How does a repeat prescription work?
Up to a year — but the first collection must happen within seven days. A repeat e-prescription is issued for chronic diagnoses, where long-term use of a medicine is expected. The doctor sets the number of collections and the validity, which may run to 365 days at most. And here is the trap that costs thousands of people their prescription: the first collection must be made within seven days of issue — miss that and the prescription disappears from the system once the period lapses, and will not reappear for any later repeat. The whole thing falls away and you must go back to the doctor from scratch. Not everything can be prescribed this way: antibiotics and narcotic and psychotropic substances cannot.
📋 The rules
- Repeat prescriptions are for chronic diagnoses
- Validity of at most 365 days
- The doctor also sets the number of collections
- First collection within 7 days, or it vanishes
- Antibiotics and narcotics cannot be prescribed this way
🔓 Exceptions
- Medicines with class II and III narcotic or psychotropic substances are valid for 5 days
- A doctor may set a shorter validity than the statutory maximum
- The prescription is held electronically; no paper is needed
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The seven-day rule is the costliest detail in the whole system. If you do not collect the first medicine on a repeat prescription within 7 days, the prescription disappears from the system once that period lapses — and not merely the first collection, but the entire prescription, with every remaining repeat. You must then book again, go back to the doctor, and have it issued afresh. The second surprise: antibiotics and narcotic and psychotropic substances cannot be put on a repeat prescription at all — they have their own strict regime, and for class II and III substances a validity of just 5 days from issue.
📎 Official sources
- National Health Information Centre · ezdravotnictvo.sk →
- Slov-Lex · Medicines Act (362/2011) →
- Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic →
❓ Frequently asked
How long does a repeat prescription last?
The doctor sets the validity, which may be up to 365 days, along with the number of collections allowed. It is issued for chronic diagnoses where the same medicine is expected to be taken long term.
What is the seven-day rule?
The first collection on a repeat prescription must be made within seven days of issue. Miss it and the prescription vanishes from the system — the whole thing, with every remaining repeat, not just the first.
What if I miss the deadline?
The prescription falls away and must be issued afresh. That means booking with your doctor again, so the seven-day window is worth watching from the moment the prescription is issued.
Can antibiotics be prescribed this way?
No. Antibiotics cannot go on a repeat prescription, and neither can narcotic or psychotropic substances. Those have their own, markedly stricter regime for both prescribing and dispensing.
How long is a narcotics prescription valid?
Medicines containing class II and III narcotic or psychotropic substances are valid for five days from issue. That is substantially shorter than for ordinary medicines and the window needs watching.
🔎 Common searches
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