Info needed ie: prescription drugs in Belize

[love cruising 2]

Have u ordered any meds online? I emailed them and ahve not heard from them. I was leary about buying when I was there but sounds like they are ok. Any info? Thanks

[MikeyP]

Hi gang, sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I wanted to know if anyone knows the procedure for bringing medicines bought in Belize through customs.

 

I checked the US Customs site and it seems like you should declare anything you're bringing in and the only things that you cannot bring in are Schedule 1 drugs (heroin, cocaine, marijuana, etc) and anything not approved for use in the US. Also, I think it's limited to 50 doses of a medication per individual. I would assume that since it's within the cruise terminal in Belize that they wouldn't sell anything that you cannot bring in. With the obvious exception of the schedule 1 drugs, can anyone relate their experience going through customs with their purchases?

 

I'm thinking of "stocking up" on adderall, vytorin, xanax and protonix, which are some of the meds that I take.

What about things not approved for use in the US, anyone have experience bringing them through customs? Did you declare them?

 

Thanks guys..

[book-a-roo]

I went in november and decided to give it a try. We don't have insurance so the cheap meds are such a nice break for us! Anyway we had a few bags of pharmacy items and we sent them on through the scanner. I was a nervous wreck! There were no questions asked. I tried to do my homework on this before hand but got such mixed bunch of answers I figured I was on my own to make my decision. After talking with the gals at the pharmacy I did feel alot better but then got so nervous reboarding the ship and then the airplane! It all went very well though. I was wanting to try their mail order service but lost the cards the gave us somewhere between there and getting back home and unpacked. :(

 

I think they just don't want you to be bringing in anything that could be viewed as more than an amount for personal consumption. You know...like drug dealer quantities.

[vmom]

I could be wrong but when I looked into this I seem to remember you can bring in prescriptions for your own personal use...about 3 months worth I seem to remember, but not positive...but I remember it being more than the 50 doses you mentioned. Can't be a controlled type substance as you mentioned.

[NJGRANNY]

As long as you're not trying to bring in anything illegal in the states, I wouldn't worry about it. I've never declared any medications.

[happy cruzer]

I use Nasonex for my allergies. I've bought in the US for $90, in spain and Canada for $30 and recently in Belize for $20. I had to go to the large pharmacy at the end of the tourist area to get Nasonex; the other allergy meds where in the smaller shop. It was the generic so the packaging was not exactly the same as what I had been getting. It was sealed and since then I have used it and it is fine.

 

Just do your research and use common sense, that is how the rest of the world approaches medicine. US is the only country I know of that does not trust it's citizens to act in their own best interest and we pay the higher price. In other countries, they assume most people are smart enough to only use what is good for them.

 

I liked the product and the service. I hesitate to mail order until I hear good things.

[MikeyP]

Thanks for the info all. I just want to make sure that I don't do anything "illegal" regarding customs. For example, though not illegal things like valium, xanax and vicodin are "controlled substances" but apparently can and have been purchased OTC in Belize, and are available by prescription only in the US.

 

They're what are called Schedule II drugs, I believe, whereas the illegal drugs such as hallucinogens and illegal narcotics and the like are Schedule I and not generally available by prescription.

[joeskitty]

My hubby had back surgery and was in alot of pain after the plane ride and all the walking so we went into the pharmacy in Belize and he bought some Vicodin. He said it was really weak nothing like the stuff you get here at home. Im a pharmacy tech and none of the ingredients where the same as at home stuff. So just be care in what you buy because some of it can be alot different.

[book-a-roo]

hmm...everything we got was just right. :)

[flapr]

Pharmacy dispenses expired medications!

 

I purchased expired thyroid medication which I didn't discover until we got home. This is a dangerous, despicable practice that can cause severe harm or even death.

 

Buyer beware!!

[book-a-roo]

You can just check the dates before you leave the pharmacy. It's kinda hectic and crowded but I'd imagine if you just stepped to the side and checked your stuff out you'd be ok. I wish I'd have done that - not because of the dates but because they forgot one of the things I ordered but I was in a rush to get back to the ship. I'm not sure if I was charged for it or not but in their defense there were like 10 people trying to shout questions to the pharmacist as she was getting my stuff ready and I would have been likely to screw it up too. I was already home before i realized anything was missing. Even if I did pay for the missing item I still felt I got an awesome deal.

