Getting medicine from India

[christera22 8]

Hi all,

My husband is from India and due to longer processing times and some delays the medicines he brought from India are exhausted. NOw he does`nt have an insurance till now. The medicines he takes are expensive here while its 1/6th the rpice in India - very very cheap ( same medicine and same brand). Plus his relatives are being unable to send the medicine as no courier companies wd carry medicine.

Apart from online medicine shops is there anyway to buy medicines from India or to send them from India ? All help wd be appreciated.

[kaffy 2]

Is there a generic that's available here? Generic brand medication is a lot cheaper than the branded stuff

[justashooter 430]

my wife just got 5 pair of contacts from china for about $100. the shipper refused to send liquid vials containing the contacts because of concern for the liquid (drugs/explosives) but accepted them in the contacts cases. if you are in with a doc in india, get them to write scrip for a relative and send them with some shoes, or something. UPS was less friendly from china than DHL. took about a week.

[christera22 8]

The generic ones that are available here or through online medicine stores are also almost 6 times expensive than what they get in India. Thing is my husband`s doctor in India always but can write but they cannot send it with anything as the courier company checks everything before they accept the shipment. Any other ideas ............ this is really a bad glitch in USA.

[tallcoolone 102]

Go find where the illegals aliens shop in your area.

They have set up their own little community with shop, and find a Pharmacy.

They bring in medication from Mexico and sell it directly to Illegals

You can buy single doses or multiply doses, Price is closer to Mexico price versus US prices

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Hi all,

My husband is from India and due to longer processing times and some delays the medicines he brought from India are exhausted. NOw he does`nt have an insurance till now. The medicines he takes are expensive here while its 1/6th the rpice in India - very very cheap ( same medicine and same brand). Plus his relatives are being unable to send the medicine as no courier companies wd carry medicine.

Apart from online medicine shops is there anyway to buy medicines from India or to send them from India ? All help wd be appreciated.

If you know someone (even very distantly) who will make a Inda-US trip soon, then that person can be persuaded to take meds on the trip.

That's what we did for my MIL; her meds were about to run out in March--a Richmond-based pastor who was visiting India in Feb carried the meds to US and mailed them to us from Richmond.

[baron555 934]

Medicine that is not FDA approved is not allowed to be imported or brought in to the US.

You can purchase health insurance for foreigners; do a Google search.

[christera22 8]

Medicine that is not FDA approved is not allowed to be imported or brought in to the US.

You can purchase health insurance for foreigners; do a Google search.

Thanks CherryXS, thats what we are trying to do....... or may be tell his relatives to send him a shirt or something and put the medicines inside.

Thanks Baron555. What you are saying is WRONG !! same brand same manufacturer same medicine is not allowed to be posted. In fact no medicine cannot be sent through post to USA. Plus the same thing here costs 8 times. I know this very well. USA sucks in this respect ....a lot of laws needs to be changed indeed.

[milimelo 4,571]

I just have someone coming to the US bring me what I need or I stock up when we go for vacation. No questions asked.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Medicine that is not FDA approved is not allowed to be imported or brought in to the US.

You can purchase health insurance for foreigners; do a Google search.

Thanks CherryXS, thats what we are trying to do....... or may be tell his relatives to send him a shirt or something and put the medicines inside.

Thanks Baron555. What you are saying is WRONG !! same brand same manufacturer same medicine is not allowed to be posted. In fact no medicine cannot be sent through post to USA. Plus the same thing here costs 8 times. I know this very well. USA sucks in this respect ....a lot of laws needs to be changed indeed.

Especially true of Claritin until 2002 (which was prescription medication in US until then, but OTC in Canada). I'd actually taken some each time I made a trip to Calgary and once had my dad mail me a box from there--it reached.

[Jose Rizal 1]

Reallt the best way is to get insurance. One day you will eventually run out of supplies or your supplier won't be able to send you your medicines. Besides, most medicines here need prescriptions hence insurance is really advisable.

[JeremyR 8]

Have you checked whether the drug company concerned offer a prescription assistance program for the uninsured? Call them up and see if you're eligible. Most of the big drug companies have these schemes which cover some or all of the cost for people without means to pay.

Also, not all generics are the same price in all places. Some of the larger supermarkets offer a range of generics at $4/month or $9/3-months. Check the websites of the supermarkets in your area to see if any of them offer the drug you need under a scheme like this.

In fact no medicine cannot be sent through post to USA. Plus the same thing here costs 8 times.

The latter statement is one of the main reasons for the former, of course. The government doesn't want to lose money to another economy via people buying medicines from countries where prices are lower. A combination effect of this ban on importing drugs from overseas, the insurance system and the lack of a centralised health service means no one entity has the buying power to force down the drug companies prices. Hence, they can charge what they like and the people must pay...

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Many suggestions have been offered about how to 'get around the system' and sneak drugs in. Its entirely your business of course, but the OP should be aware that importing medicines without going through the proper channels is illegal. I'm sorry they cost 6x as much, but its just kind fo reality. Also mEdicines that are OTC in 1 country may not be in the US...careful.

I have nothing against a family member bringing it or whatever...but should their baggage be searched how will they explain having 6 months worth when they're coming for a 1 month visit?

Just playing the devil's advocate here

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

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