Prescriptions

Here you will find information about how to pick up and renew prescriptions for yourself or someone else. You can also read about how to get medicines on a blue prescription.

Renew and view your prescriptions

If your doctor offers the repeat prescription service "Renew a prescription at Helsenorge" (Forny resept), you can request a repeat prescription for medicines, medical supplies and medical foods. When you log into the service, click on "Renew prescription" on the prescription you wish to renew. Your doctor will decide if you should continue to take the medicine and can have your prescription renewed.

You can only renew prescriptions you have been given before. If you need a prescription for a new medicine, you must book an appointment with your doctor.

If you have youth access with parental consent, you cannot currently renew prescriptions via Helsenorge.

If your doctor does not offer the repeat prescription service

If your doctor does not offer the repeat prescription service, you will need to ask your doctor for a new prescription. If you are not sure whether your doctor offers this service, you need to ask your doctor.

f you want to renew a prescription and you know that your doctor does not offer this service at Helsenorge, you need to contact your doctor.

View prescriptions for your children and others

You can view prescriptions for your children and other people you represent on Helsenorge by obtaining a power of attorney (Norwegian: “fullmakt”) from the person you are acting on behalf of. The person authorising you to act on their behalf by power of attorney must be over the age of 16, and you yourself, as the holder of the power of attorney, must be over 18.

You can also use a paper form if you are unable to sign in to Helsenorge to obtain an online power of attorney.

Learn more about and sign in to obtain a power of attorney

View prescriptions for someone under 16

If you are the parent or guardian of a child under the age of 16, you can view their prescriptions by signing in to Helsenorge. This only applies if one of the parents has the same registered address as the child.

For young people age 12 to 16, the doctor and young patient can decide together whether the prescription should be kept secret from the parents. This is called “guardian access reservation” (Norwegian: “Vergeinnsynsreservasjon”) and can be applied if the young person does not want their parents to be able to view individual prescriptions.

When young people turn 16, their parents automatically lose any right to access prescriptions and other services on Helsenorge.

How over-16s can use Helsenorge

For youths between 13 to 16 years

If you are between 13 and 16 years old, you can, with parental consent, see your active prescriptions and prescriptions that have expired in the last 12 months. You cannot currently renew prescriptions via Helsenorge. Contact your practitioner in another way if you need to renew a prescription.

Blue prescription and h-prescription

If you have a serious illness, the state may cover a percentage of your expenses on medicines, medical supplies and medical foods on a blue prescription (Norwegian: “blå resept”). There are also other schemes to cover a percentage of your expenses if you are paying a lot for your prescriptions.

Blue prescription

In many cases, your doctor can prescribe medications on a blue prescription immediately. This is called a pre-approved reimbursement (Norwegian: “forhåndgodkjent refusion”). To qualify for this, your illness must be severe and long-term, and the benefit of the treatment to you must outweigh the cost of the treatment.
If your doctor believes that you are entitled to medicine that has not been pre-approved or to medical food on a blue prescription, the doctor will apply to Helfo (the Norwegian Health Economics Administration) for coverage of your expenses on your behalf. Helfo then decides whether you are eligible for blue prescription coverage.
If you need the medicine before Helfo has processed the application submitted by your doctor, you must pay for the medicine while you wait for Helfo’s decision.
Remember to keep itemised receipts somewhere safe (receipts showing the product name, price, date of purchase and name of your doctor). You will need to send these receipts to Helfo no later than six months after the date on each receipt.
Apply for reimbursement from Helfo
For some medical conditions, your doctor will be able to prescribe you medical supplies on a blue prescription immediately. This applies, for example, to
- blood glucose test strips for people living with diabetes
- pads for people living with incontinence
- products/pouches and baseplates for people living with an ostomy
- catheters for people living with urinary retention.
Read more about coverage of expenses on medical supplies (in Norwegian).
You can be reimbursed for your expenses on foods for special medical purposes on a blue prescription. It is your doctor who submits the application for coverage of your expenses.
Read more about this scheme under coverage of expenses on medical foods (in Norwegian).
When purchasing medicine, medical supplies or medical foods on a blue prescription, you pay 50 per cent of the prescription amount as a user fee, but no more than NOK 520 per prescription for a quantity equivalent to three months’ supply.
The pharmacy or medical devices supplier charges you a user-fee of 50 per cent of the prescription amount, but no more than NOK 520 (2023) per prescription for three months’ supply of medication, medical foods and medical supplies. If your doctor has issued you several prescriptions at one appointment, these will count as one single prescription.
User fees for blue prescriptions are included in the exemption card. Read more about the exemption card scheme.

H-prescription

Any medicine prescribed to you by a hospital is called an h-prescription (Norwegian: “h-resept”). To qualify for this, one or more criteria must be met:
- A doctor in the specialist health service initiates, evaluates and concludes your treatment.
- It is necessary for the specialist health service to monitor you physically and attend to you when you take the medicine.
- Your medicine requires medical devices, which only the specialist health service stocks.
View a list of which medicines these criteria apply to at lovdata.no (in Norwegian).
H-prescription medicines can be picked up at any pharmacy. View your h-prescription medicines in the Medicines service.
Your doctor is not able to renew an h-prescription. If you need a new h-prescription, you must contact the place where you were treated.
More information about h-prescriptions is provided on the Norwegian Directorate of Health website (in Norwegian).

User fees and exemption card

When you receive a prescription in connection with an appointment with a doctor, you pay a user fee. If you renew your prescription without a doctor’s appointment, the prescription is free and you can go straight to a pharmacy to pick it up.

Exemption card

You will receive a healthcare exemption card once you have paid more than a certain amount in user fees. With an exemption card, you will not have to pay user fees for the rest of the calendar year.

Privacy and security

You can control who has access to your prescriptions. On Helsenorge you can see who has viewed your prescriptions and block access by healthcare professionals.

Pick up prescription medicines and supplies

When your doctor writes you a prescription, you can pick it up from a pharmacy or medical devices supplier. The only thing you need is valid proof of your identity. At pharmacies you can pick up your prescribed medicines, medical supplies and medical foods. You can also buy prescription items from an online pharmacy. At a medical devices supplier, you can pick up medical foods and medical supplies.

Picking up prescriptions for someone else

To pick up medication for someone else you will need to present a formal authorisation (called a power of attorney) from that person. You will also need to bring a copy of the person’s proof of identity.

You do not need a formal authorisation if:

you collect medication for your own children under the age of 16.
employees in the nursing and care service (PLO) collect medication on behalf of pasients, and they present employee ID.

Substitution by pharmacies

The pharmacist may offer you a medicine with a different name than the one your doctor has prescribed if there is an equivalent, but less expensive alternative. Read more about medicines substitution by pharmacies

Multidose medicine

If you take a lot of medicines, you can ask to have them dispensed as a multidose. Your medicines will then be packed in bags by a machine. Talk to a pharmacist or your doctor about whether you want your medicines dispensed as multidose.

Safe and correct use of medicines

Information on how to take medicines correctly, the side effects they may cause, and on various support programmes (in Norwegian).

Illustration: Helsenorge

Content provided by Helfo, Norsk Helsenett

Helfo, Norsk Helsenett. Prescriptions. [Internet]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate of Health; updated Thursday, July 6, 2023 [retrieved Sunday, April 28, 2024]. Available from: https://www.helsenorge.no/en/medicines/prescriptions/

Last updated Thursday, July 6, 2023