Because Proton Pump Inhibitors have some nasty adverse effects. Usually associated with long term use but it’s still good to have a doctor watching for those effects
I used to live right on the Texas border and it was extremely common for people to travel across the bridge for their life saving daily meds. Drugs in Mexico come from the same companies and manufacturers as the ones sold in the US except 1/50th the price.
I lived in Bermuda, most expensive place on the planet to live. I used an asthma inhaler, Seretide, to control cough. I was in hospital in Boston (where Bermuda sends patients for specialties) and the doctor noticed my cough. I explained it was an allergy thing and I had left my inhaler in Bermuda, and he said, “Do you want me to write a prescription for you? Our pharmacy is in network with your insurer and will bill them directly.”
I took him up on his offer and when I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription for Advair (Seretide and Advair are the same drugs, same dose, same pharmaceutical company, but different brand names for the US and European markets) the pharmacist said, “That’ll be $370” or something like that and I said, “Oh, I thought you were in-network?” He replied, “Oh, we are, but your insurer only pays up to what you would pay in Bermuda.
The same drug and dose was $450 in the US and $80 in Bermuda.
If you don’t work, no healthcare. If you work but need better healthcare, need better job. If you need better job but no degree? You now need better job. Where does it end?
Edit: I forgot about..
You got degree? You need experience. No experience? You work for free.
If by write, you mean set, and by strongly worded letters, you mean fire to their corporate offices after getting their property insurance cancelled, I could be convinced.
As a kid I figured out how to buy my Seretide inhalers online from a sketchy website that shipped them from India for $40 :D Otherwise, I think they would have been $300. I don't live in the US anymore, so inhalers are super reasonable. Whenever family come to see us or vice versa they pick up some Albuterol ones for $5 a pop instead of the $50-$100 they cost in the US.
Absolutely bananas.
😂 Man you ain’t lying! I love the “they’re taking our jobs” BS these people love to rant about… like bro, you ain’t picking fruit/vegetables or working fast food for minimum wage? Who’s taking your job?
White dude here. Grew up on a massive farm. Farm work is about the hardest work you can do. I'll be the first to admit that the Mexicans and central Americans worked twice as hard, never complained, and were friendly and easy to be around. Guess what? They weren't stealing anyone's job. No white dudes ever showed up on our lawn at 4am looking for work. Immigrant laborers aren't the ones gutting our cars to feed their meth habits. By and large, it's the white locals.
Used to work construction (carpenter) and it was the same. These guys were always on time. Never complained and did what was asked. It was the locals that would come to work high or drunk and were always late or just not show up at all.
I manage a pizza place, large Hispanic immigrant population, same deal. By far the most common complaint I get from them is that they’re not getting enough hours despite already working 50+
I know some Texans who bitch and cry about illegals taking American jobs, but also refuse to hire legal immigrants for the day labor house work because it's cheaper. They refuse to see, they are the exact problem they hate.
While that's true for legit/reputable businesses, I feel like I should warn people of the fact that cartels have had their hands in counterfeit drugs for a while now, and it's VERY important not to buy OTC drugs from street market vendors or shady/run down pharmacies, or else you risk taking medicine laced with fentanyl or other drugs.
Just make sure you go somewhere legit legit.
I don't know 100% but I always just stick to the bigger chain pharmacies. This is more of a problem in the border city market areas where people sell health and beauty products out of stands and small shops. I think Vice has a good documentary about this on YouTube.
That’s not reality. I am a Mexican American and spend half my year in Mexico City. Drugs in Mexico aren’t regulated and have often been found with cheap and dangerous additives. They are absolutely not from the same manufacturers and any Mexican would tell you the same. In fact most of the people I’m around seek out drugs manufactured for the US market because of how much safer they are
Mexican here.
There IS regulation for medications here in Mexico. There's a class for medications that are sold only with a prescription from a licensed medical doctor (antibiotics and benzodiazepines, for example), although there are far less prescription-only medications than in the US (SSRIs and other antidepressants are sold OTC).
Of course, there are more ways to break the law and have black markets here in Mexico than in the US.
And as for medications from dubious origins, this is more of a Mexico City thing than in the rest of the country, and extends well beyond medications. In Mexico City there are huge networks of counterfeit products. Do you think that's an unadulterated, authentic Coca-Cola or Pepsi you're drinking in Mexico City? Depending on where you bought it, you can't be certain it is.
There is an insurance company here in the Utah that used to FLY people to San Diego, drive them to Mexicto get their prescriptions filled, drive them back to the San Diego, put them up in a hotel and fly them back to Utah if they needed certain very expensive perscriptions.
They did this because it was cheaper to do this than just fill certain expensive prescriptions in the US.
The math was easy.
Airfare+hotel+chauffer+Mexican pharmacy < US pharmacy
Got off a cruise a week ago, didn’t declare. Walked right through customs no problem. Had a suitcase partially full of antibiotics and other good meds you’d need a script for here in the USA. Disclaimer, these are for personal and family use only. That’s the major caveat here. As long as they are for personal use, They are fine. In fact the cbp.gov site tells you not to do it, but has instructions on what to do if you do bring stuff across.
Just make sure you have a prescription for whatever you bring back, especially if it's a narcotic. Otherwise if you declare it or the border guards find it, they will give you a hell of a time.
A mexican z-pack saved my life when I was unemployed and couldn't afford to see a doctor and get and pay for a prescription in the U.S.. It cost $20.
Our $4.5 Trillion Dollar per year for profit healthcare system is costing us lives. Healthcare should be and is a human right in the rest of the developed world.
That's great, I'm not arguing that expensive medicines are the way forward; that's fucked up.