 

Also....most stuff comes in sealed company packages but one of my things came in a clear tiny ziplock type bag with the quantity marked on the outside. It made me a little nervous but I got online and made sure it was the right thing before I took any and I can tell you they do what they are supposed to do. I guess it boils down to personal choice. I'm not worried about the details (as stupid as some of you may think that is) but I got my child a few asthma inhalors to hold us over till next vacation and it saved us ALOT of money since we don't have insurance. It's not something I feel she would be in any danger using and it was something originally perscribed by a physician so it's not like I'm making poor medical choices for my children. Anything I got for myself I made sure it's stuff I was currently taking or had been taking at some point and I did have a huge discussion with my husbands doctor about the risks of taking expired medication and specifically discussed the belize pharmacy. I felt like I had done enough homework to make fairly educated decisions about my purchases and feel safe taking them.

[flapr]

How does one knows that the meds dispensed in ziplocks are not expired or even that the bag was marked correctly? It is obvious that they run a shady operation by dispensing expired meds. You may rationalize as much as you wish, but I for one, wouldn't take any chances, particularly with my children.

 

My concern is with this particular pharmacy in the Port of Belize, as we have purchased meds in Mexico on many ocassions without incident. Oh, and did e-mail several times requesting replacement meds but never received a response -- more evidence that they are running a shady operation. Add to this the fact that, some folks that sent money ordering medication by mail, never received their meds.

 

I rest my case!

[book-a-roo]

I understand what you are saying but that's why I said I looked them up first to make sure they matched 100% to what they were supposed to look like. And that was just one of the items out of many we chose. Everything else was sealed in original packaging. You could simply state you only want whatever you are looking for if it is sealed so you wouldn't have that problem. Also that wasn't medication for my children...it was mine and I did discuss the risks of it being expired with my doctor (which were none in this case). It works fine and so alls well that ends well. Just make informed choices...that's all.

[RBOrrell]

...

 

I checked the US Customs site and it seems like you should declare anything you're bringing in and the only things that you cannot bring in are Schedule 1 drugs (heroin, cocaine, marijuana, etc) and anything not approved for use in the US. Also, I think it's limited to 50 doses of a medication per individual. I would assume that since it's within the cruise terminal in Belize that they wouldn't sell anything that you cannot bring in. With the obvious exception of the schedule 1 drugs, can anyone relate their experience going through customs with their purchases?

...

 

First of all, why would the store limit what they can sell because of a foreign country's customs restrictions? The store will sell what ever it can because it is the buyer's problem if they bought too much.

 

I just got back from a cruise that stopped in Belize and I saw the crowds going into these stores. They look like legit operations to me. I was tempted to buy some ***** but wife would not have anything to do with it. :-)

 

In reading this thread people from the US are questioning how a store can sell drugs with out scripts that are controlled in the US. Well, you are not in the US. Evern here in Canada, medications here are acquired differently than the US. The one thing to remember, US Customs is an arm of the government that taxes you. Most of the reasons to restrict the importation of goods is not based on safety reasons but on revenue generation. If you have to buy your meds in the US, that generates revenue for the US government - plain and simple.

[chris2597]

We bought 4 packs of Zithromax at the pharmacy in Belize and they did the trick when we used them. I wish I had bought more. I also bought some migraine headache medicine which was in a sealed baggie. I have not used them as I didnt feel comfortable with the mode of dispensing in that case. I should have refused the meds but I felt funny and the cost was only $6 so I took it but will probably never take them. The pills look exactly like the US version but i have no idea as to expiration date.

[happy cruzer]

Pharmacies in the US make mistakes too. Often they give generics when you have checked no generic. One friend had "dud" antiboditics for her son, it was just a bad batch from the manufacturer. If the place in Belize does not spend alot of money fixing their errors, it may because that's just how business is done there and may be one of the reasons meds are so cheap. Often pill bottles in the US that are supposed to have 30 tablets only have 25. The list of possible errors that happen everywhere goes on. The consumer has to beware everywhere. I am very happy with what I purchased and I am just as careful about meds from Belize as from the corner pharmacy here at home.

 

my two cents....

