Moving Abroad with ADHD: Keeping Your Care Going

Moving abroad with ADHD goes best when you treat continuity of care as a small project with a timeline: a one-page clinical summary, three checks on the rules, and a named clinician who will follow you in the new country.

Why plan this at all

When treatment changes hands without a summary, the new clinician starts from zero, because they do not know your diagnosis, what was tried, what helped and what was monitored. According to PubMed, UK quality standards for adult ADHD assessment note that poor-quality assessments may not be accepted by other clinicians or services, which leads to repeat assessments and delays in treatment [2]. A clear, well-documented history is what lets someone else pick up where your previous clinician stopped.

Moving is also a stressful time in itself. Feeling unsettled when your routines, language and people all change at once is an expected reaction, not a failure. A plan lowers the load, because fewer things have to be remembered or decided on the day.

Step 1: Ask for a one-page clinical summary

Ask your current clinician for a short document, in English or in the language of your destination if possible. It should state:

• Your diagnosis, when it was made and by whom, and how (for example, a structured interview).

• The generic (active ingredient) name of any medicine, not the brand name, because brand names differ between countries.

• Form, strength and your current dose, as written by your prescriber.

• What was tried before and what happened.

• Any measurements or tests your prescriber monitors, and the most recent results.

• What the next clinician needs to know, such as other conditions, sleep and mood.

This summary is for your next clinician. It is different from a letter for a university or an employer, which has another purpose and should be requested separately.

If you are still in Greece, the assessment guide explains how an adult ADHD assessment is done at this practice. Any treatment decision is made by the doctor after the appointment, together with you.

If you are being assessed before you leave, plan for a third person early. A definitive ADHD diagnosis waits for an account from someone who knows you, ideally a parent who remembers your childhood, or a partner. If that is not possible, the decision rests on the clinical interview. Ask them before the packing starts.

Step 2: Three checks before you travel

1. Can I take it across the border? Rules differ by country and some ADHD medicines are controlled substances. Official pages advise you to check the rules of the destination country before the trip, through its customs or medicines agency or its embassy, and mention the UN International Narcotics Control Board for controlled-substance rules [5]. As an example, the GOV.UK page “Take medicine in or out of the UK”, which I read on 29/10/2026, says you can bring up to three months’ supply of your medicine, that if you are not a UK resident you need a letter of proof that the medicine was prescribed for you, and that more than three months’ supply is possible only in exceptional circumstances; check the page for the exact conditions [3]. Official pages from Finland and Switzerland also describe a Schengen certificate for medicines classed as narcotics when travelling in the Schengen area; the Swiss page limits it to a maximum of 30 days’ treatment [4][5]. What applies to a Greek prescription and how to obtain such a certificate in Greece is not available here: ask your prescriber and the relevant Greek authority.

2. Can I get it there? Availability, prescription rules and who may prescribe vary. As for filling a Greek prescription in your new country: within the EU, Directive 2011/24/EU (Article 11) provides that a prescription from another member state can be dispensed if the medicine is authorised in that country. Dispensing still follows each country's own laws, and the pharmacist may refuse if they have justified doubts about the prescription or on ethical grounds. The Directive does not cover medicines on a “special medical prescription”, as each country defines them; some ADHD medicines that are controlled substances may fall into this group. Outside the EU, only that country's rules apply. Ask a pharmacy in the new country before you leave.

3. Who monitors me? Choose a named clinician in the new country (a psychiatrist or a general practitioner, depending on how that country’s system works) and, if possible, book the first appointment before you leave. A medicine without a clinician to review it is a gap in your care.

Do not leave the search for a clinician until the last week. The sooner it is booked, the less the move depends on luck.

Step 3: A timeline you can copy

Weeks before: get the summary; choose and contact a clinician in your destination; check the rules for your medicine; ask your prescriber how much supply is possible and appropriate. These are practical suggestions, not a fixed protocol.

Before you travel: build a folder (paper and digital) with the summary, prescription copy or letter, and medicines in their original packaging. Keep important items in your hand luggage.

First days: register with a doctor, keep your routine for sleep and meals, and book the first review.

While you are still in Greece, if a prescription is decided after an assessment, an e-prescription can be issued without a Greek AMKA number. You need only your passport and an email address. There is no EOPYY reimbursement, so you pay the full price at the pharmacy. The code arrives by email and you give it to the pharmacist. This applies also to controlled medicines and in the same way to tourists. The prescriptions guide gives the details. The doctor decides on any prescription after the appointment.

If ADHD medication is part of your plan, add the results of your heart check to the folder. At this practice a preventive cardiology check is done before ADHD medication is started, and having that baseline on paper means your new clinician does not start from zero.

Do not stop on your own

If you are tempted to stop treatment “because I will sort it out when I arrive”, ask yourself: what is the specific step that makes a gap unlikely? Write down three: the summary, the appointment, the supply plan. The fear of ending up without any care is catastrophising; the three steps are the answer to it. Any change, including a pause, should be discussed with your prescriber.

Treatment options, including psychotherapy and medication, are presented as alternatives and decided together. When something changes, such as a new prescriber or a new country, the new team should discuss possible side effects with a timeline and a trial period, and agree a time to review.

Looking after yourself during the move

Action comes before mood. Keep a morning routine, even a short one; do not wait to feel settled before you start.

If you notice you are postponing a call or an appointment, avoidance keeps the worry going. Pick the smallest step you can do today. Invest in more than one relationship: one friend or one flatmate is not a safety net. If the difficulty is systematic, lasts for weeks and stops you from working, studying or looking after yourself, and not just that it is uncomfortable, seek help early. Follow-up care at this practice is described on the follow-up page; whether online follow-up is possible from another country is not available here, so ask before booking.

In the first weeks, the thought “I feel I won’t cope there” can sound like a fact. It is a feeling, and what you feel is not proof of what will happen. Write down what you actually managed this week, even small things, and compare it with what the feeling predicted.

When to book

If you are planning a move and want a summary of an assessment or a review before you leave, book an appointment.

Book an appointment

Practice area: Trikala, Karditsa, Kalambaka and online across Greece. Annis Komninis 1-3, 3rd floor, 42131 Trikala.

Sources

1. Kooij JJS, et al. Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD. European Psychiatry 2019;56:14-34. PubMed PMID 30453134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.11.001

2. Adamou M, et al. The adult ADHD assessment quality assurance standard. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024;15:1380410. PubMed PMID 39156609. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1380410

3. GOV.UK. Take medicine in or out of the UK. Accessed 29/10/2026: https://www.gov.uk/take-medicine-in-or-out-uk

4. Swissmedic. Schengen Agreement – travelling with medicinal products containing controlled substances (page undated; attached PDFs dated 21.10.2025). Accessed 29/10/2026: https://www.swissmedic.ch/swissmedic/en/home/humanarzneimittel/besondere-arzneimittelgruppen--ham-/narcotics/kranke-reisende/schengen-raum.html

5. Fimea (Finland). What medicines can I bring abroad? (page undated). Accessed 29/10/2026: https://fimea.fi/en/for_public/what-medicines-can-i-bring-abroad-