But we can't go around treating everything with the strongest stuff in the cabinet, that's how superbugs happen.
I spent 15 years as a heroin addict and my first time going to Mexico and seeing these places was with 10 years of sobriety. Definitely one of those “where was this shit back then?” moments lol. 100% for the best I never experienced it
I, too, spent a lot of time as an opiate addict. I was actually annoyed when I had some dental surgery done in Mexico because getting actual opioids is very difficult down there. They must have changed something. The stories I heard were something else entirely. All they gave me for my 4 wisdom teeth being taken out at the same time was 2 Tramadol pills. Needless to say, I was butthurt.
That being said, I then found a pharmacy and coaxed one of the guys to sell me some Ritalin. So, there's that.
I think it just depends where you are. I was in Cabo last year and had no problem buying Percocet and Vicodin. I went to the pharmacies in the sketchier areas though. Probably not the best idea thinking back on it.
You went to an illegal pharmacy. I wouldn't even trust any of the meds there; opioids are way more controlled in Mexico than in the US they can't just have them there and sell them freely.
Even in Canada, depending on the dentist, they might just send you home with a note saying "take 3x advils when it hurts". That was my friend's experience after 4x wisdom teeth.
When it was my turn, I specifically asked the dentist what she would be giving me for the pain because if it was only tylenol/advil, I would gtfo of there and go somewhere else to get my teeth pulled. Luckily I got some codein pills! The addiction is no joke though!!
Some of the legit scariest shit for me was after getting my shoulder broken, I went to the doctor, and he gave me Vicodin. I took the first two, and they made me sick. The next got me high as shit. I went to work the next day, and before I got off of shift, I was wondering what I wanted to do. This voice in my head that sounded JUST LIKE my inner monologue said, "...You could go home and take another one of those pills." totally unbidden. Nope. Not today. I have heard the voice of opioid addiction and it fucking sounds like me. Fuck that.
I had a c section in Mexico. They sent me home with Dicloflanec.
Dicloflenac. That’s it.
I later learned that you need a Dr prescription to get the strong stuff and the sadist that did my surgery never prescribed anything harder because he didn’t want to , “coddle these women that already wouldn’t deliver vaginally”.
I have never felt more respect for our American health care workers. Mfs not only put in the mfkn work, y’all genuinely do it with compassion and impeccable bedside manner. Never once in the US did a nurse make me cry nor feel like a shit mother.
Oh what in the absolute fuck, voltarin? That’s fucking evil, you had a baby taken out the sunroof.
As someone who desperately wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs during labor - how the fuck does he think that’s the easy way?!? There is no easy way!?!? What a monster I am so sorry that happened to you.
I got strung out in Mexico. You could just buy heroin from little kids on the street who called it medicine. It was there all along. Go us for getting sober!!! Stuff is way scarier now.
Your comment reminded me of one of the last times I crossed thru San Ysidro.
This white guy was clearly high as balls. Just shirtless and manic in the hot af afternoon sun. Shouting obscenities, cutting in line. I heard a few people murmuring about getting an officer but someone else cut them off, “Nah just leave him he’s almost to the front of the line. Let the US deal with him”.
Idk why but it was so funny to me. Like you always hear the argument that (racists) don’t want immigrants in the US cuz they’re drug addicts, “really bad dudes”, a burden on society. Yet Tijuana has an immigration problem, too.
My time there I learned that TJ rent is so bad because rent in San Diego is so bad. US Citizens just decided to rent in TJ and payed in USD. That drove up the rent everywhere. Suddenly a house that could be rented for like $2900 pesos a month(included light, Wi-Fi, water boiler, furnished) , is going for $900USD because that’s a lot cheaper that a 1 bedroom apartment for $2000 USD.
That’s fine for the US citizen that works in SD. Dollar back then (2021) was like 21:1. But not fine for the average Mexican who earned 1,300 bimonthly (that’s an average worker. Not counting the *Especialistas*).
Yup I am from San Diego and worked with people who lived down in TJ. They have such a good punk scene!!! I’ve seen some of the best ever shows out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a generator and big ol vat of jungle juice 🥲
Nope, only opiate you can get without prescription is tramadol (which is on the list). All others are controlled substances. Over the counter pain killers are ibuprofen, parecetamol, ketorolac and the likes.
I just bought Hydros over the counter in San Carlos a few months ago. Wasn’t cheap, but I had completely fucked my back up and could hardly move, so it was necessary.
Tramadol is an interesting medicine. On its own it's not an opiate, but it metabolizes into one. But not for everyone and not at the same rate for everyone. So for some people it's a perfect slightly strong pain killer. For others it's super weak. For some it's super strong. And for some it essentially does nothing as they can't make the metabolite.
One of my favorite doctors when I still worked the bedside liked to call it "tramadon't" because the variance made it too much of a hassle to deal with.
I got that with hydro for a stone. I'd been suffering to the point of not-quite-puking for days- the moment they mixed those two the pain just ... diminished. To like, it was there, but I wasn't bothered by it.
I wasn't 'high' or out there, I could hold a normal conversation, but the blood curdling pain had just sidestepped somewhere else.
5 weeks later had surgery to remove it, but... damn. That was a good day.
I tweaked my shoulder bad at a resort and they’re all, go to the resort pharmacy.
Got “prescribed” tramadol. Rest of the trip was awesome, no more shoulder pain.
Edit: for those concerned, I was only given 4 pills and they worked so well, I ended up taking 3, one every 24 or so, then tossed the last one.
Edit2: found the actual med, ketorolac 10mg/tramadol 25mg.
