Canadian prescriptions

16 years ago

Has anyone ever ordered prescriptions from Canada and if so what are the pros and cons? DH has retired and no longer has company insurance which included his prescriptions.We need to find a cheaper source for his meds which will be about $200. a month.I did a little checking online and one of his meds will cost about 1/3 what it would cost here! I have been hearing so much about the Canadian medicines not being the same,etc and just wondering if anyone has had any firsthand experience with it.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

joyfulguy
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Legitimate medicines in Canada are very similar to those in the U.S.

Earlier, when US$0.65 would buy CA$1.00, busloads of U.S. people from nearby states came to Canada to buy drugs, but I think that there are fewer (maybe none?) now that the two Dollars are near parity. The actual price was cheaper, still is, some ... don't know by how much: probably varies from drug to drug.

Just because you see the word "Canadian" ... or a Canadian flag on a website ... doesn't mean that that's the actual source.

Have you received emails purportedly from a bank that you use (or one that you never heard of), saying that there are problems with your account, and asking that you clear them ... and providing a link?

Have you ever clicked on those links? Surely you'd be taken directly to a website with that bank's name on it, right? If you were to watch the name(s) of the service providers to which you were being taken ... and possibly redirected ... don't sound much like a legit. bank's!!

If someone drains my bank account, or steals my identity, I lose some money .. and it'll take a lot of time, running around, buck-passing and emotional energy and more costs, to get the issue straightened out.

But that's all external.

When some stranger, from God only knows where, offers powerful chemicals online, manufactured where? and by whom? under what kind of regulatory system? ...

... that I am supposed to put into my precious, irreplaceable body??

That might cause me temporary, or long-term disability?

Or addiction?

Or death?

Not bloody likely!!

Who made the pills? How precise are the measurements? Not contaminated by other stuff (e.g. floor sweepings)?

I've had several spam offers saying that they had my drug order ready for delivery, prescription invoice No. 234566789 ...

... that was sent not just to me - but to half a dozen others, as well (and not even done by "Blind carbon copy"!).

Six folks??

All on one invoice??

You're kidding!!

I've replied to some (risking getting more spam, which often results from such replies ... or even asking that you have your name removed from a list - which often just proves to them that you're a live email address, which they can sell for more).

Asking which one of us the drugs on that invoice are for?

All six?

Same invoice?

Who pays?

Six people?

One invoice?

Who gets the drugs?

How do I know that they are made for me?

Usually I also tell them that, nearing age 80 ... I haven't had a prescription in at least 30 years.

Usually the messages sent (via "Reply to everyone") to the one purportedly sending the message are returned: no such person, no such address. Or sometimes "discontinued or disabled" ... which likely means that they left ... or were caught as spammers and kicked off of that site.

Sometimes I report the email from the service provider telling of the false sender address to the other recipients, to confirm the need for caution.

So - the spammers go to another site, within the hour.

Some time ago someone from the U.S. was asking about seeking drugs, or a connection in Canada and I offered to see what I could find. A major chain drug store doesn't do it. There are some major agencies that do nothing but, I think - and they are fully legit.

It did not go through, but if some of you are interested, I can do some searching, if you wish.

It'll cause us trouble later - the drug companies are a big lobby, and they won't put up with nonsense such as this for long!

Good wishes to all for a great week.

ole joyful
ronf_gw
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm self employed and therefore don't have ins. that covers prescriptions.
I take two prescriptions (eye drops)for my glaucoma. One is relatively inexpensive, 30 dollars for a bottle that lasts 4 months. The other is a bit more pricey, 80 dollars for a bottle that lasts only one month. DW did some research and found a firm called jandrugs in Canada that I've been using for almost 2 years now. The 80 dollar bottle costs 35 from them including shipping. It's actually shipped from New Zealand. I have an eye exam every 6 months and their has been no detectable difference in the effect of the meds. I pay with a credit card and haven't had any problems there either.

