I have an extremely difficult prescription, I have major astigmatism and very high myopia,- 12 actually which is count fingers vision. I am legally blind with out correction. With that high myopia level I have to have a retina specialist examine my eyes and retinas a couple times a year. Tiny holes develop around the edge of the retina called lattice degeneration due to the very oblong or egg shape of the eyeball. So for me an I definitely go to top rated eye specialist and surgeons for the exams. They give me my very difficult prescription which now also include bifocals, I have had good luck with successful lenses from Walmart, Costco, and my current glasses from Sears. One thing I always do is immediately take my new glasses back to the doctors that wrote the prescription and have them check the lenses for correct strength and pupil distance, and bifocal height. If they are not spot on I take them back and give them the info from the doctor and they make new lenses free of course. These I got at Sears were spot on. And I love my frames, they had a special on I got Two pair for under $400 it would have been much less but my prescription upped the cost. My husband got the same two pair deal and his were about $200 total, one pair he got as sunglasses. I will definitely use Sears again. I would order frames from online, I know all my measurements, but no one online will even attempt my lenses and I don't want to risk it. If I had a very basic simple single lens prescription that would be different.

Always count your pills as well. A few months ago I picked up a prescription for 100 pills - they were put in the smallest bottle (thankfully) - sometimes they will put 10 pills in a giant bottle. When I opened the bag at home I knew something was wrong because you couldn't fit 100 pills in said bottle. I was short 30. I called immediately and spoke with the on-duty pharmacist who went and did an audit. Fortunately she agreed with me, otherwise I was going to have to call my doctor as well as the Ontario government health organization responsible for pharmacists. Next up I went to pick up my husband's eye drops. I always get them and 3 different pharmacists have told me very clearly that said drops must be kept in the fridge at the pharmacy and home until first use - and I always show up with my cooler bag. So over I go - they were ready on a Wed. but I picked them up on Sun. The 16 year old cashier got them out of the drawer so I pointed out the obvious and she told me she was certain that I was wrong that the drops would be fine for my husband. I asked her when she received her pharmaceutical degree and demanded to speak with the pharmacist - and that I wasn't leaving the store with said drops. Over came the pharmacist and he agreed with me. I wanted to speak with the pharmacist owner but he was away. On his return I spoke with him - apparently I wasn't the only one having problems and things have tightened up. Problem of course is that prescriptions aren't being checked properly. Next up came a rare prescription for me that I have had before - and I can't use generic anything - allergic to the non-medicinal ingregients. I picked them up and was packing 5 to take with me on a trip for emergency purposes and noticed they were a bit bigger (not good) and a pale pink. So I looked at the presciption sheet that shows the last 20 transactions and sure enough they had given me a generic drug of 250 mg - with one repeat. The prescription was for the name brand drug of 500 mg - no repeats. I happen to know I can't take the generic of this pill, not to mention the lower mg. So I called. I should have known by the total price but I was picking up my Estrogel, my husband's eye drops and had a couple of other things. The owner was there and he was very apologetic and told me to bring them right back and he fixed it - $70 more of course. What is scary is that it was one of the store pharmacists who filled the prescription and my file clearly reads "no generics". Heck I only have 3 prescriptions and only 2 that I take regularly since I am allergic to most things. I am afraid that language is also an issue. You hate to open bottles and examine contents and counting pills on site, but what can you do? I see a lot of people doing that these days. I picked up prescriptions yesterday and did just that - I am so popular with the non-professional staff! - as are other customers. A woman I know took her elderly uncle to the hospital because he could hardly breathe or stand up. He had his pills with him - and because she had filled the previous prescription knew that the colour was wrong. Sure enough they had given him pills that caused his heart rate to slow down. Good thing she took him in. Ontario is really starting to push generics and people have to pay the differential between generics and name brand. The med ingredient might be the same but it is the non-medicinal ingredients that will get you. My husband had major dental surgery yesterday and has to get 2 prescriptions he never takes - only one he has is for his eye drops. I will be looking very carefully at the prescriptions when I pick them up. One is for penicillin - a drug that despite my many allergies I am not allergic to. Go figure. Each month I return his leftover eye drops to the pharmacy (the preservative is only good for 30 days so a new bottle is needed) and I also take in my empty Estrogel bottles every 2 months - but always to the pharmacy where I buy them. Cdn. pharmacies are not the same as in the U.S. If you have your prescription at one Shoppers Drug Mart you have to go to that drug store - can't go to another one and request your prescription if your store is out of stock. Shoppers Drug Marts here are franchises.

I've never heard that before. My vet has no problem with us ordering our meds online, and recommended the place that we order from (vetcentric.com). I think you do have to be careful that the place that you're buying from is legit. I HAVE heard of online places that tout that you don't need a prescription to buy from them, so who knows what's going on with that kind of situation? They may be doing all kinds of shady things. I just did a little research -- it looks like there may be reasons specifically for your vet being worried about the heartworm medication, though: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/606_pets.html It still sounds to me, though, that if your dog has had the heartworm test recently, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to buy the meds online. It's odd.

Hey Erica, I found a free presription plan through our state for discounted prescription drugs, came into effect Jan '05. You must be 60 & over or if under 60, monthly family income not be over their set income limits, have had no prescription drug coverage including third party ins from employer or insurer. There is no application or enrollment fees...Thanks for idea....