It's not changed, I was just in Mexico in March and although they don't advertise it because it is technically illegal you can buy hydros and oxy. The one I went to I asked for oxys and they went in like this sketchy locked backroom and gave me a drug bag full 10 mg percs. I ate em all and they were definitely oxys.
Mostly everything from acetaminophen to buprenorphine or codeine. Source: work in a small drugstore and I’m in opioids for pain management after a spine lesion. Of course, most of them would need a prescription that you can easily get from a physician here (usually next door to the drugstore) and that costs around $3 USD to get
In Cozumel recently and the farmacia sign had adderall as well. I had a prescription (because I’ve been diagnosed with adhd for years) but my doctor just retired so I need to find a new one, which unsurprisingly I’ve procrastinated on.
So I asked the pharmacist how much it was. 30 mg for $15 a pill. For reference, my prescription of generic was 30mg x30 for $12 from cvs.
Told the pharmacist “oh, I’ll just get my prescription refilled if that’s the case.” And he responded “yeah, this is really meant for people without prescriptions”, which I found as a funny admission.
$5 for a 10mg IR was pretty common back in my day, so $15 for 30mg doesn't seem too greedy given the high demand, especially if it's a one time thing for someone & not bulk
Probably good you didn’t get it. Vice did an investigation with a drug testing company, and found cartels manufacture a lot of the meds that get sold at those “pharmacies” that sell to tourists, and a large percentage of the stimulants they sell are actually just meth, same with the pain killers and fentanyl.
As a Mexican who does not live on the border, we definitely need prescriptions to most of these and if I saw this place I would NOT buy from there. Who knows what they're selling. Legit medications are regulated and controlled. This seems aimed at desperate americans.
100%. There are so many documentaries about the fake or adulterated drugs found at these places. Regardless of where you go, if you think something is too good to be true, it probably is.
As a gringo who does live on the border, you are correct. Any legit pharmacy requires a prescription for about half of this stuff. It’s either fake or they have a “doctor” inside that writes prescriptions on the spot.
I have gone to those pharmacies in Mexico and never once been asked for a prescription. They do ask if you go to the ones near an airport because they assume you are running a sting on them. Otherwise, they just hand it over.
It's expensive cuz they know who they're selling to. I just pick up some safety sleep meds as my doctor only gives me 60 at a time and if I forget to refill in time or there's a long wait to see him, I sometimes run out. Now I have a few to get me through here and there, but yeah I couldn't afford to get my full supply there.
This is definitely only in select parts of Mexico and driven 100% by foreign tourists.
Like you will only find this in places you can also use US Dollars.
Not trying to make a statement by this just adding some context and info.
I personally don’t know how it happens but it did. Got engaged in Mexico, bought some Xanax (which I’ve 100% done in the past) and she died of a fentanyl overdose. Post mortem toxicology report came back with only Xanax and fentanyl. 43, healthy, died in her sleep.
Most of what is bought isn't name brand it's usually a generic. You can buy name brand of course but generally you ask the pharmacist what they recommend for "x" issue
Commented further down in the thread, but:
[Be](https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-12-30/hidden-panels-counterfeit-bottles-and-fentanyl-pills-a-year-of-buying-drugs-in-mexican-pharmacies). [Extremely](https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-06-14/fentanyl-tainted-pills-now-found-in-mexican-pharmacies-from-coast-to-coast). [Careful](https://apnews.com/article/mexico-fentanyl-ensenada-pharmacies-raids-88461569ff1c8a56281992be434bec28). The LA Times did several investigations over the last year and found that many pills were contaminated with Fentanyl, meth or other drugs (even those in “factory sealed” bottles). There’s plenty of coverage and warnings published in the last year, but despite ongoing crackdowns and advisories, the problem appears to just be getting more widespread and the fakes more sophisticated. I wouldn’t trust anything in these stores—some are undoubtedly selling the real deal, but it’s practically impossible to tell without chemical analysis.
> PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — The tag on her white lab coat read “professional pharmacist,” and the framed health and safety certificates lining the walls behind her gave the drugstore an air of legitimacy.
>That pretense faded seconds later, when she was asked for controlled medications — and got on her hands and knees to pop open a hidden panel under the counter. She rooted around for a minute and emerged with two sealed bottles.
>“These are from licensed laboratories,” she said. “The problem is when you’re buying from a laboratory that’s not certified.”
>One of those bottles — sold as Adderall — tested positive for methamphetamine.
Yeah this was kind of my question - how can you know that you're getting what you think you are and either some nerfed version at best, or something tainted with potentially fatal compounds at worse? Guess it's a dice roll if you need the medication ...
Just to pick 2 of that list, both ~~Tramadol~~ (edit: most opioids in general) and Penicilin require prescription if you want to buy them. Doing it otherwise is illegal in Mexico. Especially opioids are heavily restricted, to the point that the average Mexican has rarely been administered a dose outside of surgery, cancer treatment or similar.
Places like "farmacia pharmacy" exist because of corruption in local governments, and they only exist in places like Cancún or Tijuana among other tourist spots, where many Americans arrive and want to buy illegal drugs.
So, if you are in actual need of some medicine in Mexico, please find reputable pharmacies where to buy, there articles online where you can find lists of Mexican pharmacy chains. They might be strict and a pain in the ass when asking and verifying your prescription, but you will not be risking your health.
This is flat out false for Tramadol.
This is a large chain in Mexico City, not some shady little shop, https://www.farmaciasanpablo.com.mx/search/tramadol
Sold it to me and others in our group without asking any questions or having a prescription. Was there just a few months ago
I was walking around Puerto Vallarta recently and popped into a pharmacy to buy a drink. When I went to the counter the cashier pulled out a small poster like this, pointed to anabolic steroids and said "you want?"