Ron
Related Discussions
Questions for Canadians re: prescriptions
Q
Comments (20)
sueto - I wanted to address this yesterday but forgot. No one meant any disrespect to Canada or their drug stores. Here in the US, we've been hearing from people for a while that they get their drugs cheaper from Canada. I know of someone that did, and sent them an email a few months ago when my prescription insurance got maxed out and they made me pay 100% until Jan 1 when the insurance would kick in again. The person never got back to me; I actually thought about making a post here too. I wouldn't know the 1st place to look to find a legit place to buy meds from. Carla, that doctor is not doing you any favors. I have one doctor that I see once a year. I called the other day for a 30 day script because I get mine mail ordered. They called it in to my pharmacy. I don't doubt that had I asked for samples I would have gotten some.
...See More
Why prescription drugs are so expensive
Q
Comments (47)
Ladytexan, you are spot-on, as usual! There is so much that needs fixing I just shudder to think of it all. So many dishonest politicians and officials that think anything's OK as long as they don't get caught. So much out-and-out fraud by those who can afford to hire slick attorneys. So much indulgence by large corporations. And our schools have become little more than 12-year babysitting programs -- I see disillusioned teachers all the time -- can't discipline, some of the kids are practically animals by the time they reach mid-high, disrupting class, making it impossible to teach, bullying the ones who are trying to get an education, in the halls and on the busses and sometimes right there in the classroom. If I had it all to do over again I'd home school. Kids graduate now knowing so little. Then they go off to college if they're lucky and so many of them party for at least the first two years. I blame the real estate problems on the realtors and loan institutions. Sorry, folks, but when you get a commission on a sale you're going to want the highest sale price, it's just basic math. And greed. I bought my first home for $30,000. Lived in it for 20 years, kept the property well cared-for, and made improvements along the way, here and there. Worked by backside off to get it paid off early. Sold it for $75,000. Good for me, right? Not really. Had to pay almost all of that for another house in a near-by town that wasn't probably worth more than $30,000 considering all the work it ended up needing. My real-estate taxes doubled and my insurance company insisted on insuring it for $125,000, which is what they say it would cost to replace it. My situation is on a small scale as compared to other places, where you can't buy even a simple little frame home for less that a couple hundred thousand dollars. What's up with that? Of course the seller wants as much as the market will bear. But really. And the LOAN COMPANIES! Young couples taking on a debt of 100,000 on an ADJUSTABLE loan? That's the biggest rip-off in all history and it ought to be illegal. Then we have these individuals who buy a house on a loan that is structured to start out with low payments, with the payments increasing gradually with time -- the thinking being that the homeowner's income will increase with time. So the homeowner gets this bright idea to live in the house while the payment is low and then when it starts to climb, sell it at an appreciated price, thus actually living there for free and getting out of the loan before the payments get too high. Then the bottom falls out of the economy and they can't sell that house for any price. Not according to plan, huh? That's when they walk off from it, leave the keys in the mailbox. Banks need to go back to the conventional way of loaning money. Now many people can't even pay off their home early without paying some kind of penalty. Paying a PENALTY for paying off your debt ahead of time? Unreal. And folks, for heaven's sake, live within your means. If you don't plan to have 8 kids, do you really need 10 bedrooms? Fifty years ago, we only needed three bedrooms regardless of how many kids we had. All the boys in one bedroom. All the girls in another. If we fought, we were disciplined. I watch that home channel and I see so many couples say, "Well, we NEED a pool. We NEED two living areas. We NEED four bathrooms. We NEED granite counter-tops." (*snort*) And the auto industry! The average car shouldn't cost as much as the average house did. It costs this much to build a car or truck because those auto workers make goooooood money and have great benefits. If we all made what those auto workers make, maybe we could afford to buy one of those vehicles every couple of years to keep them afloat. But we don't. And their company officials are paid outrageous salaries. So they want a bailout without wanting to change their ways. Wouldn't we all. If politicians, corporations (including drug companies), physicians and banks cannot govern themselves with honor and integrity (and obviously they can't) then they need to be forced to do so somehow. I agree, being regulated by the Government is like getting a fox to guard the hen-house. And that's something else that really gets my goat. When a bill is passed in the H of R, it shoudn't have other provisions tacked onto it as a way of getting enough votes. It should stand on it's own merit. If it doesn't get approved, then let those who voted against it be known and be accountable for it. It's just dirty to withhold your vote till they tack on something that will benefit you personally, or the state you come from, or some lobbyist who is paying you under the table. The founders of our country must be literally spinning in their graves.
