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Buying Prescription Drugs From Canada

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Posted 2/18/2013 1:57 PM (GMT 0)
Is it bad if they know that you are going to Canada for meds?

Doctors know that some of their patients are ordering meds from Canada because it's the only way they can afford them, it's not a secret. Most will co-operate because they want you to take the meds and get better.

But it's up to you to figure out how to do it and find out what meds are equivalent in Canada to match your RX. Call the Canadian pharmacy and they should be able to help. Make it easy for your doctor and they will co-operate when they know why you are doing it. Your doc won't write the Rx for the Canadian drug but the Canadian pharmacy will fill it with their equivalent.

Some pharmacies will tell you what country your meds are manufactured in and where they are shipped from (can be thousands of miles different). I like knowing this information. I don't think drugs from Canada are questionable but not sure about Mexico.

Have you priced your meds in Canada? Some are not less than US or not worth the hassle.
Posted 2/18/2013 2:15 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, imagardener! Our insurance has recently changed and Asacol, Asacol HD, and Lialda are not covered under this plan. My monthly maintenance meds of Asacol HD would cost us $600. That's ridiculous and completely unaffordable. Our insurance company suggests I get Apriso or Colazal. Apriso isn't formulated for inducing remission and I have pancolitis, so neither of those options works for me. I've looked into getting my meds from bigmountaindrugs, and with them, it would be half that cost if I got the regular Asacol and a fourth of the price if I got the generic Asacol. Ideally, I would like my doctor to write a prescription for regular Asacol 800mg, in place of the 400mg, so I would only have to take 6 pills a day instead of 12.
Posted 2/18/2013 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
I just ordered 3 months of Lialda generic and almost a year of 6mp for 300. I think that's almost less than I was paying in copays at the US pharmacy with insurance. Hopefully everything works out okay for me. I have ordered from Canada before without any issue.
Posted 2/18/2013 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
Did you have to have your doctor write the prescription stating that it was for the generic version of Lialda? Or did they just write the prescription for Lialda and you told the online company to make it the generic?
Posted 2/18/2013 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
I've also read here that generic Asacol will be available in US this year. Keep up with that also.

BTW that sucks that your insurance company is telling you what drugs to switch to.They should be arrested for practicing medicine without a license. Your doctor is the one who is in charge of your meds which are not interchangeable at the whim of your insurance company since you have a specific diagnosis and need a specific drug to treat it.
Posted 2/18/2013 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
I sent my lialda prescription to the pharmacy. Hopefully they don't care about the switch. I've done it with other things in the past. I think the dose matters more than the brand.
Posted 2/19/2013 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
imagardener - I will definitely be watching to see what they do with Asacol HD when the patent ends this summer. I'm hoping they take the high road and let it expire... And yes, it's so not right that they're able to have a say in which meds you take. It drives me nuts when even doctors say, "Well, 5-ASAs are all the same. We'll just give you a different one, it'll be okay."

notso - Thanks for the info!
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