I am about to move to Edinburgh as an international student. I have been diagnosed with AS in my home country and have been on Adalimumab for over two years.

I checked the waiting time on NHS lothian website and it says that the waiting time for rheumatology is 35 weeks for routine and 26 for urgent.

This brings up two questions and I'd really appreciate any advice:

  1. ⁠Is there anyway to see a doctor faster? Because obviously, it is too long to just get a prescription, besides I have to spend even more time register for and go to see a GP first.

  2. ⁠If I can provide all the medical records from my home country – including blood test, imaging, and prescription history, etc – would I be able to get a prescription for Adalimumab as soon as I see a doctor? Or would they have to try something else on me first?

I can bring some Adalimumab with me (enough for 3 months as the UK government limits medication brought into the UK), but I am worried that I might run out before I can get any prescription through NHS.

Any advice or suggestions would be really helpful, as I know very little about NHS or how it operates in Scotland.

Thanks in advance!


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