Buying Medications in Mexico

Americans living in Mexico don't dwell on their health or health care, but they do share information. It's not surprising that I have heard many expats talking about routine medical care, including where they buy medications.

I'll start by talking about a friend in his forties who lives almost on the wind. Beyond selling his homemade brownies, he doesn't have much money beyond what he earns baking brownies and selling them to local coffeehouses. When he needs a medication, he goes to the local Centro de Salud where he buys what he needs for rock bottom prices. Going to the Centro wouldn't work if he needed an uncommon medicine.

For the person dealing effectively with an established condition, buying medications in Mexico is easy because except for controlled meds, no prescription is needed. Most meds come without instructions inside so it's best to check on a reputable internet site from time to time.

I usually buy what I need at a local branch of the chain store called Farmacias Similares. The discounts on the Mexican-made generics sold there depend on the particular medication, but are usually between 20-80% lower than the pharmacies across the street. For a spray of sodium cromolyn during allergy season, I go to the only pharmacy in town that carries it. As costs of medication in the US vary depending on insurance coverage, I'm refraining from comparing US and Mexican prices.

Of course, the purchaser always needs to be sure she's not comparing apples and oranges, as the saying goes. Be sure to check the dosage and quantity before making the purchase.

Recently Walmart and its associated stores in Mexico like Aurerra have begun to compete aggressively with Farmacias Similares, so that several times a year I take the forty-minute bus ride each way to buy a supply that will last me several months and at the least go around the corner for to eat Chinese food nearby with my saving.

If these facts sound too good to be true, I'll add that not everything is easy. Prices on specialized medicines may be higher than in the U.S., with some not even available or only by traveling to a larger city. Mailing medications across the border in either direction is illegal without special authorization.

Carrying a three-months supply across the border is permissible. When I go to the United States. I bring back vitamins and calcium tablets. Unlike prescription meds, these and non-prescription purchases like aspirin are often more expensive south of the border.