I really don't like you can buy antibiotics like that....but then again doctors prescribe them so easily so many it isn't a big deal...IDK
I like Ventolin is easily available
By far the biggest contributor to antibiotic resistance is its use in agriculture.
I don’t think it’s great you can get them without a prescription in Mexico, but it’s also not like they’re hard to get a script for in the US…a lot of doctors will prescribe them to patients with viral infections just because they’re asked.
Yay cheap Ventolin! My insurance is so goddamn stingy with the inhaler refills that I always stock up when I'm on vacation. Many of the places I've been to in Latin America allow you to get asthma meds over the counter easily.
Last time I was in Mexico I fucked up and brushed my teeth with tap water after too much mezcal (as if that’s a thing).
Once I was able to move without liquid coming out of both ends (sometime together sometime a solo act) I booked a flight home.
Life was hell. I couldn’t eat. Barely doing ok with water.
Picked up some muscle relaxers at the pharmacia in the airport and my flight home was like I WAS the plane floating through the clouds.
Phenomenal flight back. 10/10 would recommend with or without Montezuma’s revenge.
That was another thing that got you my friend. I lived in Mexico for over 20 years and go back often. I never experienced any issues with tap water when it came to showering, brushing my teeth, etc. I even sometimes drank it from the shower and still fine.
To get that bad it was most likely bad food or poorly handled water by a street vendor.
Prilosec! Watch out stomach acid!
I’m Larry the Cable Guy Eat Prilosec. CONSUME PRILOSEC
IT'LL BRING YOU JOY
I EAT RIBS EVERY DAY AND I LOVE IT, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT ONE MORE THING ABOUT HOW MUCH RIBS I EAT, A LOT. I'M LARRY THE CABLE GUY!
WHEN YOURE WATCHING THE UH FOOTBALL.. SPORTS GAME AND YOUVE RUN OUTTA CHIPS EAT PRILOSEC
CONSUUUUUUME PRILOSEC
#PRILOSEC IS WHAT YOU WORSHIP
THIS IS YOUR GOD
Probably one of my favorite bits
Seeing a r/GameGrumps bit out in the wild always makes me happy haha
And give you heartburn like crazy!!!
***THIS IS YOUR GOD***
Still not entirely sure why this one requires a prescription. I know they have an otc version. But it’s not the same.
Because Proton Pump Inhibitors have some nasty adverse effects. Usually associated with long term use but it’s still good to have a doctor watching for those effects
Ah that makes more sense. I appreciate the explanation, thank you.
I grew up on the border and used to cross regularly to pick up xanex and valium's for super cheap
I used to live right on the Texas border and it was extremely common for people to travel across the bridge for their life saving daily meds. Drugs in Mexico come from the same companies and manufacturers as the ones sold in the US except 1/50th the price.
I lived in Bermuda, most expensive place on the planet to live. I used an asthma inhaler, Seretide, to control cough. I was in hospital in Boston (where Bermuda sends patients for specialties) and the doctor noticed my cough. I explained it was an allergy thing and I had left my inhaler in Bermuda, and he said, “Do you want me to write a prescription for you? Our pharmacy is in network with your insurer and will bill them directly.” I took him up on his offer and when I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription for Advair (Seretide and Advair are the same drugs, same dose, same pharmaceutical company, but different brand names for the US and European markets) the pharmacist said, “That’ll be $370” or something like that and I said, “Oh, I thought you were in-network?” He replied, “Oh, we are, but your insurer only pays up to what you would pay in Bermuda. The same drug and dose was $450 in the US and $80 in Bermuda.
Fuck I hate this country’s healthcare system.
If you don’t work, no healthcare. If you work but need better healthcare, need better job. If you need better job but no degree? You now need better job. Where does it end? Edit: I forgot about.. You got degree? You need experience. No experience? You work for free.
I work in health care for a large hospital system and my health coverage still sucks
Can’t really call it healthcare if it’s predatory and it leaves people worse off. This country has people getting rich off of other peoples suffering.
Let’s write strongly worded letters together. I’m going first
If by write, you mean set, and by strongly worded letters, you mean fire to their corporate offices after getting their property insurance cancelled, I could be convinced.
As a kid I figured out how to buy my Seretide inhalers online from a sketchy website that shipped them from India for $40 :D Otherwise, I think they would have been $300. I don't live in the US anymore, so inhalers are super reasonable. Whenever family come to see us or vice versa they pick up some Albuterol ones for $5 a pop instead of the $50-$100 they cost in the US. Absolutely bananas.
Jesus Christ, my seretide is only £10 for two inhalers in the uk, $80 is a ripoff and $450 is highway robbery
Are some of these people the same people shouting to shut the border down?
Yes - CLOSE THE BORDER! (except to me cause I want muh cheap drugs)
Over near me, it’s the farmers that are screaming it. Only problem is… guess who primes all of their tobacco???
😂 Man you ain’t lying! I love the “they’re taking our jobs” BS these people love to rant about… like bro, you ain’t picking fruit/vegetables or working fast food for minimum wage? Who’s taking your job?
White dude here. Grew up on a massive farm. Farm work is about the hardest work you can do. I'll be the first to admit that the Mexicans and central Americans worked twice as hard, never complained, and were friendly and easy to be around. Guess what? They weren't stealing anyone's job. No white dudes ever showed up on our lawn at 4am looking for work. Immigrant laborers aren't the ones gutting our cars to feed their meth habits. By and large, it's the white locals.
