How to Buy Medicine in Canada

Over one million U.S. citizens order prescription medications from Canada. Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security cracked down on these orders and customs agents seized prescription medications headed to thousands of Americans. Ultimately the U.S. stopped these confiscations, limiting seizures to counterfeit medications and narcotics. While ordering medications from across the border saves money, take precautions to protect yourself from counterfeit or unsafe medications.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Use the PharmacyChecker website (see Resources below) to compare prices and services of over 40 online pharmacies in the U.S. and Canada. The site is run by an American consumer research group and rates these pharmacies according to whether they are licensed, whether they require a prescription, if they provide a "snail mail" address and phone number and how well they protect customers' privacy and security.

2. Look on the pharmacy's website for its license number and the name of the Canadian regulatory agency. The site should also display seals of CIPA (Canadian International Pharmacy Association) or IMPAC (Internet and Mail-Order Pharmacy Accreditation Commission), both of which are organizations that set safety standards for Canadian mail-order pharmacies.

3. Find a pharmacy that requires you to submit a prescription from your doctor. Some pharmacies allow you to fax a prescription, but they call your doctor's office for confirmation or ask that you send them the original prescription by mail.

4. Prepare to answer questions about your medical history. A reputable Canadian pharmacy asks for your medical history and informs customers of the pharmacy's policies on medical and personal privacy.

5. Look for information on the pharmacy's website about shipping fees, refund policies and payment methods. Reputable pharmacies should provide encrypted (secure) credit card and other payment methods. The medication order should not be charged to your account until it's shipped.

6. Follow the instructions on the website when you are ready to order. Generally you must first place the order for a prescription medication and then follow up by faxing or mailing a new prescription along with a copy of the order. In some cases, a representative of the pharmacy may call to confirm your order. Shipments often take as long as a month to arrive, so place orders for refills well in advance. A new prescription is not required for refills.

7. Check carefully for information on the medicine container when you receive it. The prescription container should be labeled with the strength, dosing directions, warnings, refills remaining and expiration date just as it would if it came from a U.S. drug store.

Resources

• PharmacyChecker compares drug prices and services.

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on 6/30/2008 Prices at most Canadian pharmacies are higher than pharmacies in many other countries. Seek out pharmacies in India, Thailand, Israel, and South Africa for much greater savings. In fact, many Canadian pharmaacies no longer fill their orders in Canada. Instead, they have affiliated pharmacies in other countries fill their orders. By ordering direct from another country, you can eliminate the middleman.