Buying medication online: tips and experiences?

So, my grandmother has osteoporosis and she’s insisting on getting this specific medication from Canada—apparently because some lady she knows swore it worked wonders for her—and now she’s making our lives a living hell at home over it.

I’ve spent time calling the post office, Customs, and the FDA, and it turns out it’s basically impossible to order medication from abroad unless it's on a very specific approved list (not just stuff from companies with government contracts). From what I gathered from Customs, if a package arrives and they can't tell if it's a medicine, a supplement, or just some cleaning supply, they'll hold it, call you for a receipt, and if it's flagged as an unapproved drug, they won't release it to you. The post office told me that receiving meds sent via mail from overseas is strictly prohibited. On top of that, the FDA basically said that buying drugs online is illegal here in the States.

We asked the other woman how she managed to get those meds, and she mentioned her son, who works on cargo ships, picked them up in India before he boarded his flight and just brought them home personally.

Now, here is what I’m actually trying to figure out, because my grandmother is driving me absolutely crazy: would it be possible to set up a P.O. Box in a different country, maybe somewhere else in the European Union, assuming they follow different regulations and don't have the same customs hurdles? Could we have the meds shipped to a P.O. Box there, then drive across the border myself to pick them up and bring them back to the US?

I really need to know if that’s considered illegal—specifically, is it against the law to buy a medication in the EU that isn't on the approved list for the US market and then personally carry it back into the US for private use?

The price of this medication is honestly brutal, but I don't mind paying whatever customs fees are necessary if it means I can finally get my grandmother off my back.

Thanks.

Why not just call a post office in a city over in Canada and ask? You could always mention that you’re just visiting there temporarily...

I was wondering if it’s actually illegal to bring these kinds of medications into the US.

Look, I’m not trying to be difficult or anything, but let’s say you open your trunk—and people love to make jokes about that part—only to find a box containing 120 capsules of some unverified drug that isn't even approved for the American market. Apparently, one of its side effects is triggering menstruation in women who are well past that stage of life. I guess I'd just end up sitting in a county jail while my grandmother loses her mind over what happened to our family.

Importing drugs that haven't been approved by the FDA isn't allowed here.
It’s technically possible to smuggle them in, but if you get caught, you're looking at serious trouble.
The only legal way to get an unregistered medication from abroad is if you have a valid prescription from a doctor. In that case, it falls under compassionate use import—you'll have to cover the sales tax and customs duties, and you might be waiting up to three months for it to clear.

Angela Wright said:Importing medications that haven't been approved in the US isn't allowed.
Sure, someone could try to smuggle them in, but if you get caught, the consequences are pretty brutal.
The only legal way to buy a drug from abroad that isn't registered here is if you have a valid prescription from a doctor. In those cases, it goes through an emergency import process where you still have to deal with sales tax and customs duties. And honestly, you might be waiting for up to three months.

Seriously, this is just awful, considering what kind of place we live in. Are you absolutely certain about that? So, I guess what you're saying is that if a specific medicine isn't available or approved in America, there is zero way to get it anywhere without breaking the law.

And nobody seems to be making a fuss about it. It’s honestly terrifying.

It feels like some corporate suits at big pharma companies and government bureaucrats are using backroom deals to fix prices and strip away the freedom of citizens—people who are literally paying for their salaries with their own taxes—just so they can manipulate us like this.

If that’s really how it works, then honestly, screw the law and screw this country.

Austin Williams20 said:Seriously, this is a nightmare to live through. Are you one hundred percent sure about this? So, if the FDA hasn't approved it here in the States, there’s absolutely no way to get it anywhere without breaking the law?

Nobody’s even complaining.This is terrible.

It’s pathetic how some bureaucrats at companies like ExxonMobil and the federal government use these joint agreements to fix prices. They’re basically stripping away the freedom of everyday citizens—people who are literally funding their salaries through taxes—just so they can manipulate us.

If that’s how it’s going to be, then screw the law and screw this country.

What's there to complain about? If a specialist says your grandma needs that specific medication, then she needs it. Like Angela Wright explained, you can just use an emergency import. You get the prescription from the doctor, take it to the pharmacy, and they handle the paperwork with customs through their supplier. You'll get the meds without any issues—it just takes about three weeks at most.

If those old ladies want to play doctor and prescribe medication to everyone else, then they can be the ones to go out and buy it. That’s just common sense. 😉

Austin Williams20 said:Seriously, this is just awful... I mean, is this really what we're dealing with here? Are you 100% sure about that? So, basically, if the FDA hasn't cleared it or there isn't a doctor available in the States to prescribe it, there's absolutely no way to get it anywhere without breaking the law? That's just wild...