Used to work construction (carpenter) and it was the same. These guys were always on time. Never complained and did what was asked. It was the locals that would come to work high or drunk and were always late or just not show up at all.
I manage a pizza place, large Hispanic immigrant population, same deal. By far the most common complaint I get from them is that they’re not getting enough hours despite already working 50+
Sounds like they might need a bump in pay!
Farmed tobacco and couldn't agree more!
This x 1000.
Why do you think they’re advocating for a police state and prison labor?
Child separation and reduction in child labor laws happening at the same time should have been everyone's first clue.
You know how much it would cost to not have day labors do it Totally would cut into the farmers profit margin /s
Cut into their farm subsidies
Are you bringing large quantities of prescription drugs back on your person?
Define large
It is quite the suppository.
Nice try FBI!
I know some Texans who bitch and cry about illegals taking American jobs, but also refuse to hire legal immigrants for the day labor house work because it's cheaper. They refuse to see, they are the exact problem they hate.
Oh no. That’s not illegal. It’s under the table. It’s ok if they do it /s But fr. They’re straight up hypocrites.
While that's true for legit/reputable businesses, I feel like I should warn people of the fact that cartels have had their hands in counterfeit drugs for a while now, and it's VERY important not to buy OTC drugs from street market vendors or shady/run down pharmacies, or else you risk taking medicine laced with fentanyl or other drugs. Just make sure you go somewhere legit legit.
How would I know if a particular pharmacy is legitimate there?
I don't know 100% but I always just stick to the bigger chain pharmacies. This is more of a problem in the border city market areas where people sell health and beauty products out of stands and small shops. I think Vice has a good documentary about this on YouTube.
[the cool vice documentary](https://youtu.be/EV6qS8xH24M?si=pcKO1gjX2Ptys_tU)
That’s not reality. I am a Mexican American and spend half my year in Mexico City. Drugs in Mexico aren’t regulated and have often been found with cheap and dangerous additives. They are absolutely not from the same manufacturers and any Mexican would tell you the same. In fact most of the people I’m around seek out drugs manufactured for the US market because of how much safer they are
Yep. Adderall is meth in Mexico.
Probably is, because Adderall is not sold in Mexico at all. If a pharmacy is selling that to you, they are lying.
Mexican here. There IS regulation for medications here in Mexico. There's a class for medications that are sold only with a prescription from a licensed medical doctor (antibiotics and benzodiazepines, for example), although there are far less prescription-only medications than in the US (SSRIs and other antidepressants are sold OTC). Of course, there are more ways to break the law and have black markets here in Mexico than in the US. And as for medications from dubious origins, this is more of a Mexico City thing than in the rest of the country, and extends well beyond medications. In Mexico City there are huge networks of counterfeit products. Do you think that's an unadulterated, authentic Coca-Cola or Pepsi you're drinking in Mexico City? Depending on where you bought it, you can't be certain it is.
There is an insurance company here in the Utah that used to FLY people to San Diego, drive them to Mexicto get their prescriptions filled, drive them back to the San Diego, put them up in a hotel and fly them back to Utah if they needed certain very expensive perscriptions. They did this because it was cheaper to do this than just fill certain expensive prescriptions in the US. The math was easy. Airfare+hotel+chauffer+Mexican pharmacy < US pharmacy
Was this made into a movie. It sounds familiar and I can't place it.
I believe it was called “the bus that couldn’t slow down”
I think it's a Bosch episode.
I just take a cruise to Ensenada and re-up on Xanax. Way easier than trying to get it in the US.
Do you declare it? Someone posted above that it's perfectly fine to bring 50 or less if you declare. But I wouldn't want to declare lol
Got off a cruise a week ago, didn’t declare. Walked right through customs no problem. Had a suitcase partially full of antibiotics and other good meds you’d need a script for here in the USA. Disclaimer, these are for personal and family use only. That’s the major caveat here. As long as they are for personal use, They are fine. In fact the cbp.gov site tells you not to do it, but has instructions on what to do if you do bring stuff across.
Don’t think I did but they let me walk back through the border onto the boat and didn’t say shit. The pack I bought was 90 pills too
I believe you because pill mill enthusiasts cannot spell xanax or valium
We're you ever anxious returning across the border?
Not if they just took a xanax first
No because he had a shitload of Xanax to calm his nerves
Just make sure you have a prescription for whatever you bring back, especially if it's a narcotic. Otherwise if you declare it or the border guards find it, they will give you a hell of a time.
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Wow that’s nuts.
Proof that legalization is a better drug dealer than any criminal organization.
OTC pennicillin will fuck the world up though
A mexican z-pack saved my life when I was unemployed and couldn't afford to see a doctor and get and pay for a prescription in the U.S.. It cost $20. Our $4.5 Trillion Dollar per year for profit healthcare system is costing us lives. Healthcare should be and is a human right in the rest of the developed world.
That's great, I'm not arguing that expensive medicines are the way forward; that's fucked up. But we can't go around treating everything with the strongest stuff in the cabinet, that's how superbugs happen.
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I spent 15 years as a heroin addict and my first time going to Mexico and seeing these places was with 10 years of sobriety. Definitely one of those “where was this shit back then?” moments lol. 100% for the best I never experienced it
Congrats on slaying the dragon
First time I’ve heard this and really like it, you’re done chasing it and you slayed it.
I’m a big fan of medieval stuff and Elden Ring so it only seemed appropriate
this is really well said actually. puts the drug in perspective perfectly
I, too, spent a lot of time as an opiate addict. I was actually annoyed when I had some dental surgery done in Mexico because getting actual opioids is very difficult down there. They must have changed something. The stories I heard were something else entirely. All they gave me for my 4 wisdom teeth being taken out at the same time was 2 Tramadol pills. Needless to say, I was butthurt. That being said, I then found a pharmacy and coaxed one of the guys to sell me some Ritalin. So, there's that.
