# farmacia, sun and altitude questions



## kismet (Feb 20, 2009)

I've been trying goggle searches on what the cost of our medications would be in Mexico. I know nothing about this. We are from Washington state and have never done a drive down medical tour, just trips for fun in Mazatlan and Cozumel.

One of the major reasons for a move out of the country for us would be the cost of our medications. Am I missing any URL which would give me a ballpark price of certain medications? I imagine they would be cheaper, is all. However, I am really curious just how much they cost.

It's a funny thing, the heat is good for my husband's feet condition, but the altitude and sun is not ideal for me, as I have had surgery to remove a malignant melanoma and lymph noids. My doctor doesn't even think I should move to LA. However, the surgeon got everything out in 05 and it hadn't spread to my lymph noids. I know you can't answer this last question for me, I am just saying.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Most medications will be substantially less than in the USA. Even going online to Mexican pharmacies which ship worldwide will only confuse you because those prices are designed to be lower than in the USA but they are still much higher than we pay in local 'farmacias'.
Naturally, the sun at our altitude of 5200 feet is more intense and there is more of it. However, that's what straw hats and long sleeves are for. Your lack of lymph node involvement is good news so I wouldn't be too worried about it. Perhaps, if you specify your medications, someone who uses the same thing can give you a more definitive answer.


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## kismet (Feb 20, 2009)

Thanks for the answers. That is reassuring on both counts. My husband really wants to move to Lake Chapala this summer! (Please excuse my poor spelling. Sometimes I get a brain block and my valve shuts down.)


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

RVGRINGO said:


> Most medications will be substantially less than in the USA............


I suggest some caution here. As everyone probably knows, prescription drug costs are generally lower in Canada than in the US. Having said that, we assumed that drug costs in Mexico would be much cheaper than in Canada.

Last year, we priced our six prescriptions at four different farmacias in Mazatlan. All six were available in Mexico over-the-counter, without prescription.
Without revealing exactly which drugs we take, we found two of the six much cheaper in Mexico, two were about the same as Canadian prices, and the other two were substantially more expensive in Mexico.

Bottom line? If the cost of prescription drugs is a major reason for thinking of moving to Mexico, be careful in assuming you'll save a lot of money.....do lots of research. And realize that everyday pills available over-the-counter in Canada and the US, (example acetominophen, ibuprofen, etc) are usually much more expensive in Mexico because they are marketed in little blister packs of 10 or 12 pills, unlike the bottles of 200 or 500 tablets available back home at very reasonable prices.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

That is true to some extent because the smaller packages seem more 'affordable' to someone with only a small amount of pesos in his pocket. However, farmacias do have, or get, 28 tablet packages; another common size, or even larger bottles in some medications.
Another consideration is that the latest proprietary medications are always pretty expensive anywhere in the world, yet older medicines and generics are quite inexpensive. For example, Lasix is about eight or ten times as expensive as its generic equivalent, furosimide (furosimida, in Spanish), which is so cheap that it is 'almost free'.
On US television last week, I saw an advertisement for a brand new super wonderful drug for the treatment of rosacia. Guess what it is? Nothing more than an old standby antibiotic; doxycycline which can be bought for a tiny fraction of the price.


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