Well. Here I am once again absolutely astounded at the wealth of
information available here from my beloved rctq friends. My goodness.
While it certainly was OT, I hope you who are expecting to get old were
paying close attention to this thread. Thank you. Thank you so very much.
Polly

"Michele in NYC"

I buy many of my mother's drugs in Canada. I started last year and
could kick myself that I didn't do it sooner. She's now saving close
$5,000 CASH out-of-pocket this year. That ain't chump change.

It's a very easy process. You can sign up online or by phone, mail or
fax. They need basic information, a list of medications, a copy of the
RX, and sometimes a copy of picture ID. There is NO NEED to EVER give
out a SSN# or insurance (Medicare/AARP, whatever) because it has no
relevance for these transactions.

The most time consuming part is finding the right company that has the
drugs you (or your friend) needs. But that can easily be done online.
Any doctor (licensed in the US) can write the RX - you don't have to
be near the border. My mother is in FL.
I currently use 3 different Canadian pharmacies because they work for
us with the drugs she needs.

The drugs don't necessarily come from Canada, they may contract out
with other pharmacies all over the world. I've gotten packages from
the UK, Germany, India, and the last batch came from New Zealand. Most
came within 3 weeks of ordering. Note they all have about a $10
shipping fee (per order).

Want to hear about the cost savings? Un-freaking-believable. My mother
takes over 15 different medications but the most expensive are related
to her dementia. Namenda, Aricept and Aggrenox (stroke prevention).
There are no available generics in the US. Brand name only.

Here's the comparison - the US costs represent Humana's approx
negotiated rate for their Medicare Part D members for a 90-day supply
of these brand drugs bought at a CVS or via Right Source mail order:

Namenda - US $505 OnlineCanada: $116
Aricept - US $610 OnlineCanada: $75(for Generic)
Aggrenox - US $450 OnlineCanada: $93

That's a savings on just these 3 drugs of almost $1,300/quarter. And
note that most times the drugs come in blister packs and it's in
amounts of 100 instead of 90. So you're getting an extra 10 days
included in that lower price.

The Aggrenox is particulary galling. In the US it comes in a separate
box for each month. The ones I've gotten from the UK/Germany are in
the exact same box, same bottle, SAME FREAKING pill, except it's all
printed with name ASASATIN instead of Aggrenox. The other medications
come in blister packs.

We can all thank big Pharma for keeping all these generics out of the
US. And for lobbying hard enough so Medicare CANNOT negotiate prices.
How freaking insane is that??

A couple of words of caution. On refills (which just require an easy
phone call) it's possible the drug can come from a different country,
and therefore might look different. Depending on the cognitive
capabilities of the patient, that could be confusing - if he/she is
used to a round pill and now it's oval, white and now it's yellow. You
get the picture.

Just recently I called to reorder the Aggrenox. The price was higher
at one company, so I called the other one. They had the higher price
but I asked them if they had a promotion or lower price. 2 seconds
later, I had it for the lower price. So it pays to call around.

And someone mentioned up above, many companies do offer aid, but I've
heard from others that in the last year or two the paperwork is so
overwhelming that I can see where some seniors might just give up if
they're not up to the task. They don't make is easy to apply, despite
all their blabbering to the contrary.

If you want to email me the drugs your friend is looking for, I can
look around and give you some suggestions for which companies might be
best for her based on the drugs she needs. I also wrote up this 2 page
"how to" for the neurologist to give out to other patients to maybe
help them save some bucks. Which, btw, I'm sure she never did because
doctors HATE to have these conversations.

With all that, your friend needs to keep in mind she's already paying
for an Rx plan here in the US. You didn't clarify if that's a Medicare
PartD plan. Whichever it is, she should try to exhaust those benefits
first (she's already paid for them) before she uses the Canadian ones.
And, a final note, drugs bought outside the country cannot be included
when calculating your medical tax deduction on your federal taxes.

I feel for your friend. But there is help out there. Email me if you
want more info.

-Michele in NYC