There was a thread a few days ago (which I can't locate now!) about your prescriptions and I e-mailed them and got back a long ad (ad must be longer than the book!) for a book that sells for $159.00 detailing locations for mail order prescriptions. Anybody have any info on this? Ad was really well written but I can't imagine sending $159. for the info.Is this a scam and/or available elsewhere? Any info appreciated.

-- sue (deco100@aol.com), June 24, 1999

Answers

There's a discussion of this on the Michael Hyatt site (http://www.michaelhyatt.com/discuss.htm), including some posts by the author of the book. Go to the Medical category, and find the thread titled "Y2k RX medicine book $159!!"

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), June 24, 1999.

I've done this before. It's easy.

Go to any Mexican border town (Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, whatever). Park on the U.S. side of the border. There will be parking lots very close to the border. There's a good reason to park on the U.S. side, which you'll see in a few paragraphs. You also won't have to buy Mexican auto insurance, which is a little bonus. Walk into Mexico. (Bring U.S. photo I.D.) Within a few blocks of the border there will be dozens of doctors' offices, most of them catering to the walk-in U.S. tourist crowd. Tell the doctor what you need and why. Have doc write you a prescription for each medicines you need, ideally all on one form. This could cost about $30. If you don't like the price, go to another doctor. Remember, this is Mexico. Don't be afraid to negotiate for a better price. You won't hurt anyone's feelings. Dress down a little. Tell the doctor you are poor, and that's why you come to Mexico for health care in the first place. Then go to any local pharmacy. Shop around a bit. There will be dozens of them within a few blocks of the border. Get the prescription filled. The meds will be a lot cheaper than in the States, so you'll recover the money you spent at the doctor's office.

When walking back to the States, you'll have to declare your medicines at the Customs station. There are several things you must do right for this to be legal and to go off without a hitch.

Number 1: You MUST declare the meds! You're breaking the law if you don't. If the Customs officer asks, "Do you have anything to declare?" say, "Yes. I want to declare some prescription medicine I bought." Be prepared to show the prescription to the customs officer. If the officer doesn't ask if you have anything to declare, declare it anyway! Say, "I want to declare some prescription medicine I bought."

Number 2: You can't bring back more medicine than you would use in three months. (There's a way around this. Read on.) If the prescription says "Take 1 tablet 3 times daily," then 90 pills is a three month supply. If there are two meds, then 90 pills of each is okay, and so on, as long as what you are importing is no more than a three month supply of EACH medicine.

How to get around the three month limit: This is why you park on the U.S. side of the border. If you want more than a three month supply of a particular medicine, you will have to cross the border several times, each time with only a three month supply. Once back into the U.S., put the stuff into your car. If it's a warm day, bring a picnic cooler with plenty of ice in it for the meds. Don't let the meds get wet in the cooler. Walk back to Mexico to repeat the procedure. Of course, once you have the prescription in hand, there's no need to go to the doctor again! (Just hang on tight to that prescription.) On your subsequent visits to Customs, stand in a different line each time. You don't want to see the same Customs officer. Therefore, it's a good idea to execute this whole plan when northward demand to cross the border is at its highest -- rush hour. More agents will be on duty, which increases your chances of getting a different Customs officer, and there will be so many people that the Customs people will not remember you.

Number 3: The medicine you bring into the United States must be for your personal use. The prescription must be in your name! You can't bring medicine into the States for someone else. So when the Customs officer asks, "Is this medicine for you?" say "Yes. It's for my personal use." How then to bring meds back for someone else? When you are at the Mexican doctor's office, and you know you need a certain medication for your father or spouse who couldn't go with you to Mexico that day, just tell the truth and ask him to write the scrip in your name so you can get it across the border. Remember, at the border: "Yes. It's for my personal use." Don't say you're stocking up for Y2K! That will just complicate things. It's just your legitimate personal need to have the stuff for your usual ailments. Got it?

This has worked every time for me, with no problems. Just be polite to everyone you encounter, follow the rules, refrain from stupid "rude American" behavior, don't draw attention to yourself, and you should be fine.

A WORD OF CAUTION: There are certain drugs that Customs is looking for. Don't attempt to bring these into the U.S. unless you have a legitimate need for them. (In that case, a prescription from a U.S. doctor will work better at the border.) In general, don't try to bring back any narcotics (Percocet, Percodan, morphine, codeine, etc.) or things like Valium, Vicadin, Darvocet, and other pain killers and central nervous systems depressants. Avoid Viagra unless you really need it! People are always trying to smuggle Viagra across the border and resell it in the States. That's illegal. Customs will demand a bona fide prescription. If you REALLY need that kind of thing, by all means, get a legitimate prescription and declare the stuff at the border. But don't buy this stuff because you think it would be something fun to do. That would be inviting trouble.

-- Prometheus (fire@for.man), June 24, 1999.

Thanks for Info on Mexican drugs. My son is taking Clozaril, a controlled substance. Does anyone have any idea if I can get Clozaril from Mexico. Any help would be appreciaated.

-- Watcher5 (anon@anon.com), June 24, 1999.

You can get nearly anything there, unless it's a relatively new brand name drug. But if it's been around while, or is a generic, you'll have no problem. Try calling a Mexican consulate in any major American city. Ask for whoever handles trade and economic development. Tell them you would like the numbers of some pharmacies. Call the pharmacies and ask them if they have the med you seek. They usually speak English, so don't worry about that.

-- Prometheus (fire@for.man), June 24, 1999.

Watcher5--you do know that a person taking Clozaril has to have frequent blood tests, right? I can certainly understand you wanting your son to have the Clozaril in case of Y2 glitches, however. I hope he has been on it for a while and seems to tolerate it well.

