Pharmacist
Ather is a pharmacist and co-founder of Forrest Pharmacy. He leads the travel and vaccination clinics, and writes here on travel health, immunisation and getting the most from your local pharmacy.
Prescriptions
Unwell on holiday in Edinburgh? When to call 999, how 111 and its interpreters work, what a pharmacist can help with, what you might pay, and how to use your travel insurance.
Ather Diab7 min read
Prescriptions
Medicine in a suitcase that did not arrive? What to tell the airline, how long you can safely wait, how to prove what you take, what a pharmacy can supply, and how to claim the cost back.
Ather Diab7 min read
Prescriptions
On holiday in Edinburgh and need medicine? What a pharmacist can do depends on which country your doctor is in. The rules in plain English, what to bring, what it costs, and where to go if we cannot help.
Ather Diab16 min read
Prescriptions
A pharmacy in Scotland can dispense a prescription from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, but not from anywhere else. Which countries count, what it must show, and what to do if yours cannot be used.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
The current advice in Scotland on COVID-19 symptoms: how long to stay at home, who still needs a test, antiviral treatment for people at higher risk, and when to call your GP, 111 or 999.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
Who gets a free COVID-19 vaccine in brief, who a private dose suits and who it does not, what the appointment includes, timing, side effects, and how to book at Forrest Pharmacy.
Ather Diab16 min read
Vaccinations
Who gets a free COVID-19 vaccine in brief, whether your vaccines from home count, what to do if you have a weakened immune system, when a private dose makes sense, and travel.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
Which students get a free COVID-19 vaccine, why students with a weakened immune system are often missed, whether healthy students need one, and why a flu jab usually does more.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
Visiting older or vulnerable family this winter? How to check they have had their own vaccines, what your COVID-19 vaccine does and does not do, why a flu jab helps more, and the steps that protect them most.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
Who gets a free flu jab in Scotland in brief, why so many people choose a private flu jab, what the appointment includes, timing around term and work, and how to book at Forrest Pharmacy.
Ather Diab16 min read
Vaccinations
Who gets a free flu jab in brief, flu seasons at home and in Scotland, the vaccination records worth bringing, and how international students book a private flu jab at Forrest Pharmacy.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
Why flu costs working adults more than they expect, which jobs get a free flu jab, timing around the Christmas rush, and fitting a private flu jab into your working day.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
What freshers' flu really is, how it differs from true flu and COVID-19, what helps, when a pharmacist can help, the warning signs that need urgent help, and whether a flu jab makes a difference.
Ather Diab8 min read
Vaccinations
Why flu spreads so fast through term, which students get a free flu jab in brief, why most students book a private one, timing around exams, and booking at Forrest Pharmacy.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
Why the MenB vaccine matters for international students in Edinburgh, records from home, finishing a course started abroad, other vaccines to check, and booking online.
Ather Diab6 min read
Vaccinations
MenB options for postgraduate, mature and returning students: how your risk compares, what to weigh up, and how private vaccination and online booking work in Edinburgh.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
The symptoms of meningitis and sepsis, the glass test, how to tell them from a hangover or freshers' flu, how to look out for flatmates, and when to call 999.
Ather Diab7 min read
Vaccinations
Why students are at higher risk of meningitis B, how the two doses fit around term, what the vaccine does and does not do, and how to book a private MenB vaccine in Edinburgh.
Ather Diab12 min read
NHS Services
August in the Old Town means long days, late nights and a lot of walking. A short, honest list of what is worth carrying, and what you can skip.
Ather Diab3 min read
A result slightly outside the reference range is not the same as a problem. What the numbers mean, why ranges vary, and which results genuinely warrant a conversation.
Ather Diab5 min read