With prices for branded Rx medications in the United States being what they are, more and more Americans today, especially those who live closer to the border, choose to make an occasional trek north to fill out their prescription for life-saving meds like insulin and blood pressure-regulating drugs. In Canada, where prices for patented drugs are monitored and kept at bay at the governmental level, these medications can cost just a fraction of what they cost in the U.S.
Here are a few most frequently asked questions about filling U.S.- issued prescriptions in Canada.
Do Canadian pharmacies always require a prescription?
Licensed physical and online pharmacies registered and operating in Canada require their customers to provide a valid prescription to purchase branded medicines that are only available on prescription. Moreover, such prescriptions need to be written by a Canadian physician who is licensed to practice medicine in the province where you intend to have your prescription filled.
You do not need a prescription to obtain OTC drugs or generic medicines, which are non-patented versions of brand-name drugs with the same active substance. These generic meds are widely distributed through online pharmacies, so you do not even need to leave the comforts of your home to get them. Even so, pharmacies strongly advise their clients to see their doctor and have him approve the use of generics before ordering any such pills online.
How to fill a prescription?
If you already have a valid prescription for an Rx medication issued by your U.S. doctor and you are traveling to Canada to fill it out, make sure you see a licensed Canadian physician who will give you a quick check-up, confirm, or re-write the prescription.
Some U.S.-based doctors who are also licensed to practice medicine in Canada can issue a prescription for the desired Rx medicine, which you can either take to a brick-and-mortar Canadian pharmacy to fill or submit to an online drugstore over the Internet to have them send the required medications to your home address. A pharmacy service winning a consistent approval of consumers is jhppharma.com, repeatedly commended for its acclaimed product quality and time-effective deliveries.
What types of prescriptions do Canadian doctors write? How to get one?
To get a prescription for a branded Rx drug in Canada, you will need to make an appointment with a Canadian doctor first. Upon conducting a thorough examination of your health condition, running some essential tests, and gathering all necessary medical information about your health problem, the doctor will decide which treatment you require and write out a prescription.
Three different types of medical prescriptions are accepted by physical, mail-order, and online Canadian drugstores:
- paper prescriptions, where you take the scrip to a local pharmacy of your choice and have it filled there;
- e-prescriptions that are digitally attached to your medical records and can be reviewed by pharmacists whenever you come to them for a re-fill;
- direct order of medications arranged by your prescribing physician. In this case, your Rx medicines are delivered to your doctor or straight to your doorstep.
Whether you get the needed prescription meds at a discounted or full cost will depend on your health plan. While the U.S. health insurance plans do not cover the purchase of most Rx meds in Canadian drugstore, Americans, who cross the border to fill out their prescriptions or order from online Canadian pharmacies, still manage to save a great deal.
How to purchase branded prescription-only medications from an online pharmacy in Canada?
Buying Rx meds from an online pharmacy in Canada is usually an easily manageable and quick process when you have a valid prescription. Any well-reputed and reliable online drugstore will have an extensive online catalog of available Rx and OTC medicines that you can access via the website. Once you have made your pick and specified the proper dose of the medication, you can proceed to confirm the order, which includes submitting your valid prescription to the pharmacy. This can usually be done by email, fax, or regular mail. Some online pharmacies in Canada allow doctors to fax them a copy of a prescription directly. The pharmacy staff members will contact you after reviewing your application to either confirm or reject your order.
Quite a few online drugstores in Canada provide their customers with a convenient refill reminder option. Regular customers can get notifications when it is time to repeat the order. In this case, the prescription that was previously submitted for a particular drug does not have to be sent out again as long as it is still valid.
Where to check if a particular drug requires a prescription in Canada?
The easiest and most recommended way to learn about the drug is to ask your Canadian doctor about it. He will knowledgeably tell you if a particular medication is suitable for your health problem, write a prescription where it is needed, and even suggest a cheaper generic version of the medication if it is legally available on the territory of Canada.
You can also go to the official website of the Government of Canada and check the status of a particular drug on its Prescription drug management page. Visiting this official online resource is also highly advisable to people who are traveling to Canada on business or leisure and seek to bring their Rx meds with them.