-- Mara Wayne (MaeaWayne@aol.com), June 24, 1999.

hi all - first time posting here.

What about anti-biotics for children? Can they be obtained from international (Mexico?) sources and stored for later use?

Thanks Tom

-- tom (tom@devshop.com), June 24, 1999.

You know, you are all missing one small point....

This afternoon, I visited my doctor for a checkup. Started talking to him about Y2K. After the standard 10 minute synosis, I asked him for a prescription for some Erythromycin (Strong broad-spectrum anitbiotic) and some Percocet (narcotic pain killer). He wrote them both out on the spot; 100 percocets and 250 Erythro's. He also gave me his email address and asked for more Y2K info.

How about just talkin' to the docs first, folks! It might just work!

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), June 24, 1999.

Um, that would be "10 minute SYNOPSIS".

Sorry.

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), June 24, 1999.

Prometheus' I think anytime you cross the BORDER your in their world! No U.S.A. laws apply! One of your trips could go wrong and we might never see you again.

-- usaonly (Nocross@border.not), June 24, 1999.

Prometheus, thanks for the info, I'll check it out.

Mara, thanks for your concern. My son has been on Clozril now for eight years. He has to have his blood tested every two weeks. Since it is a controlled substance the Doctor will not allow more than a two weeks supply, so we are very concerned about Y2K/

-- Watcher5 (anon@anon.com), June 24, 1999.

Watcher5: If you send me an email address I might be able to give you some ideas. What area of the US are you in? My email address is real.

-- judy (wednesdayschild@hotmail.com), June 24, 1999.

Sue. Prometheus is correct regarding bringing meds back from Mexico. My wife and I spent a lot of time in South Texas and have made many trips across the border just as he described. EXCEPT we didn't need prescriptions for antibiotics or other 'benign' drugs. If you go to Westlaco, Texas, you can walk across the border bridge and there are about 35 or 38 pharmacies within 15 square blocks. I only had a US Customs agent ask for a prescription one time and that was in regard to Darvocet 100 pain meds. (Yes, I had the paper). Customs did not seem to care what I was bringing back as long as it was not a mind-altering substance or illegal in this country. At the time, I was taking a couple of drugs that were not available in this country and the agent was unfamiliar with them. A short explanation sufficed and no problems were encountered.

One other way. MAIL THEM BACK TO YOURSELF. Perfectly legal.

-- Lobo (atthelair@yhoo.com), June 25, 1999.

Dennis, you are sooooo lucky! When I tried to discuss the same with our family doctor, he gave me a fatherly smile (while trying to supress outright laughing) and explained to me that one simply CANNOT believe what one reads on the Internet. I tried to tell him about the expert opinions, the Senate hearings, etc., but he waved it all away as money grubbing hype.

So, no such luck for us! I've been toying with the idea of calling around town and just asking if the doc is a GI. I'll let you know if it works out.

-- Arewyn (isitthatlate@lready.com), June 25, 1999.

Sue -- as to your original question. I saw the ad too. Also was tempted, but can't imagine shelling out $159 for info. That seems too much like the sort of scam they're always warning folks about on Eyewitness News. I had a buddy of mine who is a GI insurance exec (very concerned about y2k including the problem of getting meds) look over it, and he thinks it could be a scam too. The language it is written in uses scare tactics and sounds just like a late night infomercial. Don't know what to think, but will be interested in what you decide to do. Keep me posted. E-mail is real.

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), June 25, 1999.

Lobo,

I realize things are a lot looser and easy going at the border than I described in my original post, and that most of the time you don't need to show a prescription, but I wanted to give folks strict "by the book" directions so they don't get in trouble. In truth, Customs doesn't care a whit about antibiotics and most other non-narcotics and non-psychotropics.

Watcher5,

I just learned about Clozaril, and it sure sounds like a drug you will want to have a prescription for when you hit the border. You may even want to bring along some other documentation that describes your son's condition. By the way, because of treaties we have with Mexico, a Mexican prescription is just as valid at the border as a U.S. prescription. Since your American doctor won't issue a prescription for more than two weeks, you will need a Mexican prescription for a much larger quantity of Clozaril. Instead of the three minute doctor's office visit I descibe above, you will actually have to spend some time with the Mexican doctor, explaining your son's history, why he needs the Clozaril, show the doctor your American prescription, copies of medical records, etc. The Mexican doc will want to be fully assured that he is doing the right thing. I don't think you will have any problems, though.

usaonly,

My, are you xenophobic! Of course U.S. laws don't apply. So what? It's not like I'm visiting FARC controlled portions of Colombia, or distributing Bibles on the street corner in Saudi Arabia. This is perfectly legal activity in the eyes of both the U.S. and Mexican governments. Approximately 600,000 Americans travel each year just to Tijuana for the sole purpose of buying medicines. How many of those law abiding people are never seen again? Your warning is unreasonable, and has no basis in reality. It would be unfortunate if you scare some people into not getting the meds they need for Y2K, when this is a perfectly safe and legal activity.

-- Prometheus (fire@for.man), June 25, 1999.

Agree with Prometheus! We have taken a few trips to Tijuana and beyond, and although it distinctly looks and feels like the foreign country it is,...it is not dangerous at all for anyone using common sense. Don't do anything illegal, be courteous and enjoy your trip. It is actually a very enjoyable excursion, and we are planning to acquire anti-biotics this way also.

-- Mumsie (Lotsakids@home.com), June 25, 1999.

A trip to Mexico is out of the question for some. Are there any mail- order resources?

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), June 29, 1999.

for sara: try www.feral.org/vitality/in_1main.htm

-- ed (edrider007@aol.com), June 29, 1999.