Where can I find a pharmacy that stocks imported meds?

Hey there. I heard there’s a pharmacy in Washington, D.C. that stocks foreign medications—stuff you can't get covered by Medicare here in the States. Does anyone know which ones they are? This might be a bit off-topic... but I'm looking for certain antipsychotics, so maybe it fits here.

Thanks in advance.

I know she usually places orders through Walgreens for those specific medications they can't stock at other pharmacies, but I'm not sure about the particular one you're hunting for. Just track down their number and give them a call first—no sense in driving all over town for nothing.

I honestly can't wrap my head around how one pharmacy might have certain medications sitting on their shelves while another one just down the street is completely out 😕
It’s one of those things that seems weird until you realize that every single drug hitting the market has to go through the whole gauntlet of FDA approval first, and only once they get that green light can they actually be distributed
Without that official stamp of approval from the federal government, nobody is legally allowed to sell them, period

Roger Morgan4 said:I know she usually places orders through Walgreens for those specific medications they can't stock at other pharmacies, but I'm not sure about the particular one you're hunting for. Just track down their number and give them a call first—no sense in driving all over town for nothing.

I'm hunting for Aripiprazole (Abilify). It's one of those newer antipsychotics. It’s fully approved and available here in the USA and most of Europe... unfortunately, it isn't covered by Medicare yet.

Do you happen to know the name of that pharmacy, or maybe even just the street it's on?

Anthony Howard33 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around how one pharmacy might have certain medications sitting on their shelves while another one just down the street is completely out 😕
It’s one of those things that seems weird until you realize that every single drug hitting the market has to go through the whole gauntlet of FDA approval first, and only once they get that green light can they actually be distributed
Without that official stamp of approval from the federal government, nobody is legally allowed to sell them, period

It doesn't make total sense to me either, but I know a guy who gets his meds through a way that isn't covered by Medicare.

Jose Sanchez2 said:It doesn't make total sense to me either, but I know a guy who gets his meds through a way that isn't covered by Medicare.

The real thing to look at here is whether the drug is actually FDA-approved and registered in the States; if he checks that and sees it's cleared, then he should be able to figure out who the local distributor is—because there’s always someone acting as the rep, or the parent manufacturer has its own branch operating right here in the US:

I guess the big question is how he's paying for it—is he footing the whole bill himself, is he getting some sort of partial coverage, or is it totally free?

Anthony Howard33 said:The real thing to look at here is whether the drug is actually FDA-approved and registered in the States; if he checks that and sees it's cleared, then he should be able to figure out who the local distributor is—because there’s always someone acting as the rep, or the parent manufacturer has its own branch operating right here in the US:

I guess the big question is how he's paying for it—is he footing the whole bill himself, is he getting some sort of partial coverage, or is it totally free?

He's paying full price. I checked with the FDA—no sign of Abilify. Looks like I'm stuck waiting until they finally approve it...

If that medication hasn't been cleared by the FDA, then selling it is straight-up illegal.
Vidjec if there's an approved generic version out there somewhere.
I mean, do you think you could maybe check in with that guy of yours to see what he knows?

Anthony Howard33 said:If that medication hasn't been cleared by the FDA, then selling it is straight-up illegal.
Vidjec if there's an approved generic version out there somewhere.
I mean, do you think you could maybe check in with that guy of yours to see what he knows?

He’s using Stratter—which isn't covered by Medicare—but I just checked, and it is registered with the FDA.

Abilify isn't registered with them, which means he can't legally get his hands on it here in the States. 😢

Jose Sanchez2 said:He’s using Stratter—which isn't covered by Medicare—but I just checked, and it is registered with the FDA.

Abilify isn't registered with them, which means he can't legally get his hands on it here in the States. 😢

That's really all there is to it.
The FDA is the ultimate authority here; they call the shots, regardless of what's on the Medicare coverage list.
It's pretty common to have medications that are totally legal to buy because they're registered, even if they aren't on that "positive list" for insurance reimbursement.
So, he can go ahead and get his Stratter since it has the green light for distribution.

But Abilify? It isn't registered, so it can't be sold or distributed at all.
Plus, looking back, it was only given the nod from the FDA in 2000.

He’s registered over in Canada. You could probably convince someone to bring it back for you, but you’re going to need a private prescription regardless. Your primary care physician should be able to write one up for you. Good luck.

Gary Cruz3 said:He’s registered over in Canada. You could probably convince someone to bring it back for you, but you’re going to need a private prescription regardless. Your primary care physician should be able to write one up for you. Good luck.

What do you mean, a private prescription? An American GP isn't allowed to prescribe antidepressants or antipsychotics without a psychiatrist's evaluation...

Jose Sanchez2 said:What do you mean, a private prescription? An American GP isn't allowed to prescribe antidepressants or antipsychotics without a psychiatrist's evaluation...