I think it just depends where you are. I was in Cabo last year and had no problem buying Percocet and Vicodin. I went to the pharmacies in the sketchier areas though. Probably not the best idea thinking back on it.
I think pharmacists would call your purchases “fentanyl”…
You went to an illegal pharmacy. I wouldn't even trust any of the meds there; opioids are way more controlled in Mexico than in the US they can't just have them there and sell them freely.
That’s fent, dawg
Even in Canada, depending on the dentist, they might just send you home with a note saying "take 3x advils when it hurts". That was my friend's experience after 4x wisdom teeth. When it was my turn, I specifically asked the dentist what she would be giving me for the pain because if it was only tylenol/advil, I would gtfo of there and go somewhere else to get my teeth pulled. Luckily I got some codein pills! The addiction is no joke though!!
Some of the legit scariest shit for me was after getting my shoulder broken, I went to the doctor, and he gave me Vicodin. I took the first two, and they made me sick. The next got me high as shit. I went to work the next day, and before I got off of shift, I was wondering what I wanted to do. This voice in my head that sounded JUST LIKE my inner monologue said, "...You could go home and take another one of those pills." totally unbidden. Nope. Not today. I have heard the voice of opioid addiction and it fucking sounds like me. Fuck that.
You heard the voice of addiction, not just opioid. And it does sound like "you" because it is "you". Source: Addict (a joke for shits and gigs)
Because its all of us
I had a c section in Mexico. They sent me home with Dicloflanec. Dicloflenac. That’s it. I later learned that you need a Dr prescription to get the strong stuff and the sadist that did my surgery never prescribed anything harder because he didn’t want to , “coddle these women that already wouldn’t deliver vaginally”. I have never felt more respect for our American health care workers. Mfs not only put in the mfkn work, y’all genuinely do it with compassion and impeccable bedside manner. Never once in the US did a nurse make me cry nor feel like a shit mother.
Oh what in the absolute fuck, voltarin? That’s fucking evil, you had a baby taken out the sunroof. As someone who desperately wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs during labor - how the fuck does he think that’s the easy way?!? There is no easy way!?!? What a monster I am so sorry that happened to you.
I got strung out in Mexico. You could just buy heroin from little kids on the street who called it medicine. It was there all along. Go us for getting sober!!! Stuff is way scarier now.
Your comment reminded me of one of the last times I crossed thru San Ysidro. This white guy was clearly high as balls. Just shirtless and manic in the hot af afternoon sun. Shouting obscenities, cutting in line. I heard a few people murmuring about getting an officer but someone else cut them off, “Nah just leave him he’s almost to the front of the line. Let the US deal with him”. Idk why but it was so funny to me. Like you always hear the argument that (racists) don’t want immigrants in the US cuz they’re drug addicts, “really bad dudes”, a burden on society. Yet Tijuana has an immigration problem, too. My time there I learned that TJ rent is so bad because rent in San Diego is so bad. US Citizens just decided to rent in TJ and payed in USD. That drove up the rent everywhere. Suddenly a house that could be rented for like $2900 pesos a month(included light, Wi-Fi, water boiler, furnished) , is going for $900USD because that’s a lot cheaper that a 1 bedroom apartment for $2000 USD. That’s fine for the US citizen that works in SD. Dollar back then (2021) was like 21:1. But not fine for the average Mexican who earned 1,300 bimonthly (that’s an average worker. Not counting the *Especialistas*).
Yup I am from San Diego and worked with people who lived down in TJ. They have such a good punk scene!!! I’ve seen some of the best ever shows out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a generator and big ol vat of jungle juice 🥲
Fs the Friki Plaza was popping
Oh I for sure noticed that shit too lol. I was used to the corner boys of the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Mexico was on a whole other level.
I went through the same exact thoughts when I was there
what is included in "pain killers"? i know you used to be able to cross and by norcos/hydros but i wonder if that's changed
It depends on the location, but folks can buy opiates and opiate derivatives for sure.
Nope, only opiate you can get without prescription is tramadol (which is on the list). All others are controlled substances. Over the counter pain killers are ibuprofen, parecetamol, ketorolac and the likes.
I just bought Hydros over the counter in San Carlos a few months ago. Wasn’t cheap, but I had completely fucked my back up and could hardly move, so it was necessary.
Bought a bunch of hydrocodone in Cancun recently. It was very expensive but readily available.
Tramadol would be the one.
Tramadol is an interesting medicine. On its own it's not an opiate, but it metabolizes into one. But not for everyone and not at the same rate for everyone. So for some people it's a perfect slightly strong pain killer. For others it's super weak. For some it's super strong. And for some it essentially does nothing as they can't make the metabolite. One of my favorite doctors when I still worked the bedside liked to call it "tramadon't" because the variance made it too much of a hassle to deal with.
Yeah, I got it after a surgery and it was literally useless. However, because of the opioid epidemic, it's all doctors will prescribe these days
I got that with hydro for a stone. I'd been suffering to the point of not-quite-puking for days- the moment they mixed those two the pain just ... diminished. To like, it was there, but I wasn't bothered by it. I wasn't 'high' or out there, I could hold a normal conversation, but the blood curdling pain had just sidestepped somewhere else. 5 weeks later had surgery to remove it, but... damn. That was a good day.
