Buying Medications in Canada -- How?

[amelia]

Is a U.S. prescription valid in a Canadian pharmacy, or do you need to obtain a prescription from a Canadian doc? Any tips on how to do this?

[Paula]

Yes, a US prescription is good in Canada.

[culpeper]

A prescription written on an official form by any qualified physician in one country, is valid if presented to any pharmacist or hospital in most countries of the world. You may get a 'clone' product which may have a different name, but the drug you get will be the same, and the dosages should be the same also. If you're overseas and are having problems getting a prescription filled, contact the local embassy. Sometimes your travel agent or your hotel admin. can point you in the right direction. In some countries, there may be shortages of certain drugs - so when travelling, take enough of your medications with you to last the entire length of your absence from home - and don't forget to declare them at Customs!! Take prescription forms with you in case of problems persuading Customs that the drugs are legal. Your doctor may have to have some drugs approved for bulk-buying, so plan well ahead.

[petefarms]

we live in upstate ny the st. lawrence river is across the road and canada is on the other side of the river, kingston canada is a close as our nearest city and ottowa is as close to us as syracuse, ny and have been to canada numerous times. the quality of life is the equal to ours and any prescriptions you may fill over there are regulated as in the states. feel safe filling prescriptions from canada irregardless of any claims made by our government of drug companies claims to the contrary. my late father in law went to kingston canada for cancer treatment and received a high quality of care the equal to anywhere. Living this close to canada gives us a different perspective than most. also the canadian dollar is very close to ours for the exchange rate so for us to shop in canada we only gain 12 cents on the dollar compared to 44 cents on the dollar like two years ago. hope this helps any americans trying to save on medication costs.

[BeckyW]

Do a google search. There are numerous Canadian pharmacy sites online that will ship direct. It's been nearly 2 years since I did this however the savings were substantial. It isn't so much about the exchange rate as it is the cost of the drug in Canada v. what drug companies sell the same for in the US. Sadly, we are definitely considered cash cows here. The sites walk you through it all - the one I dealt with verified the prescription directly with the MD, just like a US pharmacy.

BW

[mwtslf23]

Go to RXNorth.com. I refer them to some of my clients and they really like the prices.

[Wolf mom]

You can go online as was said. The will want you to fax the prescription. I've used Planetdrugstore.com but they fill from all over the world....

Sure hope this doesn't get legislated away from us. A run to Mexico takes 6 hours.

[Janon]

Although I do not know why our drugs are cheaper, I do know that they are substantially cheaper when compared to U.S. prices. Here in Ontario, we'd literally have busloads of older folks from the U.S. stopping at pharmacies.

Beware of duties/taxs charged at the border. Also beware of Internet pharm. sites claiming to be from Canada - many are not.

cheers,

[Wayne02]

How do the online CN pharmacies handle the duty/taxes that one would normally pay when crossing the border back into the states? Is that all figured into the online transaction?

I'm trying to figure out if there is any benefit to a 5 hour road trip north to CN vs just ordering the stuff online?

Also, how does the CN thing workout with regards to insurance co-pays etc? We pay on average $20-$30 for each refill.

Wayne

[deb]

State of Wisconsin and the State of Minnesota websites have links to state inspected and approved Canadian Pharmacy websites. It was in the news a lot last year, but i haven't heard any huff about it lately.


deb
in wi

[celina]

well as far as duty goes, when i order online FROM the us into canada...the border will either let it pass, or do a random check...i pay (on my side) 5.00$ for the priviledge of them opening the package and if they deam it i get charged 7%(fed sales tax) on the declared value of item...


im guessing something slightly similar..on something like drugs, i'd say this would still be way worth it..


the difference in prices is that the cnd government legislates a maximum you can charge for these things..since they are a necessity..the companies still make a profit i'm sure, so no need to shed tears for them....whereas in the states....the companies can charge what they feel the market can bear..and when you're dying and have to choice, i'm guessing the market can beat a high price

[amelia]

Great info, everybody--thanks!

[Buffy in Dallas]

Buyer beware! I ordered meds for my son from what I thought was a legit pharmacy. Only problem is that there was no medication in the pills we got. Of course we didn't know that until he had complications from not getting his meds and ended up in the hospital