Is it possible to get a prescription transferred from the USA to the DR?

Trainman33

Bronze
Dec 11, 2009
1,146
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48
If I bring the prescription itself with my doctor's information, will the pharmacy be able to fill it? My other option is to bring a 30 day supply with me, I have an open ended trip up to 30 days. I don't want to overstay the tourist visa.
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
3,512
413
83
If your insurance pays, get it in the u.s.

You don't mention what the med is, it may or may not be avail here.
If it's not a strictly controlled drug (morphine, etc) and is available here, your u.s. prescription should suffice if the pharmacist can read it.
If it's not a strictly controlled drug (morphine, etc) and is available here, you probably can buy it without any prescription, just walk in and ask for it.

Note there's a good chance what you'll find here will be a generic, from some Mexican or Chinese lab. Also be aware it's likely to go by a name you don't recognize and appear different. Making sure you get what you want can be a little challenging. (glucovance, a brand name, may be clormin-g here for example). It helps if you know the active ingredients and mg of each to compare... And it may be in a dosage size you're not used to taking (850mg instead of 500mg)

I'm not trying to make it sound complicated, but these are things you could run into and best you be prepared if the med is critical to you. Plus, language can be a barrier.

One approach, bring your meds from u.s. Then look for it here and take some more home with you if price is better.
 
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cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
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I agree with ^^^CFA^^^.

Get the generic name of the drug so you won't be confuzzled.

You won't see many big drug company names here like Glaxo, Pfizer, Smith-Kline, etc. Too expensive. Most drugs come from companies in C/SA or Israel you never heard of.

There are few drugs you can't get here, most just by asking. There are farmacia's everywhere and they network: if one doesn't have something, they will find who does.
 

mountainannie

Platinum
Dec 11, 2003
16,350
1,358
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elizabetheames.blogspot.com
If I bring the prescription itself with my doctor's information, will the pharmacy be able to fill it? My other option is to bring a 30 day supply with me, I have an open ended trip up to 30 days. I don't want to overstay the tourist visa.[/Q

There is really no problem in overstaying the tourist visa. You just pay a fine when you leave. Do not make that your reason for not staying on here!
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
your medicine is sold here under the name of wellbutrin 150mg. i am not sure about a current price but it should be somewhere around 1500 pesos per box of 30. made by glaxosmithkline. available over the counter.
your prescriptions will not be valid in DR if you think about paying for medicine with insurance or getting prescription only medicine.
they will be valid for reference, however, if they have a name of the substance (and not a commercial brand name) that can be recognized by a dominican pharmacist.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
If it is not on the controlled substance list, you can buy the medication here without a prescription. All you need is the name of the medicine.

Not all farmacias stock all the medications. If the one you check with doesn't have it, either ask where to get it (I have had farmacias call others in area to see who had it), or go to a larger farmacia.

Many, maybe all, have a book that lists medications and their equivalents. The owner of the Sosua farmacia on main street has referred to that book a couple of times for meds I needed. I have also used google to get the Spanish name of an equivalent. Usually very similar, just a couple of letters that were different.

If you buy a medication here and want to get reimbursement from your insurance company, ask the farmacia to give you a hand written receipt for the medication, using the name used in your new country. I do that all the time in the DR and also did it when in Venezuela.
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
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Ken is correct ,,I am in the east and buy all my medicines without any prescription ,,pills for blood pressure, antibiotics, Atarax to help sleep , anti inflammatories ..and the cost is about the same as in UK or in Australia with a prescription and health card