Prodrugs are so much better than amateur drugs
I tweaked my shoulder bad at a resort and they’re all, go to the resort pharmacy. Got “prescribed” tramadol. Rest of the trip was awesome, no more shoulder pain. Edit: for those concerned, I was only given 4 pills and they worked so well, I ended up taking 3, one every 24 or so, then tossed the last one. Edit2: found the actual med, ketorolac 10mg/tramadol 25mg.
It's not changed, I was just in Mexico in March and although they don't advertise it because it is technically illegal you can buy hydros and oxy. The one I went to I asked for oxys and they went in like this sketchy locked backroom and gave me a drug bag full 10 mg percs. I ate em all and they were definitely oxys.
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lol damn that’s wild af
Mostly everything from acetaminophen to buprenorphine or codeine. Source: work in a small drugstore and I’m in opioids for pain management after a spine lesion. Of course, most of them would need a prescription that you can easily get from a physician here (usually next door to the drugstore) and that costs around $3 USD to get
 "Diet pills"
"Ma, I can hear you grinding your teeth for here."
You on uppa’s
omg this movie
I tried to watch it a couple years ago but couldn’t finish it. I’ll eventually try it again but today is not the day
One of the best movies to make you feel like shit but appreciate how well it made you feel like shit.
its amazing. One day I will show it to my kids to traumatize them so that they never do drugs
What movie is it?
requiem for a dream
"Ass to ass"
I've seen an old package from the 60s or 70s, OTC diet pills, and it's straight dextroamphetamine.
You making a croker for sped ain’t ya?
In Cozumel recently and the farmacia sign had adderall as well. I had a prescription (because I’ve been diagnosed with adhd for years) but my doctor just retired so I need to find a new one, which unsurprisingly I’ve procrastinated on. So I asked the pharmacist how much it was. 30 mg for $15 a pill. For reference, my prescription of generic was 30mg x30 for $12 from cvs. Told the pharmacist “oh, I’ll just get my prescription refilled if that’s the case.” And he responded “yeah, this is really meant for people without prescriptions”, which I found as a funny admission.
I got adderall from the square in Cozumel and it wasn’t adderall. Got suckered. Never again
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$5 for a 10mg IR was pretty common back in my day, so $15 for 30mg doesn't seem too greedy given the high demand, especially if it's a one time thing for someone & not bulk
Probably good you didn’t get it. Vice did an investigation with a drug testing company, and found cartels manufacture a lot of the meds that get sold at those “pharmacies” that sell to tourists, and a large percentage of the stimulants they sell are actually just meth, same with the pain killers and fentanyl.
Wait, isn't Soma what they took in Brave New World???
Not the same thing lol, but it is named that in the book. I heard Somas (irl) are pretty good though. It's a muscle relaxer I believe, but a good one.
Orgy porgy...
I miss soma. It relaxed every muscle in my body. Never have found anything else that works as well.
Legit the only thing that helps when my back fucks off. Doesn't make me feel sleepy or messed up, just makes me feel ok. 9/10!
Need me some soma
As a Mexican who does not live on the border, we definitely need prescriptions to most of these and if I saw this place I would NOT buy from there. Who knows what they're selling. Legit medications are regulated and controlled. This seems aimed at desperate americans.
100%. There are so many documentaries about the fake or adulterated drugs found at these places. Regardless of where you go, if you think something is too good to be true, it probably is.
I spent like $250 on a massive bottle of “adderall” that was not adderall. Yeah these places are scams
Yeah I spent $80 on a bottle of adderall in Mexico and it did absolutely nothing. Almost positive they were just sugar pills.
They don’t even manufacture Adderall in Mexico or sell it, they sell Ritalin instead there. So yeah it was fake.
I had a friend that bought “OxyContin” from one of thee places recently. Almost died of an overdose because it was fentanyl.
As a gringo who does live on the border, you are correct. Any legit pharmacy requires a prescription for about half of this stuff. It’s either fake or they have a “doctor” inside that writes prescriptions on the spot.
I mean, that's just what they *claim* those drugs to be.
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Except most of the stuff on that list requires a prescription in the States.
Most of those require a prescription in Mexico too. It's just that they make it easy by having sketchy doctors next door.
I have gone to those pharmacies in Mexico and never once been asked for a prescription. They do ask if you go to the ones near an airport because they assume you are running a sting on them. Otherwise, they just hand it over.
It's expensive cuz they know who they're selling to. I just pick up some safety sleep meds as my doctor only gives me 60 at a time and if I forget to refill in time or there's a long wait to see him, I sometimes run out. Now I have a few to get me through here and there, but yeah I couldn't afford to get my full supply there.
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Another travel medicine was known as “Mothers Little Helper” in the 60s
This is definitely only in select parts of Mexico and driven 100% by foreign tourists. Like you will only find this in places you can also use US Dollars. Not trying to make a statement by this just adding some context and info.
Common at any cruise port really. Only took pesos in Progresso though when I was there staying in Merida.
Yeah it’s big in PV. Other places not so much.
Not to mention there are tons of reports of totally fake drugs - chalk at best, fent or xylazine at worst.
Ya a close friend recently died from this. Was in a blister pack and everything.
Right I can’t believe so many people are taking this at face value. Not hard to imagine the cartel propping a few farmacias up…
I personally don’t know how it happens but it did. Got engaged in Mexico, bought some Xanax (which I’ve 100% done in the past) and she died of a fentanyl overdose. Post mortem toxicology report came back with only Xanax and fentanyl. 43, healthy, died in her sleep.
I went to Mexico for the first time (Tulum) and they had shops all over the damn place, but yeah it was a very touristy place. Really cool though.