...See More
Canadian pharmacy??
Q
Comments (1)
http://www.canadadrugpharmacy.com/ https://secure.blueskydrugs.com/Account/MedicalInfo.aspx Here are the 2 that I used. I was able to log on to both tho it's been several years. That in itself doesn't prove they are still legit; just that they are the same outfits. Couldn't get the Canada Drug search to cough up lidocaine but the drug list shows Lidoderm Patches. Could not find the price. ============== The Blue Sky site showed Emla Patch which is Lidocaine/Prilocaine (2.5%/2.5%) as well as the Lidoderm Patch. Emla was 1 for $29 and 5 for $61. Lidoderm was $198 each, $369 for 2 and $480 for 3. If I read the info correctly. These are 5%. Be sure to pin down how to get your info to them, that is, can you phone info in or fax it in etc. I filled out a form one time and mailed it and they told me that wasn't necessary I coulda phoned it in. I do remember faxing prescriptions. Do you spose you could use the EMLA patches? Half strengh but change oftener? Ask the Doc. Worth a try. Save lotta money.
...See More
prescription meds
Q
Comments (74)
I remember: Vit C is a cure-all...no, Vit E is it...no, B vitamins do it... beta carotene is it...no, Vit D is it... margarine is good...no, butter is good...whole grains are great...no, whole grains are evil...eliminate fat...no, eliminate *bad* fat...no, eliminate carbs...no, eliminate *bad* carbs...drink red wine...don't drink red wine...eat chocolate...no only eat dark chocolate. It's enough to make one's head spin. I'm at the stage where I'm leery of any of the new "wonder" natural products just as I'm leery of the "wonder" drugs. Perhaps more so as the drugs do have to go through more testing and analysis than the natural products do. And drugs are tested to see that they actually contain what they say they do, unlike so many natural products. Even if the studies done are modest in their conclusions, the internet/media hype around them certainly are not. (Do some diligence to see if the study being hyped has been done on more than a handful of people, for longer than a week, or even if it's been done on people at all, and check to see who sponsored the study and when the study was done.) For every positive report, there seems to be a "myth buster". The latest one I've heard is that the truism that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (brought to you by the breakfast foods industry) may not be so true after all. Even well done studies can disagree...that's why repeatability is so essential in creating good scientific conclusions. (Anyone remember cold fusion?) My take is, it's nice to have another fat option in coconut oil to enjoy, esp one that tolerates high heat for cooking. But don't expect it to equal the hype. If it seems to help you personally, then go ahead and have some. But individual differences (genetic, epigenetic, microbiome, etc.) are such that it's unlikely to be a cure for all, maybe harmful for some, and most likely benign to most. What isn't benign is overall fat/carb/protein intake, calorie intake, weight management and exercise levels. There is more than enough evidence to show that cutting calories lowers weight, that lowering weight reduces a number of health risks, and that exercising is good for your health.
...See More
bunny_lover
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have ordered from GetCanadianDrugs.com and had no problems. They were fast and easy. I get Zertec for myself and my daughters and I think last time I ordered, it was about $27. for 100. I would have to look it up though.
lilliepad
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks ron and Bunny.I will check those two out.
Joyful-I haven't gotten any e-mails from Canadian drug companies.The reason for my OP was to find out if anyone has ever had dealings with one and if so which ones.I wouldn't buy from just anyone.I know one has to be very careful about things like that.I would appreciate if you could do some searching.I can use any discount I can get.
Thanks
workoutlady
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I haven't heard of any problems with the Canadian prescriptions. Actually, I know lots of people that get theirs from Mexico but I do konw not anyone who gets theirs from Canada.
joyfulguy
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi scissors,

Do you know any of the sources that your friends use?

ole joyful

Canadian prescriptions

Comments (6)

joyfulguy

ronf_gw

Related Discussions

bunny_lover

lilliepad
Original Author

workoutlady

joyfulguy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Canadian prescriptions

Comments (6)

joyfulguy

ronf_gw

Related Discussions

bunny_lover

lilliepadOriginal Author

workoutlady

joyfulguy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

lilliepad
Original Author