Bringing drugs back into the US

[Planmaam]

Does anyone know the rules about bringing legal, prescription drugs back into the US from Mexico? Do you have to have your written prescriptions with you showing it is legal for you to have them? I am interested in buying some of the medications I take from the Wal-Mart in PV. Want to make sure I don't have any trouble bringing them back into this country.

 

Anyone have experience/knowledge of this?

 

Thanks for any help.

[ronrythm]

http://phoenix.about.com/cs/health/a/mexicodrugs.htm

 

http://tijuana.usconsulate.gov/tijuana/buying_prescription_medications_in_mexico.html

 

For what its worth, I was asked by customs if I was bringing any prescripion drugs when I re-entered the US after my cruise last July.

 

Enjoy

Ron

[seahunters2000]

Does anyone know the rules about bringing legal' date=' prescription drugs back into the US from Mexico? Do you have to have your written prescriptions with you showing it is legal for you to have them? I am interested in buying some of the medications I take from the Wal-Mart in PV. Want to make sure I don't have any trouble bringing them back into this country.

 

Anyone have experience/knowledge of this?

 

Thanks for any help.[/quote']

 

 

I live in So. Cal & have visited Mexico more than I can count by both land & sea. I have never been ask by any customs agent if I had any presciption drugs. My wife was taking Chantix which is a stop smoking drug. Our insurance didn't cover it, so we went to Mexico to get it at about half the price they charge in the U.S. I'm not sure of the lagalities of it, but from what I understand is that if you are only getting it for youself & not buying mass quantities it shouldn't be a problem. One word of caution only buy the brand name drugs. They try to sell generic drugs & many of them are pure fake. I was taking one drug that my doctor told me there was no generic for, but yet in Mexico they had a generic for pennies on the dollar. Of course I didn't buy it I opted for the real thing for a greater cost. I would think that the WalMart pharmacy would only carry the real thing.

[bzy1]

As of August you can no longer buy antibiotics without a MX RX. Any narcotic needs a MX RX. Soon you will need an RX for all non-over the counter drugs.

[riffatsea]

Technically IF the drug requires a prescription then you need a MEXICAN doc to write the scrip. Your USA scrip is not valid in a foreign country.

The pharmacies have local docs nearby that will write a scrip for you.

Bring your USA one with you and only buy name brands.

We used to just cross the border to get meds for my sister-in-law but we don't do it any more.

[Aussiemick]

Does anyone know the rules about bringing legal' date=' prescription drugs back into the US from Mexico? Do you have to have your written prescriptions with you showing it is legal for you to have them? I am interested in buying some of the medications I take from the Wal-Mart in PV. Want to make sure I don't have any trouble bringing them back into this country.

 

Anyone have experience/knowledge of this?

 

Thanks for any help.[/quote']

 

We buy all our mediciine in Algedones, Mexico. You can bring back a 3 month supply without any problem with customs. Of course what is a 3 month supply is anyone's guess. You cannot purchase any narcotic or antibiotic without a doctors prescription and I would not recommend buying narcotic drugs in Mexico even if you have a prescription.

[Planmaam]

Thanks to all who answered; I will heed all the warnings, and go armed with my prescriptions! (only to show to customs if they ask.)

[triplover]

Please be very cautious to what you buy and take. Is it really worth risking your life or a serious side effect? Drugs in other countries aren't always regulated as strictly as they are in the United States and just because it's labeled one way or a clerk tells you that's what you're buying-how will you know for sure until it's possibly too late? If god forbid something were to happen to you, what recourse would you have? They will not have a record of selling you the drug in their computer and even if they did-who would be held responsible? I am not trying to necessarily scare you, chances are you will be fine, but please think this over before you take something orally-do you trust the person/company you are purchasing it from enough to risk your health?

[star gazer]

Please be very cautious to what you buy and take. Is it really worth risking your life or a serious side effect? Drugs in other countries aren't always regulated as strictly as they are in the United States and just because it's labeled one way or a clerk tells you that's what you're buying-how will you know for sure until it's possibly too late? If god forbid something were to happen to you, what recourse would you have? They will not have a record of selling you the drug in their computer and even if they did-who would be held responsible? I am not trying to necessarily scare you, chances are you will be fine, but please think this over before you take something orally-do you trust the person/company you are purchasing it from enough to risk your health?

 

Correct and to the point.

[SevenSeas1492]

As of August you can no longer buy antibiotics without a MX RX. Any narcotic needs a MX RX. Soon you will need an RX for all non-over the counter drugs.

 

We were in Mexico in September, and I had read the same thing. So, I asked the "pharmacist" or whoever he was behind the counter in one of the pharmacies if this was true. He said, yes, it was, but "we still do it, you know, 'hush, hush.' I had no intention of buying any antibiotics--just curious.

[jerseysmom]

We live in So Cal and have purchased prescription meds many times. Once we walked across to Tijuana. On the way back through customs the agent asked what we bought & I told him. He asked to see them and then waved us through. Never been asked on a cruise though. The above posters are correct. Always stay with name brand, boxes/tubes are very similar, just in Spanish. Walmart has a good pharmacy and very inexpensive.

[Alaska-forget-me-not]

We live in So Cal and have purchased prescription meds many times. Once we walked across to Tijuana. On the way back through customs the agent asked what we bought & I told him. He asked to see them and then waved us through. Never been asked on a cruise though. The above posters are correct. Always stay with name brand, boxes/tubes are very similar, just in Spanish. Walmart has a good pharmacy and very inexpensive.

 

Your comment about boxes and tubes reminded me of when I was on my first cruise and in Acapulco I skinned my knee very badly. I got back on the ship and our next stop was Huatulco. There, I went to the pharmacy, and me not knowing any Spanish, proceded to try and explain to the pharmacist, who spoke no English, that I wanted Neosporin. After about 10 minutes of wild gestures and broken Spanish and English, a lightbulb went off over his head and he blurted out, "Oh, Neosporin!" After that, I asked for what I wanted first, and if they didn't know, then I proceded with the broken Spanish and wild gestures!

On topic, no one asked me anywhere if I had purchased anything. The customs guys just asked how it was living in Alaska and waved me through.