Doctor-led medical cannabis, dispensed with the patience of an apothecary.
Lisbon · INFARMED licensed · EU-GMP
For patients with chronic conditions, prescribed under Portuguese medical authority. Real consultations. Pharmaceutical-grade chain. No recreational framing.
Why patients choose the practice
Four commitments that define how we work — and what separates a clinic from a dispensary.
INFARMED licensed
Authorised import and dispensing under Portuguese medical-cannabis law. Every batch documented.
Doctor prescribed
Real consultations with GMC-trained physicians. Real prescriptions. Quarterly follow-ups included.
EU-GMP certified
Pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing chain. The same standard your hospital pharmacy meets.
Discreet delivery
Tamper-evident packaging, signed chain of custody, posted only to verified patient addresses.
Conditions we treat
Cannabis is a tool, not a panacea. These are the indications where evidence and our clinical experience align.
When other analgesics have run their course
For neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and treatment-resistant chronic pain. Our prescribers favour balanced THC:CBD formulations and titrate slowly. Most patients report meaningful improvement within four to six weeks; some sooner. We track outcomes at every follow-up.
A clinic, not a dispensary.
Apothicare was founded in Lisbon in 2022 by Dr Elena Marques, a consultant in pain medicine, after a decade of patients asking the same question: where do I get this safely, in Portugal, from a doctor? We answered with a practice — proper consultations, INFARMED-authorised imports, pharmaceutical-grade product, and follow-up care. We are not a delivery app. We are a small clinical team that happens to dispense cannabis when it is the right tool for the patient in front of us.
1,400+
Patients in active care
94%
Average follow-up retention
7
Clinicians on the team
4
Years operating in Portugal
How a consultation works
Four steps from first contact to first prescription. Most patients complete the full process in seven to ten days.
Eligibility check
Five-minute online form. We confirm whether your condition and history fit Portuguese prescribing guidance before you pay anything.
Consultation
Forty-five minutes with a prescribing physician. Video or in-person at our Lisbon practice. Bring records.
Prescription
If clinically appropriate, your prescription is issued and dispensed from our INFARMED-authorised pharmacy partner.
Follow-up care
Quarterly reviews are included. Titration, side-effect management, dose changes — all by the same prescriber.
What patients tell us
Edited for length and anonymised. Outcomes are individual; we make no guarantees.
“Twelve years of fibromyalgia and three pain clinics. The thing that finally helped was being treated like a person rather than a prescription. The medicine works, but the practice is what kept me coming back.”
M.F.
Fibromyalgia · in care since 2023
“I was sceptical. I am a retired pharmacist; I have read the trials. Dr Marques walked me through the evidence honestly — including its limits. My MS spasticity is meaningfully better. So is my trust in the field.”
J.A.
Multiple sclerosis · in care since 2024
“After my husband's chemotherapy left him unable to eat, our oncologist suggested we explore this. Apothicare handled the prescribing, the pharmacy, and the follow-ups without us having to chase anything. He gained four kilos.”
C.T.
Oncology supportive care · 2024
Questions we answer most often
If something here is unclear, write to us. A real clinician will reply, usually within a working day.
Yes — INFARMED, the Portuguese medicines authority, has authorised medical cannabis prescribing since 2019. Apothicare operates under a full INFARMED licence for import, dispensing, and patient care. Recreational cannabis remains illegal.
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