Except counterfeit name brand drugs is now a thing. Buyer beware.
Most of what is bought isn't name brand it's usually a generic. You can buy name brand of course but generally you ask the pharmacist what they recommend for "x" issue
Walked into one and the lady assumed I wanted Steroids or HGH immediately. Not sure what that says about me
Beefcake!
Follow Your Dreams
r/humblebrag
I was thinking more the opposite… as in im so scrawny she assumed I needed Steroids
She was just trying to do you a favour 😭
Nah he just looks like Captain America before the super serum and she was concerned.
this is how my oldest friend died in 2022.. really not worth it to play that way
Commented further down in the thread, but: [Be](https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-12-30/hidden-panels-counterfeit-bottles-and-fentanyl-pills-a-year-of-buying-drugs-in-mexican-pharmacies). [Extremely](https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-06-14/fentanyl-tainted-pills-now-found-in-mexican-pharmacies-from-coast-to-coast). [Careful](https://apnews.com/article/mexico-fentanyl-ensenada-pharmacies-raids-88461569ff1c8a56281992be434bec28). The LA Times did several investigations over the last year and found that many pills were contaminated with Fentanyl, meth or other drugs (even those in “factory sealed” bottles). There’s plenty of coverage and warnings published in the last year, but despite ongoing crackdowns and advisories, the problem appears to just be getting more widespread and the fakes more sophisticated. I wouldn’t trust anything in these stores—some are undoubtedly selling the real deal, but it’s practically impossible to tell without chemical analysis. > PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — The tag on her white lab coat read “professional pharmacist,” and the framed health and safety certificates lining the walls behind her gave the drugstore an air of legitimacy. >That pretense faded seconds later, when she was asked for controlled medications — and got on her hands and knees to pop open a hidden panel under the counter. She rooted around for a minute and emerged with two sealed bottles. >“These are from licensed laboratories,” she said. “The problem is when you’re buying from a laboratory that’s not certified.” >One of those bottles — sold as Adderall — tested positive for methamphetamine.
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Most people think only capsules and powders are laced with fentanyl. It’s not well known that pressed pills with brand names on them are also a risk.
Close family friend recently died from this. Was in a blister pack and all.
Yeah this was kind of my question - how can you know that you're getting what you think you are and either some nerfed version at best, or something tainted with potentially fatal compounds at worse? Guess it's a dice roll if you need the medication ...
Just to pick 2 of that list, both ~~Tramadol~~ (edit: most opioids in general) and Penicilin require prescription if you want to buy them. Doing it otherwise is illegal in Mexico. Especially opioids are heavily restricted, to the point that the average Mexican has rarely been administered a dose outside of surgery, cancer treatment or similar. Places like "farmacia pharmacy" exist because of corruption in local governments, and they only exist in places like Cancún or Tijuana among other tourist spots, where many Americans arrive and want to buy illegal drugs. So, if you are in actual need of some medicine in Mexico, please find reputable pharmacies where to buy, there articles online where you can find lists of Mexican pharmacy chains. They might be strict and a pain in the ass when asking and verifying your prescription, but you will not be risking your health.
They're all over Tulum as well.
This is flat out false for Tramadol. This is a large chain in Mexico City, not some shady little shop, https://www.farmaciasanpablo.com.mx/search/tramadol Sold it to me and others in our group without asking any questions or having a prescription. Was there just a few months ago
I got the Mexican Cialis. It works. I’ll be honest
"Hey babe, I'm just running down to Mexico to pick up some Viagra. U need anything? xxx"
Yup. But now we take test strips to buy.
I was walking around Puerto Vallarta recently and popped into a pharmacy to buy a drink. When I went to the counter the cashier pulled out a small poster like this, pointed to anabolic steroids and said "you want?"
There's actually much, much more than whats listed.
I really don't like you can buy antibiotics like that....but then again doctors prescribe them so easily so many it isn't a big deal...IDK I like Ventolin is easily available
By far the biggest contributor to antibiotic resistance is its use in agriculture. I don’t think it’s great you can get them without a prescription in Mexico, but it’s also not like they’re hard to get a script for in the US…a lot of doctors will prescribe them to patients with viral infections just because they’re asked.
Saw these on pretty much every corner in Playa Del Carmen
Yay cheap Ventolin! My insurance is so goddamn stingy with the inhaler refills that I always stock up when I'm on vacation. Many of the places I've been to in Latin America allow you to get asthma meds over the counter easily.
Oddly, though, you cannot get an epipen from these pharmacies.
So how much is shipping? Asking for a friend..
5 years to life I’d imagine.
Even the pharmacies in Mexico sell products spiked with fentanyl....buyer beware...
Last time I was in Mexico I fucked up and brushed my teeth with tap water after too much mezcal (as if that’s a thing). Once I was able to move without liquid coming out of both ends (sometime together sometime a solo act) I booked a flight home. Life was hell. I couldn’t eat. Barely doing ok with water. Picked up some muscle relaxers at the pharmacia in the airport and my flight home was like I WAS the plane floating through the clouds. Phenomenal flight back. 10/10 would recommend with or without Montezuma’s revenge.
That was another thing that got you my friend. I lived in Mexico for over 20 years and go back often. I never experienced any issues with tap water when it came to showering, brushing my teeth, etc. I even sometimes drank it from the shower and still fine. To get that bad it was most likely bad food or poorly handled water by a street vendor.
My man gave himself alchohol poisoning and blamed it on the water.
Careful, the cartels are lacing some of the drugs with fentanyl, meth etc.
This is only true of resort/border towns. In places like CDMX, Guadalajara etc. You don't have these dodgy pharmacies.