[collectingcoke]

Does anyone happen to know if they have depo-vera? I bought some in Ensenada 2 years ago the cost was a third of what I pay here.

[book-a-roo]

You mean the shot???? Maybe I'm wrong but that is something you need to have given by shot form only from a doctor.

 

I did intend to ask them if they sold birth control pills but I forgot. Does anyone know if they do?

[Bailey969]

That would be quite the risk I would imagine - birth control from Belize??? I guess it's one thing to buy Tylenol with cod - another to find out your pregnant. I'm not suggesting you do or don't... I plan to check out some pills when there... BUT don't think I would risk pregnancy.

 

That's a headache that could take years to overcome.

 

 

 

:eek:

[book-a-roo]

lol...I see your point lol.

If they were sealed and not expired though there would be no risk.

[cruisin4thedeepblue]

Have u ordered any meds online? I emailed them and ahve not heard from them. I was leary about buying when I was there but sounds like they are ok. Any info? Thanks

 

Cruising 2...did you ever hear from them? I emailed them over a week ago and have not heard a thing back. Last summer I emailed them and they got right back then.

[MikeyP]

I was just there last week. I asked them if they had mail order service, they stated that they no longer did that. Too bad too, they were out of the medication that I needed.

 

I'm assuming that they were having too many problems with their mail order and decided that it wasn't worth the effort anymore. Perhaps it wasn't worth the damage to their reputation either, as it seems that they took a lot of flak on several message boards for the various shipping/ordering snafus that have occurred.

[cruisin4thedeepblue]

Thanks..that's too bad. Our insurance carrier now only lets my wife have 4 Imitrex when they had said last month she could get 18.She gets real bad migranes and Imitrex works.At $20.00 a pill that adds up quickly. Maybe a trip to Canada is next!

I was in Bleize in Dec and met her a bought somethings. She seemed very nice and the medication was fine. Wish I had know about this then..I would of bought some Imitrex for my wife!

[Iblayz]

i recently visited Belize got a card from medimeds@btl.net Have you ordered anything from them over internet? Wished I had got Adipex diet pills. Was wondering if it was safe to order from them over internet. Seems like everyone has bought from this pharmacy and seems ok. Thanks any info is appreciated.

 

I posted on this last year and that post disappeared. We were there in June of 2006. Buy what you want in the pharmacy in port. We did buy a couple of things that we had prior prescriptions for and it was name brand stuff. Everything seems so nice and legit with Miss Sweety Pie from New Orleans but.....watch out.

 

My wife decided to try to help her son with a Med that he couldn't afford and was instead buying OTC stuff that wasn't quite as effective. She contacted them after we returned. After being informed that the only acceptable payment was via wire transfer or money order I warned her of the risk. But she decided to try it anyway to the tune of over $100.00. She was told that an e-mail confirmation would follow shipment.

 

After five or six weeks there was nothing. So she e-mailed them. Magically, the Meds had been shipped two days prior.....so we waited....and waited....and waited. Nothing. So she e-mailed them again. We will check on it they said......they supposedly confirmed shipment (no documentation provided) in their response. Again....nothing. Finally I stepped in to the fray. I demanded either merchandise or my wife's money back. Then there were excuses. First they had to check some returns that had just come back. Then they blamed it on customs. But customs did not intercept it. If they do they notify the intended recipient of their actions and we received no such notification.

 

Several prior posts disappeared but there was someone who claimed that he had ordered from these people in the US and had no problems getting his orders. But there were several people who told stories much like mine. Somebody doesn't want this stuff on here but I CAN DOCUMENT EVERYTHING THAT I AM SAYING. I have the e-mail correspondence saved (including multiple promises of shipment) and can prove we sent them money. Based on my experience, buying down there is a good thing....prices are dirt cheap and the stuff is genuine. But, in my opinion, coming home and sending money down there via cash instruments is like standing on a bridge and throwing money in the water.......and watching it float away. If you want to save this post I suggest you copy it fast because it might go to la-la land.

 

The good news is that they put up a website that has since disappeared......and they are apparently "failing to respond" to queries lately.....can't say I didn't warn them.

[MikeyP]

Regarding mail order... Just to reiterate my previous post: I was just there last week. I asked them if they had mail order service, they stated that they no longer did that. :-)