Buying meds in Mexico

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
Anyone ever gone to Mexico(TJ) and bought any meds for their fish? some people I know in L.A area go down there all the time and buy prescription meds at a fraction the cost of them in the US. I was thinking of asking them to pick some Biltricide(Human dose of Prazi/600mg) up for me if they go down there and they have it. Thoughts?


Steve

[Aquatic_Design]

Steve,
I have gone through Nogales. You need a written prescription for any meds you purchase and it will be checked at the border.

Donna :)

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
Donna/all,
I called and talked to my parents and my brother tonight about this subject. They both go to TJ and buy meds and bring them right into the US with no problems. They said you MUST declare them at the border and you're only allowed $400(?) bucks worth of stuff. My Mother-in-law also said that you ONLY need a prescription for narcotics, not things like anti-biotics, etc. I have asked my bro to look in the Pharmacias down there when he travels down there after the new year. I will let everyone know the results. The US pharmacy business is a JOKE here! (Ex.------- my bro purchased a cream down in Mex. for a rash he had on his leg. The price was $7 dollars........the price for the EXACT SAME ITEM here in US was $60 dollars......RIDICULOUS)

Steve

[Michael]

Steve you are right but :-X..thats illegal, you can't pass mexican meds thru the border... well...u can but u shouldn't.
I made my MD degree in Mexico and u need prescription only for controlled ones like Prozac, Valium and stuff like that.
All the pharmaceutical compannies are there plus european pharma's. Its not easy to find prazyquantel there unless u look at dogs dewormers, u can find flubendazol, metro, mebendazol, and everything else very cheap. For example i bought 50 pills of metro 500mg for $5 in MX.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Steve,
Not that I would ever reccommend bringing drugs across the border, but IF i lived in Mexico I might
try to obtain these three ...

quinacrine (Atabrine)
tinidazole (Fasigyn).
paromomycin

They are used to treat giardia... a very close cousin to hexamita, and would probably work the same as metro.( my guess).

Tinidazole is a special one. Funny....actually. We have a serious giardia resistence probelm in the uSA. The above drugs are used elsewhere in the world, but are not availible in the usa. The exception is tinidazole...which is used by the US military to treat giardia!!!

Just a little medical thoughts for you.

As a side note though, the use of regulated meds in the US for conditions that they are not approved for is called extra-labelled use and is illegal.


hth,
al

[cgrim10]

i went to nuevo laredo for the bullfights, and to buy a new pair of boots last year. while i was there several young men with beepers asked me if i wanted a prescription?? after several margaritas i chose to accept the offer of a young lady to help me get some claritin D, i got 5 boxes @ 7.00 ea. while extremely cheaper in price, i do not recommend this practice. after taking the medicine described, it was blatantly clear they were not the same as american claritin D. while everything was the same on the boxes except the spelling and language, the pills reacted differently with me. i have alot of experience with claritin. i still have 99% of what i got there. wouldn't give them away.
the bullfights were interesting. the nights were more interesting. i recommend everyone go once in their life!

[brewmaster15]

Hi Craig,
I have banned my wife from ever using Claritin again. Its side effect on her is to turn the nicest , most compassionate, and loving woman in the world into the most mean spirited, irritable,angry fiend I have ever seen! ;D The two weeks she was on it were the worst in my life...I'd rather face that bull than her on claritin!...I actually feared for my life...well actually my fishes life! ;D

-al

Plain Claritin would probably not cause any mood changes. Its the pseudoephedrine or in older formalations phenylpropanolamine that causes the mood changes. Epinephine/adrenalin cousins. Fire up the old sympathetic nervous system.

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the info all.....I won't break the law to not get price-gouged ;)

Hey Bill, Isn't Phenylpropanolamine the drug that was causing the human heart to bleed? Pseudoephedrine is a type of "speed" isn't it?

Hey Brew, If the use of meds for other than "intended use" is illegal here, then if you use a DOG/CAT dewormer for FISH, you are basically breaking the law ??? I didn't really understand what you were saying......can you please clarify that?