It’s honestly wild how nobody is even speaking up about this... It's just straight-up terrible.

It’s just wild to me—like, how can some bureaucrats at big corporations and the government use these joint agreements to keep prices artificially high? It totally strips away any real freedom for the average person... especially when we're the ones paying their salaries through our taxes. It feels like they're just straight-up manipulating us at this point...

If that’s really how it's going to be... then honestly, screw the law and screw this whole country.

Wait, hold up—are you seriously talking about some medication that your grandma's doctor didn't even prescribe? Like, someone just went out and bought it for some other grandma somewhere else... In India... I mean, he literally smuggled it across the border into Canada—so why are you even acting surprised that importing it is banned? Like, come on, man...

Do you actually know anything about this drug? Like, where can you even find it on the global market... what kind of studies has it actually cleared? Has the FDA even given it the green light yet? Because, seriously—do you realize you could actually kill your own grandma with this stuff...?

Rachel Brooks63 said:Hold on a second. You're talking about a medication that wasn't even prescribed to your grandmother—something someone just bought for her in INDIA and smuggled into Canada? And then you're actually surprised that importing it is illegal? Seriously, man!?!?!?!?

Do you even know anything about this drug? Where can you even buy it globally? What kind of studies has it actually undergone? Has the FDA approved it? Do you realize you could literally kill your own grandma (?) with this stuff?

It always cracks me up when these "mysterious" foreign drugs turn out to be nothing more than natural supplements that are already available right here in America under a different name. I've dealt with a few cases like that myself ☕
I'm not saying that's what's happening here, since I have no clue which drug we're discussing, but it’s just a perfect example of how some patients in the US would rather listen to old wives' tales or their neighbors than follow their own doctors.

Susan Reyes5 said:I honestly find it so wild when those "mysterious" overseas meds turn out to be just basic natural supplements you can buy right here in the States under a different label... I've actually run into that a few times before. ☕
I'm not saying that's what's happening here—since I have zero clue which medication we're even talking about—but it's just such a classic example of how patients in America tend to listen to their neighbors or some old wives' tale more than their own doctors.

Look, it doesn't even have to be a natural remedy, it could be—let's say—just Tylenol in a box from India 🤷

But the main point is that people get so worked up about the government being incompetent, acting like someone should be protesting because they aren't allowed to import a specific drug they personally decided they need... 🙄

Rachel Brooks63 said:Look, it doesn't even have to be some herbal remedy; it could be—just for the sake of argument—Acetaminophen in an Indian medicine box🤷

But the point is that the government is failing us, and someone should be up in arms about how it's being banned for everyone to import a medication they personally feel they need.🙄

That’s exactly what I was saying, just phrased differently.👍

Good grief

First off, how on earth can a doctor be allowed to prescribe something that isn't even on the approved medication list?

And second, you can honestly just go screw yourself with all that lecturing about my grandmother having osteoporosis, being mentally unstable, and needing me to wipe her ass every time she goes. I really don't need your "expert" opinion on my life.

She wants this specific damn medication, and if it kills her, that's on her. It would actually make things easier for my kids—what they have to deal with because of her constant screaming day in and day out, and what I have to do by rushing home from work every two hours because she'll end up pissing and shitting the bed, or the floor, if I don't change her damn diapers.

Besides, why the hell should I care if some bureaucrat tries to stop me from getting a certain drug? I don't give a damn whether it's this specific medicine or just a plain old aspirin. I pay for that idiot's salary through my taxes, just like everyone else pays for the entire damn healthcare system, and people are paying for your damn job. If you're working for the government, then the public is paying you, so why the hell do you get to lecture me or tell me what medications I can or can't buy?

If I were living in a place where things actually worked, I wouldn't just be able to order this medicine; the mailman would probably deliver it right to my grandma's door with a smile.

So, just back off with your "smart" little comments.

People were being pretty nice to you, there’s no need to be a jerk about it.
Look, if you're actually ready to head to prison over some damn medication just because an old lady was taking it, then fine, go for it. But don't come at people who are genuinely trying to help you with insults.

Austin Williams20 said:Good grief.

First off, how on earth can a doctor prescribe a medication that isn't even on the approved drug list?

First, second, and third—if you're going to post without actually reading what we've already told you, try reading this. Maybe it'll make sense. It's just a copy-paste from a supplier's site, but I'm not trying to run an ad here:

Emergency importation of medications involves importing finished drug products that haven't been granted marketing authorization in the United States.

