Only a very limited range of controlled medicines can be supplied in an emergency, and common ones cannot. A prescriber will be needed. [3]
I lost the paper prescription itself. What now?
Contact whoever issued it. GP surgeries can usually reissue, and a private clinic can resend an electronic private prescription to the pharmacy. [1,4]
My inhaler ran out at the weekend. What is fastest?
A pharmacist can supply the smallest pack size in an emergency, or use the 111 online service. If you are breathless or struggling, that is an urgent medical problem: call 111 or, if severe, 999. [1,2,3]
Get it sorted today
For a same-day private prescription review, book a consultation, call 020 3951 3429, or email team@thewellnesslondon.com. If your symptoms are urgent, use 111 first.
Sources
The Wellness Clinical Team. Sources checked 17 October 2026. General information, not an individual diagnosis or treatment plan.