Re: SDUT: 5/97 Mexican Med. Imports Q & A

[Guest guest]

Questions & Answers

Dibble, STAFF WRITER

Source: Mexico's Health Ministry and Association of Tijuana Pharmacies

29-Jun-1997 Sunday

Do it legally and you'll have no problems purchasing medications in

Mexico. Here are some questions addressing common consumer concerns.

Q. When do I need a doctor's prescription in Mexico?

A. A prescription is needed when purchasing controlled substances

(categories II and III under Mexico's General Health Law). This

category includes painkillers, tranquilizers and many diet pills. A

prescription from a U.S. doctor is not sufficient; Mexican law

requires a prescription from a Mexican physician.

The pharmacist is required to keep the original prescription. But

make sure you don't leave the store without a copy.

Some medications may be refilled up to three times; in this case, the

pharmacy will keep the prescription after the third refill.

Q. When don't I need a prescription in Mexico?

A. Antibiotics, anti-depressants, heart medication, birth control

pills -- a wide variety of medications that require prescriptions in

the United States are sold without prescriptions in Mexico. If in

doubt, the pharmacy should have a thick book listing pharmaceuticals

and their classification. If further clarification is needed, contact

Mexico's Health Ministry in Mexicali at 011-52-65-57-19-66.

Q. Now that I've complied with Mexican laws, how can I legally bring

the medications into the United States?

A. The Food and Drug Administration permits importing foreign

medications for personal use, generally defined as a 90-day supply.

To avoid problems with U.S. inspectors at the border, follow these

guidelines: Declare imported medications.

The importer must be the person for whom the prescription was written.

If a medication requires prescriptions in the United States, it must

be accompanied by a prescription from a U.S. or Mexican doctor. An

exception is steroids, which may only be accompanied by a prescription

from a U.S. doctor.

Copyright Union-Tribune Publishing Co.

***

NOTE: I just re-posted this, because I read it again, and realized that when

I used to go down and get the Domperidone (similar to Propulcid) I declared it

for my wife. The US Customs did not ask for a prescription, perhaps it did not

require one?

When they would ask me what her condition was, why I came down there,

I told them. I did not think, at the time they were infringing on my privacy

I felt they were just verifying why the sick person was not picking up her

own medications, which in this case was obvious, she was very sick. The US

Customs was always nice to me. They never doubted the story. The questioning

was always quick, less than a minute.

Nevertheless, I hated to drive round trip including border wait for three hours

to pick up some meds. I certainly would not be happy if Sav-On pharmacy down

the street was an hour and a half away. This is not even counting

the risk of an

auto accident and losing ones car. If auto insurance was purchased for every

trip to Mexico ... $$$.

As Mike said to me in a previous post, all things considered the mail

order pharmacy

can still be a great resource. The more I remember those round trips. It has

been since last August that I picked up medications in Mexico. The

more he is correct!

I must be a pretty positive thinker I forget the negative stuff

so quickly :)