Emergency importation is permitted under the following conditions:

• urgent medical necessity
• research purposes,
• clinical trials,
• pharmaceutical testing,
• non-clinical testing,
• cases involving natural disasters or other extraordinary circumstances,
• for individual treatment needs using a finished drug product prescribed by the attending physician or dentist (importation via private prescription)

As for everything else... ☕

Austin Williams20 said:If I lived in the European Union, I wouldn't just be able to order that med—the mailman would probably show up at my grandma's door with a smile just to hand it over.

Nah, you're dead wrong... 🙂

just go find some other sucker who'll actually try to help you out—honestly, god help your kids if they end up anything like you 👍 (hopefully you raised them better than this, so maybe they'll actually treat you right when you're old and can't take care of yourself)

So, I guess if a doctor can just prescribe something they’ve never even heard of—something that isn't even on the approved medication list here in the US because they haven't bothered to study it—then does that mean any doctor can just prescribe whatever random thing pops into their head, including some fake Viagra? That seems to be the implication from that link you copied because you're too lazy to actually post it myself.

And if anyone here actually intended to help me, they would offer something concrete instead of just dropping these "wise" little remarks and making snide jokes.

As for my behavior, I don't feel the need to apologize to anyone. This is just how I deal with idiots. I mean, unless any of you who claim you want to "help" actually know anything about dealing with a nightmare of a woman—someone who threatens suicide, divorce, and just screams at you constantly; someone who acts exactly like an old hag but without the bedwetting; someone whose presence makes her own children avoid coming home like it's toxic, potentially causing psychological damage that lasts their entire miserable lives; or a boss who has threatened to fire you more times than I can count because you have to run home every two hours to deal with a wife who's been losing it for four years straight...

...if you actually knew what that was like, maybe then I'd get actual advice instead of just crap from empty-headed windbags.

Anyway, goodbye. I don't have the time or the energy for fools and their nonsense, and I certainly don't have the patience to go back and forth with lesser beings.

If she had wanted heroin, I probably could've gotten it easier than this damn medication.

So just, honestly, fuck off. You and your government can go to hell.
You're all exactly the kind of people this country deserves.

Having your own personal issues doesn't give you a free pass to act out and start insulting people. We all have our own baggage to deal with, but that isn't an excuse to take it out on everyone else here.

People were actually trying to help you. If you don't like the way they phrased things, that's on you. You asked a question and you got answers. Now what? We couldn't care less about your attitude, but there's zero reason to be abusive.

Honestly, this thread should just be locked. It’s gone nowhere.

Austin Williams20 said:Okay, so how can a doctor prescribe something he’s never heard of, let alone something that isn't even on the approved drug list here in the States? Following your logic, doctors can just prescribe whatever random thing pops into their heads—even fake Viagra! You're just parroting that link you're too lazy to actually post.

And if anyone here actually wanted to help me, they’d offer some real, concrete advice instead of these "wise" little comments and jabs.

As for how I'm acting, I don't owe anyone an apology. I deal with idiots this way because none of you know what it's like dealing with a woman who threatens suicide, divorce, and constant screaming—acting just like a toddler, only without the diaper changes. It's left the kids avoiding coming home like it's toxic, which is going to haunt them forever. Not to mention having a boss who's threatened to fire me countless times because I have to run home every two hours to check on a wife who's been fading away for four years.

If you actually knew anything about that, maybe I'd get actual advice instead of just empty talk from blowhards.

Anyway, bye. I don't have the time or the energy for fools and their nonsense, much less arguing with people who act beneath me.

Honestly, if she had asked for heroin, I probably could've found it easier than this damn medication.

So just fuck off—you and your whole country.
You guys deserve each other.

Poor woman, dealing with all of you.😢
The biggest favor you could do for her would be to put her in a nursing home.
This is just terrible.

Besides, you're lying.
A woman in that condition definitely isn't out hosting neighborhood get-togethers or gossiping with friends.

melloworca6 said:I think this thread should be locked because there's nothing left to say.

Give him a warning and a ban.

But honestly, you're just asking to be insulted.

jadesailor14 said:poor woman 😢is better off
if you just put her in a nursing home
this is honestly horrific

And listen to this idiot, for God's sake—the woman can barely move; all she does is toss and turn, demand things, scream, cry, and deal with incontinence.

Your nerves are shot...

Just grab some vitamins at CVS and tell your wife they're the solution. It’s all placebo.