Is it Illegal to....

[Chargers]

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Is it illegal to order a prescription drugs through those Canadian drug store website??? My insurance is about to expire and all I need is these 2 medication which the doctor has prescribed to me for 11 refills. I figure if I order these from Canada, then I don't have to renew my insurance. So is it illegal to do this?
BTW I am applying to medschools, and I don't wanna jeopardize anything; hence the thread🙂

 

[seriously]

it's not illegal, but there is no FDA in Canada, so the drug composition/quality is questionable

 

[Law2Doc]

it's not illegal, but there is no FDA in Canada, so the drug composition/quality is questionable

Well, many prescription drugs are, in fact, illegal to own/obtain without a prescription, so if we are talking about such classes of drugs, then yes, it is, in fact illegal. In other cases it MIGHT be illegal. One advisory website indicates: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains that: (1) Reimporting into the United States prescription drugs originally manufactured in the United States is a violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; and (2) Importing medications made in other countries violates the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act if the medicine is not approved by the FDA or if it does not meet all FDA approval requirements."

Otherwise as the above poster indicated, there is the issue of no protective regulation, and thus nothing preventing the provider for giving you a placebo, a dangerous substance, a bad set of instructions, questionable quality or quantity/dosage, etc. There have been many instances of folks getting sick from mail order meds.

 

[Chargers]

I thought the FDA just provides guidelines, not rules about drugs. Besides, there are many over the counter drugs that do NOT even get tested at all. Does anyone else have other opinion on this?

BTW, is there any medical insurance that only cover the prescription drugs fee? Like I stated, I only need to buy my medications, and you know how expensive medical insurances are. This is just a short term solution for a bout 1 year. After that I will be in medical school with my health insurance covered.

 

[Law2Doc]

I thought the FDA just provides guidelines, not rules about drugs.

Pretty much every federal administrative agency makes regulations/laws.

What does this have to do with allo?

 

[Nekrotik]

it's not illegal, but there is no FDA in Canada, so the drug composition/quality is questionable

inflammatory remark with absolutely no basis in reality, hope this is sarcasm...

Canada is the toughest country in terms of drug approval,
Health Canada (canadian equivalent to FDA) is more strict in that sense than the FDA.

So you are safe if you get your drugs in Canada...

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Getting prescriptions in canada is not illegal. You cannot use a prescription prescribed by a US physician. You must have been seen by a Canadian physician for it to be legal. As long as you have done this and have the Canadian prescription with your name, then it is legal to transport back to the US. In the northern states, there are buses that go up to Canada regularly, especially for the elderly, who have many prescriptions and cannot afford the prices in the US. They see a physician there and get their meds.

Now, the quality of prescriptions. Canada actually has the same set of standards as the US concerning medications. Where you need to be concerned is getting your prescriptions filled in Mexico. They do not have the same standards and controls in place. They are not regulated as US and Canada concerning the import of meds, storage of meds (no controls in place to ensure refrigerated meds are actually refrigerated, etc.), etc. Now, not all the meds are questionable in Mexico, but you just need to know which types are ones that are generally safe or unaffected by lack of controls.

 

[Law2Doc]

Getting prescriptions in canada is not illegal. You cannot use a prescription prescribed by a US physician. You must have been seen by a Canadian physician for it to be legal. As long as you have done this and have the Canadian prescription with your name, then it is legal to transport back to the US. In the northern states, there are buses that go up to Canada regularly, especially for the elderly, who have many prescriptions and cannot afford the prices in the US. They see a physician there and get their meds.

See my above post -- the OP was asking about mail order meds, and, in fact in many cases (particular points #1 and 2 above) it may be illegal. That it is rarely enforced does not change the legality.

But folks shouldn't seek legal advice on SDN.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

See my above post -- the OP was asking about mail order meds, and, in fact in many cases (particular points #1 and 2 above) it may be illegal. That it is rarely enforced does not change the legality.

But folks shouldn't seek legal advice on SDN.

OOPS. Missed the website part. Yep, illegal.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

This is off-topic for Allo and SDN is not the place for medical/legal advice. Closing.