Patient guide

I have my prescription. What now?

After the consultation comes the practical part: authorisation, importing, timelines and acronyms. This guide walks the whole path in order, in plain language. It is useful whether you have already been seen or are still deciding whether to start.

1. 1

   Check the prescription before you leave the consultation

   The prescription unlocks everything else, and one wrong detail on it costs weeks. It is worth checking there and then, while it can still be fixed without bureaucracy.

   The detail that most often gets an Anvisa request refused is the product name: the prescription must carry the exact commercial name. Generic terms such as “cannabidiol”, “CBD” or “cannabis oil” are not accepted on an import request.

   • ·Your full name, exactly as on your ID document
   • ·The exact commercial name of the product, not the generic term
   • ·The dosing: how much to take, how many times a day
   • ·Date, signature, licence number and professional council
2. 2

   Decide where you will buy

   There are three routes, and the choice changes price, timeline and paperwork. There is no single best one for everybody. There is the one that suits your case, and that can and should be discussed during the consultation.

   • ·Pharmacy in Brazil: the simplest and fastest route, with products already authorised here. No import request needed. Usually the most expensive
   • ·Authorised import: requires the Anvisa authorisation, opens up far more options, and takes longer to arrive. The price follows the dollar
   • ·Patient association: authorised cultivation in Brazil, at the lowest prices. Depends on availability, waiting lists and whether the association serves your region
3. 3

   Request the Anvisa authorisation, if you are importing

   The request is made on the gov.br portal, by the patient or their legal representative. It is free and the authorisation lasts two years, so it is not repeated for every purchase.

   For products already on Anvisa's predefined list, approval is immediate. For those outside it, the request goes through review, with an estimated timeline of up to 20 days.

   • ·The completed import form for cannabis-derived products
   • ·A valid prescription carrying the commercial product name
   • ·The patient's identity document
4. 4

   Buy, and track the delivery

   With the authorisation in hand, the purchase is made from your chosen supplier. Keep the authorisation and the prescription: they are presented at customs, and may be requested again later.

   Import timelines vary widely and can exceed a month. Worth factoring in when planning the start of treatment, so you are not left without the product in the middle of a dose adjustment.

5. 5

   Start, observe and write it down

   The beginning of treatment is an adjustment phase, and what guides that adjustment is the information you bring from daily life. Nothing sophisticated is needed: simple notes on your phone will do.

   Note the dose, the time, what improved, what did not change and any unwanted effects. That record is what turns the follow-up into a useful conversation, rather than an attempt to remember the last two months.

6. 6

   Come back when you need to

   A follow-up is a consultation like any other, at the same price, and you simply book again here on the site. There is no fixed interval: every treatment moves at its own pace, and the right moment to return usually becomes clear during the first consultation.

   Common reasons to rebook sooner than planned: the dose is not working, an unwanted effect appeared, the prescription is close to expiring, or the Anvisa authorisation needs renewing.

The four mistakes that most delay the first bottle

None of them is serious, and all of them cost time. Knowing the four in advance saves weeks of waiting.

• A prescription with a generic name

  Writing “cannabidiol” or “CBD oil” instead of the exact commercial name gets the import request refused. It is the most common reason for refusal, and the easiest to avoid.

• Paying someone to do the authorisation

  The Anvisa authorisation is free and the form is filled in by the patient. There is no fee, no mandatory customs agent and no necessary intermediary.

• Buying before the authorisation comes through

  The product can be held at customs until the paperwork appears. The right order is authorisation first, purchase second.

• Letting the prescription expire

  Prescriptions have a validity period, and the authorisation requires one that is still in date. Worth checking before starting a new purchase, especially with ongoing treatment.