The wife takes some moderately expensive meds and I’m researching the possibility of ordering from north of the border. MIL is already doing so and passed on the name of the pharmacy she deals with.
Web searching turns up a bunch more and some of their pricing is a bit better.
Anybody know anything about the following:
www.canadianpharmacynetwork.com
www.canadameds.com
www.peoplerx.com
Replies
To answer your question, no, I don't have experience with them, since I'm a Canadian. I have a big problem with this whole across the border drug thing, though: technically, it is ethically wrong for a physician to prescribe drugs to a patient they have not seen; it is also illegal for a pharmacy to fill a prescription written by a doctor who is not licensed to issue prescriptions in that province.
You are essentially getting a doctor to rubber stamp the prescription issued by someone else, for a patient he/she has never seen, and knows nothing about. The doctor who rubber stamps the prescription is assuming that the originating doctor knows what they are doing, and is staking his professional career on it. I seriously question the integrity and legality of this issue.
Would you do this in your career? Just rubber stamp the work of someone else without knowing anything about the issue? I know it's common, but it makes me shudder. I'm a Professional Engineer, and I sure wouldn't stamp the work of someone I've never met, on a project I've never seen. But that's just me. Sorry to hijack the thread.
Cairo,
He's got the presciption from a doctor. He just needs a pharma that doesn't sell drugs for overly inflated prices.
You should come down here man and see what it's like to be middle class and not be able to afford 10-12k ayear for medical insurance and then pay more than twice the price for meds!!!!!!
Eric
http://rivercitymeds.com
http://rxdrugdepot.com/shop/cart.php?m=home
Try either of the above. They are both clients of mine and I can say they are both run by nice people. You shouldn't have any problems with either one of them.
Randy
But the point is that the drugstore isn't allowed to issue drugs on a prescription from a doctor who isn't licensed in the province where the drugstore is; and technically, the doctor who is being paid by the drugstore, isn't ethically allowed to issue or rubber stamp a prescription for a patient he has not seen.
The whole system is questionable from a legal point of view. Unless you travel to Canada, OR the doctor who gave him the prescription is licensed in Canada. But I know it's common, and I fully understand why people do it. And I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Honest.
C'
You just learn't me somethin; about the doctor and the Province thing.
Thanks, we're cool. I'm glad you guy's have inexpensive meds to sell us. Your taxes actually subsidze the cost of the meds to keep them low; is that right?
If it is; how does the population feel about us benefitting from something that costs you money?
Eric
Hey, i dunno bout the subsidizing thing--i read some stuff about pharmacy price mark-ups in the states and there was up to a 3,000 per-cent hike in many cases--so our prices in Canada still leave lots of room for profit. Still, if -if- we were subsidizing you guys needing to save a bit to keep healthy--hey, let my taxes help. By the way, Costco`s markup was by far the lowest out there--and you don`t need a membership for pharmacy services(by law).
Be well (or like we be saying up here these days--stay warm!)
While they may be an exception somewhere; in Ontario, the prices you see are the prices that are paid to the drug companies. There are no subsidies at that level. I believe that's the case in all the other provinces too.
Where the government does get involved is in negotiating that fair price we pay with the drug companies on behalf of Canadians. When you buy a prescription here, you will see two amounts on your bill: the price of the medicin, and the fee the drugstore charges to dispense it: the price of the drugs will be the same everywhere..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I know how you feel. When I hear about some of the posters and their families having the hardships, it kills me.
You know what? If you vast majority who are struggling want to change things, you had better get your legislators to take noticeof your wants. That's what happenend here.
We also had wide open & free market medicine until the '50s. It took ONE legislator, Tommy Douglas, to fight and finally the big political parties got it.
ONE legislator. (He was a also a rural minister, but that's another story)Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
technically, it is ethically wrong for a physician to prescribe drugs to a patient they have not seen; it is also illegal for a pharmacy to fill a prescription written by a doctor who is not licensed to issue prescriptions in that province.
I don't have a problem with Americans coming north to get prescription medication, and I don't think the price difference is due to any government subsidy. Like you, I do have a problem with the doctors who just copy the Rx and rubber stamp it so the local pharmacies can fill a Rx which the doctor doesn't have the vaguest idea of who the patient is and his medical history and condition. Other than the ethical issue, I know at least in Ontario that you can't write a Rx to somebody who is not under your care for a particular condition that you are qualified to treat. Depending on the severity of the offence, a doctor can actually lose his license for doing just that. I am pretty sure the Colleges of other provinces have the same regulation.
The latest I heard was the doc charged $35 for each Rx. That's his full time job and it's all cash too. Having him rubber stamp you a Rx is one thing, I wouldn't ever trust him to be my doctor.
I didn't have time to view your links. Don't even think twice about it. Trust your gut and go with what seems like a legit outfit. If I can locate the one we have used I will pass it on to you.
My wife did a 6mo. regiment of LAMISIL that would have cost us close to $900.00. We got it from the north for a little over $300.00.
Bastards........I'd like to .........aw nevermind. Go figure that one.
Be well,
Eric
Hi Ralph,
I hope you're both doing well, despite this.
The only one I've heard of before is canadameds which is, I believe, an American company set up to retail to Americans. I expect the others are too as we don't really need their services here. Is reliability the issue? You'd probably be better off if you could get a recommendation from somebody in fla who buys from one of them now.
Cheers
Ron