That’s just not true. It’s more that for certain medications, the Social Security Administration requires a specialist's recommendation—that usually applies to the more expensive stuff.
Sure, a GP would much rather have a specialist's sign-off before they touch psychiatric meds, but nobody is actually stopping them from doing it.

Besides, I was under the impression that a psychiatrist had recommended the Abilify, wasn't that the case?

Gary Cruz3 said:That’s just not true. It’s more that for certain medications, the Social Security Administration requires a specialist's recommendation—that usually applies to the more expensive stuff.
Sure, a GP would much rather have a specialist's sign-off before they touch psychiatric meds, but nobody is actually stopping them from doing it.

Besides, I was under the impression that a psychiatrist had recommended the Abilify, wasn't that the case?

No. I found that medication myself. I'm going to follow up with my psychiatrist about it—we'll see what he has to say.

Roger Morgan4, you’ve gone ahead and diagnosed yourself with a cure, but have you actually sat down with a psychiatrist first? 🙄 It’s possible your doctor could write you a private prescription—I assume those who run private practices have that leeway, though I'm just speculating here, not stating it as fact. As for the logistics, if you don't have a car or a friend willing to drive you, catching a train is an easy way to get out to Chicago. You might as well turn it into a little getaway; take a stroll through the city and see the sights, it’s a lovely place to visit.

Roger Morgan4 said:Roger Morgan4, you’ve gone ahead and diagnosed yourself with a cure, but have you actually sat down with a psychiatrist first? 🙄 It’s possible your doctor could write you a private prescription—I assume those who run private practices have that leeway, though I'm just speculating here, not stating it as fact. As for the logistics, if you don't have a car or a friend willing to drive you, catching a train is an easy way to get out to Chicago. You might as well turn it into a little getaway; take a stroll through the city and see the sights, it’s a lovely place to visit.

I'll see. Thanks for the input.

Jose Sanchez2 said:Hey there. I heard there’s a pharmacy in Washington, D.C. that stocks foreign medications—stuff you can't get covered by Medicare here in the States. Does anyone know which ones they are? This might be a bit off-topic... but I'm looking for certain antipsychotics, so maybe it fits here.

Thanks in advance.

Hi, my neighbor who's battling breast cancer actually ordered some meds directly from the US through a pharmacy located at 104 Maximillian Ave called Broz-Malic. Their number is 2335-285, so maybe give them a call and see if they can help. Fingers crossed you can track down what you need.🙂

Gary Cruz3 said:He’s registered over in Canada. You could probably convince someone to bring it back for you, but you’re going to need a private prescription regardless. Your primary care physician should be able to write one up for you. Good luck.

Look, if a family doctor has even a shred of common sense, there is absolutely no way they are just handing out psychiatric medication on a whim—especially when that specific drug hasn't even been cleared for sale here in the States.
The entire European Union hasn't even given it the green light yet.
That doesn't mean the medicine is bad or ineffective; it just means the regulatory bureaucracy moves at a snail's pace, and this is a pretty recent arrival to the market.

Anyway, sorry, but what was written above is completely off base.

And honestly, how are you supposed to just pick it up in Austria? Nobody over there is going to scribble down a prescription unless they have a formal diagnosis from a psychiatrist and everything is documented in black and white.
It’s basically a suicide mission, and the liability for anyone trying to pull that off would be massive, since these kinds of psych meds can be used for all sorts of things—so the whole idea just doesn't hold water.
I mean, sure, people do illegal stuff all the time, we all know that, but this isn't happening.

@sorrela, you’re the one saying this medication is effective, yet the registration process is dragging its feet. It feels absurd that bureaucracy alone could prevent people from accessing it immediately. If it’s already cleared in the USA, the real question is how long it will take to get approved everywhere else. We aren't talking about just any nation here; we're talking about the USA. I realize they don't have all the answers—we might discover side effects or adverse reactions down the road—but dwelling on that doesn't help anyone. You could apply that same logic to almost any other drug on the market.

Roger Morgan4 said:@sorrela, you’re the one saying this medication is effective, yet the registration process is dragging its feet. It feels absurd that bureaucracy alone could prevent people from accessing it immediately. If it’s already cleared in the USA, the real question is how long it will take to get approved everywhere else. We aren't talking about just any nation here; we're talking about the USA. I realize they don't have all the answers—we might discover side effects or adverse reactions down the road—but dwelling on that doesn't help anyone. You could apply that same logic to almost any other drug on the market.

I hear you, and I did mention that the registration process moves slowly, but that's just the mandatory hurdle before anything actually hits the shelves at the local CVS or Walgreens.
I wasn't even harping on about side effects or anything like that; honestly, you expect those things with any medicine, don't you? My point was strictly about the legitimate, legal ways to actually get your hands on the stuff.

Beyond that, I suppose someone could always have an aunt in Canada who happens to be a doctor, write a prescription under her own name, pick it up, and then have her sister mail it over to someone in America:

There are ways to do it, obviously; I was just talking about the official, legal channels.