So Michael,
Let's say if a person(ficticious) were going to Mex soon(say, after Christmas), what would be some good things to pick up while down there(if it weren't illegal and you would not get tossed in the ASPCA slammer for possession of a controlled fish de-wormer substance) and the Spanish names(translations) of them(of course, once again, in a ficticious instance)?


Back to the real world, I think I will call someone(who, I have no clue) and inquire as to the law of doing this, so my FICTICIOUS, imaginary friend in an imaginary scenario doesn't get sent "Up the river" ;D


Steve

[brewmaster15]

Hey Brew, If the use of meds for other than "intended use" is illegal here, then if you use a DOG/CAT dewormer for FISH, you are basically breaking the law I didn't really understand what you were saying......can you please clarify that?


I'll take the fifth on that one. But if one reads the law to the letter....then the answer is yes. :)

-al

[Michael]

Steve my list would be:

1.Acriflavina
2.Cloramfenicol not available in US
3.Metronidazol
4.mebendazol- for ur fish and for u after the trip
5.Flubendazol
6.Praziquantel
7.Tinidazole
8.Fluconazole

In MX they now better the Generic Name instead off brand name.

[Jason]

don't know how the laws work in the states, but last time I went to Mexico I brought back a ton of stuff!

get a cab driver to take you too a vet pharmacy, I stayed in Axtapa(sp) wich is near Cancun and there was 3 within a reasonable driving distance.

Came back to Canada declared everything and it was legal, as long as it was a 90 day supply of each med, wich they had no clue of the amounts.

kept the receipts and even got my drug plan at work to cover most of it 8)

[OEG]

Hi everyone I live next to Mexico if anyone needs somethig just let me now. I will get a price for you and you could tell me if you want it or not I just got Biltricide for $55.00 when at the farmacies here is $90.00 plus. I will be happy to ship to anyone ho needs these meds just tell me the names and the mg's and ill get the cost for you. ;).
OEG

[Jason]

good point Michael!

Steve get a pharmaceutical copiendum and write down all the generic and trade names for the drugs, before you go.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Oscar!
Hey how much of that biltricide did you get for the $55?

-al

[OEG]

Hey Al,
I only nedded a little so I only got 2 bottles of six pills, each pill at 600 mg's. Steve Warner told me one bottle will do one full treatment for 100 gal. Is this correct, I have not yet treated.
Oscar

[OEG]

P.S its 6 pills at 600mg's for 55.00$.
;)

[brewmaster15]

Oscar,
thats not a bad price... it basicallly comes to $55.00 for 3.6 grams. Its cheaper than what a vet would charge for prazi, and cheaper than the biltricide for humans.

Its possible to get it cheaper though, delivered right to your door!...
at about $5 -$6 a gram!, email Barry at billman@citynet.net next time around.


as for the dose ... These are the directions that came with mine from Barry, and they worked great....


These are the directions that came with my Praziquantel....
Prazi.... an effective and safe med for the treatment of gill and body flukes, tape worms, and other cestodes and tremotodes in ornamental aquarium fish. May be effeective against capillaria when administered in the food.
Bath.... 100mg/10 gal (1/4 tsp/20 gal)
allow meds to remain in the tank for 48 hours. Mechanical filter may be running- no carbon or other chemical media. On the third day begin daily water changes of 10 to 30% for the next 5 days. On the 7th day repeat the entire process. On day 14 a third treatment may begin. This would be prudent for tanks with gravel substrate , and no undergravel filter..
Fast bath.... 1/2 tsp /10 gal prazi to a small medical tank. Insert affected fish for 2.5 hours
Food.... Mix 1/2 tsp prazi to 1/4lb food. Typically used is beefheart or beefliver ground in a blender and frozen for future use. 2-3 feedings every other day should be sufficient.
prep in water , it doesn't go in well, shake or mix vigorously. In acetone , mix 3 parts acetone to one part prazi, then pour chalky substance over the tank water... be careful as it too much acetone will cause oxygen depletion....use only pure acetone.


http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=1024

take care,
al

[OEG]

hey Brew thanks, that is the Biltricide for humans and a friend of mine just brought me over some more, his friend works at a goverment drug store and he gave it to me for 45.00$ for 6 pills at 600 mgs. ;)Bye
OEG