13 answers

Buying Painkillers and Other Meds Out of Country?!

I was having a discussion with one of the members of our boat club who has quite a few medical issues and had a lot of trouble with his insurance the past few years. He's a chronic pain sufferer and lives off a very strict financial budget (he also cares for his mother). This guy's probably 55-60. Anyway, he was saying that his insurance company stopped paying for 2 of his monthly meds, one a 30 day supply (30 total), the other (a painkiller) a 30 day supply (60, 2x a day if needed)... Well he was saying how he found SOME website and was ordering these things without a prescription through a Canada based company (but the meds are shipped from FL, I believe he said)...

IS THIS LEGAL?! I asked him and he kind of answered with a non answer, and honestly, I don't think he knows what he's getting himself into.

I really have no idea if this is legal or not, but it doesn't seem like it to me. I just worry about this guy, he's already got so much on his plate already, I don't want him getting into trouble over this.

So is this legal? Even without an RX? From out of the country??

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

OH YEAH, that was the other thing, I'm questioning what he's REALLY putting in his body.. honestly, this isn't the type of guy who would know any better!! :(

Featured Answers

NOT legal. NOT safe.

I guess desperate people do desperate things.
Wonder why his "boat club" membership/boat costs take precedence over this health care costs?

3 moms found this helpful

More Answers

NOT legal. NOT safe.

I guess desperate people do desperate things.
Wonder why his "boat club" membership/boat costs take precedence over this health care costs?

3 moms found this helpful

Nope, not legal. Prescription-strength drugs are by prescription only for a reason. Just like it's illegal to share (or take) your Rx painkillers with your husband, you can't just order them online without some bit of risk.

2 moms found this helpful

I would worry less about it's legality, and more about the safety of the medication, however, Canadian meds have much more quality control measures in place than if it were say from China or Mexico, but the meds could still be mismarked, expired, improper doses...

PBS did a special report on this that is very interesting, though it is from 2003, so not sure what laws have passed since. Some experts claim it is legal with a lot of red tape, some claim it isn't as to the major bending of the laws of importing:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/other/etc/s...

1 mom found this helpful

I don't know if it is legal or not. He should be very careful. Think about it. He doesn't know these people or where the pills are coming from. They could very easily be sugar pills made to look like the real thing. They could be some other kind of garbage that will cause someone to drop dead after taking one of them.
I do not trust big pharma, so I would surely not trust some stranger offering cheaper pills.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi, R.:

This fella sounds like he's addicted to pain med. He needs help with his
addiction.
Just a thought.
D.

1 mom found this helpful

It should be legal, but the FDA enjoys protecting a monopoly and his medications will probably be seized before they are delivered to him.
They might get through on some occasions and not on others.
Medical tourism is on the rise and although there are a few countries I would not consider buying medications from, there are others that are perfectly fine.
The FDA needs to back off it's nanny stance and let more of a free market happen when it comes to purchasing medications.
If it's a drug that may be obtained legally in this country, we should be able to buy it from anywhere.
Other countries have the guts to negotiate better prices.
If our country can not / will not get it's act together, then they at the very least need to get out of the way.

1 mom found this helpful

Not really legal, not really safe. Then again if they are killing the pain then he is getting the real thing.

1 mom found this helpful

It is illegal for certain drugs without valid prescriptions. Stepping aside from the legal issues I would very worried about what he is taking and also the quality of the drugs.

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/consumer_alert.htm

Finally even if he is purchasing legally which I would consider suspect, then his records would be subject to search and seizure if the company he is buying from is ever investigated. He could be brought into investigation in this manner.

1 mom found this helpful

Required Fields

Our records show that we already have a Mamapedia or Mamasource account created for you under the email address you entered.

Please enter your Mamapedia or Mamasource password to continue signing in.

Required Fields

, you’re almost done...

Since this is the first time you are logging in to Mamapedia with Facebook Connect, please provide the following information so you can participate in the Mamapedia community.

As a member, you’ll receive optional email newsletters and community updates sent to you from Mamapedia, and your email address will never be shared with third parties.

By clicking "Continue to Mamapedia", I agree to the Mamapedia Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.