Ordering medication from overseas

Michael Williams70 said:I could use a little help here. Does anyone know if there's a pharmacy that handles international orders from overseas, specifically from Italy? I need to track down some "Brunac" eye drops for my wife. They're manufactured in Italy, and they've completely vanished from the shelves here in the States. She used to pick them up at a pharmacy over on Pokoran Street in Chicago, but they're totally out of stock now.
The condition she’s dealing with is pretty specific, and those drops are a necessity... no clue why they just stopped carrying them.
Thanks in advance.

Just ask the pharmacist if they handle international orders. I know they do it locally, but you'll definitely need to bring in a prescription from her doctor so they have the paperwork to justify the special order.

Pretty much all the private pharmacies order them
The one near Dolac Market definitely does

Thanks for the advice. I was actually thinking about heading over to the pharmacy near Dolac Market.

Hi there. I’ve heard rumors about certain pharmacies in Chicago that stock foreign medications—stuff you can't get covered by Medicare here in the States. Does anyone know which ones they are? I’m looking for Abilify (Aripiprazole).

Wait, isn't that just the pharmacy over by Dolac Market? I heard from a friend that they can actually order meds from overseas for you, though you've gotta have a private prescription in hand first.

Hey there!!
I'm starting this thread because I've been wondering if anyone here has experience picking up meds across the border from the US.
Doesn't matter if it's Mexico, Canada, or whatever.
I just want to know if things are actually cheaper over there than what we pay here at home.

Specifically, I'm looking for "beta glucan 500 mg".
If anyone happens to know a specific address or the name of a pharmacy where you can grab stuff like that, please let me know—it would be a huge help.
Thanks!!🙏

I was wondering if you’ve managed to dig up any info yet?
I was actually just chatting on another forum about this... I’ve heard some really solid rumors that a new beta glucan 500 mg is hitting the market any day now, and it's being made by a US manufacturer! Since it's domestic, the price should be super competitive, which is great news. I’ve been doing a little digging because I’m really excited to talk about this specific product... Apparently, it's going to be top-tier quality, coming in two different dosage options, and it'll be totally affordable for the American market... honestly, it sounds like a total win!
Word is, the big question is just how soon it'll actually land on the shelves...
Please, please tell me—have you found out anything about how things are looking overseas (you know, regarding prices, quality, and all that)?

Jose Long30 said:Hey there!!
I'm starting this thread because I've been wondering if anyone here has experience picking up meds across the border from the US.
Doesn't matter if it's Mexico, Canada, or whatever.
I just want to know if things are actually cheaper over there than what we pay here at home.

Specifically, I'm looking for "beta glucan 500 mg".
If anyone happens to know a specific address or the name of a pharmacy where you can grab stuff like that, please let me know—it would be a huge help.
Thanks!!🙏

Before you go down a rabbit hole researching, let me add my own experience...

There are all sorts of beta glucans out there—some come from brewer's yeast, others from different grains. They aren't all the same, so they don't all work the same way either.

Specifically, importing Glukan into Germany isn't really a thing. EU countries have their own markets and protect them, so they produce their own beta glucan locally. The stuff I looked at had a 40% concentration (and was way cheaper than, say, the ones in our local pharmacies $250 since those are about 86% pure glucan)

So, it depends on what condition you're treating... and how much pure glucan concentration you need will dictate the price.🙂

You won't find it specifically in Canada... though you might see EU versions being sold on the black market, while the US version 1.3 is available in pharmacies and health stores—usually $250 60 capsules of 500 mg

Hi everyone,

Has anyone here ever tried ordering generic medications from overseas websites? For instance, sites like http://xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/ offer drugs that require a prescription here in the US (though they might be listed under different names). These sites don't seem to mention anything about needing to provide a verified prescription. How does the process actually work? Are there any issues with shipping, like customs or anything else?

Best regards,

You have to be incredibly cautious with stuff like this because, more often than not, it’s just a straight-up scam. Even if they actually end up shipping you some kind of medication, it’s usually nothing but counterfeits. These fakes don't just fail to work like the real thing—they can actually be dangerous to your health. I honestly don't get why people even bother with it... 😕

Much appreciated,

When I started looking into this, even Wikipedia was flagging them as scams.
Disappointing.

Steven Green2 said:I wouldn't count on this passing through any kind of inspection without scrutiny. If you're ordering something online, there is always a slim chance it might slip through without being flagged by Customs, but one shouldn't hold their breath. Should the package happen to get stuck at the border, if an invoice was included with the shipment, the officials will simply calculate the duty and sales tax themselves, which you’ll then settle with the delivery driver when they arrive at your doorstep. However, if the sender neglected to include an invoice with the goods, you'll likely receive a notification from Customs stating that you need to provide the necessary documentation. In that scenario, it's usually quite simple—you can just fax them or bring over a copy of the receipt (even just a printout of your order confirmation email) so they have a basis to determine the taxes and duties. I can't say for certain, but I believe the duty rate for dietary supplements, including vitamins, sits around 5%. 😉

Importing Medications via Mail

Importing medications through the mail is not permitted.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, importing medications for personal use via the postal service is prohibited in the US. Under federal laws regarding drugs and medical products, only licensed legal entities—those with specific authorization and approval from the FDA—are allowed to import prescription medications for personal use. Furthermore, under current drug regulation, selling medications that haven't been approved for sale in the US via the internet or mail orders is strictly forbidden.

wanderingcrane97 said:Does anyone know the deal with importing meds or vitamin supplements from the USA? I'm mostly looking at specific vitamin stuff, but I need to know what the rules are for bringing them in and how the whole customs and tax situation works once they hit the border.

What company makes those supplements you're talking about?

Take a look at when these were posted. Most of this stuff is over three years old 😉

It’s about time they got an answer.🙂
Thanks for the heads-up.

My daughter is struggling with asthma, and her specialist over at the Mayo Clinic has determined that she needs to start immunotherapy. The medication itself is manufactured in France, but I’ve been sourcing it from a supplier in Brežice. It runs me about $100 per dose. My question is: do I need to declare this at the border, and am I going to get hit with customs duties? I have all the official medical documentation regarding her condition, and since this specific medication isn't available here in the States, I don't really have any other way to get it.

Amanda Lopez7 said:My daughter is struggling with asthma, and her specialist over at the Mayo Clinic has determined that she needs to start immunotherapy. The medication itself is manufactured in France, but I’ve been sourcing it from a supplier in Brežice. It runs me about $100 per dose. My question is: do I need to declare this at the border, and am I going to get hit with customs duties? I have all the official medical documentation regarding her condition, and since this specific medication isn't available here in the States, I don't really have any other way to get it.

Don't quote me on this—someone more knowledgeable might chime in—but we buy the exact same things. We just follow the rule that you can carry over more than $333 (I think it's around $150 or $200) without issues. We never even mention it at the border. If anyone asks, we just show them all our receipts. It’s never been an issue for us 🤷.

Thanks, Lisa Myers! Honestly, I think I’ll just let it slide and not report him. If they end up tracking him down, I’ll just play dumb! The real issue is that I’m from the Midwest, so customs agents might find it pretty suspicious why I was trekking all the way over to Canada, you know?

Which medication are you talking about? Please list the exact brand name and its main active ingredient.

The medication being used is Alustal (allergy extracts)