My Experience Buying Anticonvulsants Out of the USA

[Shutterbabe]

Hello All: I started a thread some months ago regarding the 1491% increase in my anticonvulsants once I became eligible for Medicare. I have been seizure free on a brand name med which is not covered on any available plan. My out of pocket will be over $1200 a month.

I am still trying to get Patient Assistance from the pharmaceutical company but they have been daunting. I have provided EVERYTHING that have asked for and they still find a way to ask for even more. I realize now they are not exercising compassion at my plight. It feels more bureaucratic, as if they are doing their best to discourage me. I cry when I get off the phone with them out of frustration.

Between the spaces of hoping for them to help me I ordered my medications from a Canadian pharmacy which told me my pills would be coming from the UK. Cool. They arrived, looked the same, packaged beautifully. They were made in Turkey and came to me from Mauritius, off the SE coast of Africa.

I took half a dose and had a severe drug reaction. I believe if I had taken a full pill there would have been life threatening consequences.

I do not want to make this too long. There are many more details. Dealings with the Pharmaceutical company in the US, etc. My purpose here is to tell you to be careful. The Canadian company was well reviewed. I did my homework before and after these events. My system is sensitive to medications and this could have been an individual event. I think not. The more research I did the more I learned about the rise in counterfeit products.

All of us already fight to survive and thrive.
Peace and Love to you.

 

[seagull]

There was tv programs about this.very dangerous doing this.the Meds go through so many atmosphereric and temperatures changes chemical values.They mentioned Canadian pharmacies in uk I think Canadian pharmaceutical not allowed.
This when read things like this I so grateful for NHS,it got its problems but your system plain cruel.
Is it not possible just get prescription from doc maybe pay what drug costs which often only pennies if get it under generic name.
I try find out where I saw and read info about Canadian pharmacies As said very much discouraged as don't know where drugs actually come from

 

[Nakamova]

Thanks for the warnings Shutterbabe. The pharmaceutical companies really have us over a barrel, don't they?

I hope you are doing okay. Were you able to register a complaint with the Canadian pharmacy?

 

[masterjen]

If the pills were made in Turkey and came to you from Mauritius then it would have been a drug distributer you obtained the medication from, not by definition a true Canadian pharmacy. A "pharmacy" in Canada, also called a drugstore, must be licensed by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada and pharmacists themselves must also be licensed and registered with their province's College of Pharmacists. When you purchase your prescriptions from a Canadian pharmacy, the medication would not have been sent to you via a foreign country! The majority of the people who work in these drug distributing places have no training of any kind.

These questionable distributers are all over, including the US. Look up something like "cheap prescriptions" or "cheap drugs online" or some such thing, and many sites show up.

 

[Shutterbabe]

Nakamova & seagull: Thank you so much for your replies. Indeed the pharmaceutical companies leaves us without many options. I ordered out of the country with a prescription from my very conservative doctor. So everything I tried to accomplish in order to save money was done with professional oversight.

I did register my complaint with the Canadian pharmacy. They were receptive and sent me another 3 months worth that were to be manufactured and dispensed from the UK. The box is at least in English!

The key issues for me is their bioequivalence and the lack of regulatory systems in foreign countries. I read that many countries who product these drugs have no government control. Turkey, for example, has a low consumer consumption of medicines because of economic and cultural restraints compared to Western countries. Also different dyes, etc are used to make them which would never pass our FDA. There are many "rogue" websites who sell products with dangerous ingredients.

I did try to get both batches of anticonvulsants verified by the pharmaceutical company in the US. Spoke many times to their Quality Control Department by sharing pertinent info: lot numbers, photographs, etc. I felt a certain responsibility so no one else has a bad experience. It became overwhelming dealing with them.

I have not tried the second batch of pills yet as I am afraid to endure another serious reaction. I had a mini-stroke on XMAS day and still am unwell. Sigh*

Take Care.

 

[Shutterbabe]

Very interesting information. Thank you for sharing.

 

[seagull]

Got similar problem trying get b12 patches or nasal spray but only get in Canada and they only sell it to Americans .apparently brits to stupid put patch on not be trusted give me strenghth

 

[girlwithadog]

My medication is 120 a month for the generic. May not be a lot to some people but to us it's practically unmanageable. I went somewhere in Central America a few months ago and found the same medicine for 30$ for a months worth. So I purchased it.
But I was nursing at the time and afraid to risk so I asked a pharmacist who strongly recommended against it.
I didnt take it and going by this post I'm glad I didnt.

Thank you for the advice

 

[Bernard]

There is some good info about Canadian Pharmacies in this thread:

http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/canadian-pharmacy-3488/#post31022

 

[gymrat827]

the canadian & int'l pharma's can be hit or miss.

You want as my reviews from individuals doing the same thing as you possibly can.

 

[seagull]

I have discovered I can get my brain memory pill direct from company and coming on express service from America so try the company direct.Also I am surprised you can get some medications from Amerzon I getting melatonin on Amerzen not allowed buy it here only doc prescribed and not sure if got be in hospital.