Buying drugs in México-- revisited


Two years ago this summer while visiting my daughter in San Diego we took the trolley down to Mexico-- the usual touristy-type trip with an added twist. I wanted to investigate just how easy it was to purchase prescription drugs over the counter at a reduced cost.

Since that time I have had reason to regret ever writing about my experiences. Let me first backtrack with reasons why I chose to do this article. More than a decade ago, I became ill with Lyme Disease-- unbeknownst to myself and my physicians. Talk about an all-out war going on behind the scenes, Lyme Disease is poorly understood, difficult to diagnose and then, even if you can find a physician who will give you the long term antibiotic therapy you need, the insurance companies many times refuse to pay for treatment. In the years following-- and I do mean years-- I talked with literally hundreds of individuals desperate to find medication at a price they could afford. It was for my fellow Lyme person that I wrote the article. Of course, it was for all the other individuals as well with no insurance needing prescription medications at more affordable prices.

Instead of individuals needing prescription medications I got letter after letter and dozens of e-mails about how can I get Tylenol® #3, Percocet® and other sedative and narcotic drugs. I was even chided by a San Diego newspaper for reporting the facts incorrectly!

So, my article pointed to an even larger problem-- desperate people looking for answers to their PAIN! For the most part, I did not respond to those kinds of inquiries as I did not want to enable those looking for ways to use and abuse narcotic drugs. This is not to say my heart does not go out to people in pain-- regardless of the cause-- it does. To some I did write that maybe they needed to seek other kinds of treatment and made suggestions. Needless to say, I never did hear back from those I sent that message to.

Most inquirers were wanting to know what the law states about bringing back drugs from Mexico and if there were any way they could mail order them. The answer to the latter half of the question is no. The Mexican pharmacies will not mail order. The rest of the law goes like this:

Anyone, and I do mean anyon,e can have a three month supply of a drug FDA approved, or unapproved on their person for personal use for treatment of an orphan disease. An orphan disease is a disease with no known cure. The safest way is to take prescriptions with you to show authorities if there are any questions.

Here's the rub, you are in a foreign country! And, since the border towns depend on their meager livelihood from the American tourist, they do not want to do anything to upset American border officials. While I was there, there was one gentlemen from San Diego jailed in a Mexican jail for three months. He had purchased around $500 dollars in prescription drugs including Valium®, Prozac® and others. It was all over the news. I might add that the newspapers and TV stations made no mention of the above laws but rather stated that you cannot bring back drugs without a prescription. The bottom line, San Diego and other border cities do not want their streets any further littered with the sale of narcotic and other kinds of drugs that are used ''recreationally.''

So, those of you surfing the net looking for help in buying drugs from foreign countries, the answer is yes, you can get them, in person only. If you buy larger amounts of varying drugs such as sedatives, relaxants or class 3 prescriptions such as Tylenol® with codeine you may be taking the chance at having an extended visit courtesy of the Mexican government.

Till next time, Rebecca.


Uploaded to The Zephyr website June 9, 1999

Back to The Zephyr home page at: www.thezephyr.com