Hi All, I am planning on moving to the North Coast in October. I was wondering about the availability of prescription drugs? Specifically, I take 200 mg of Zoloft a day. If I bring my pill bottle & label from the US, can I get refills or would I need to see a doctor in the DR? Thanks in advance
- Thread starter A.P.Colorado
- Start date
Availability of prescription drugs?
My wife and I asked the pharmacist the same question about a couple meds we take and whether a prescription or doctor's note would be necessary. She just leaned in and said No, you just tell me what you need and I'll take care of it. Seemed routine for her. We checked one more thing off our list.
You will have no trouble acquiring the majority of what are considered COMMON prescription medications in the United States, such as the Zoloft you mention, without a doctor's prescription. However the consistency, quality and authenticity of those medications could be an issue. Unfortunately it is not as simple as availability alone.
True. A few years ago when "the little blue pill used for endurance" was selling at $2-3 dollars a pill I asked a friend of mine in the DR how did he keep up with all 3 ladies per night he was entertaining. Oh, he said I just take those blue pills before they come over. I said wow, how do you afford that. Easy he said , here in the DR they are very cheap they are only 25 cents each. You can buy as little or as many you want. Oh! the power of a placebo!
right
but by checking where they're made, you can reduce your risks
Some of the generics have been counterfeited, but if you stick with the original, you'll be fine. Most reputable farmacias(CarolRx for example)only buy from trusted suppliers to avoid fakes. Even generics in farmacias like CarolRx are good. If you buy your drugs from a small farmacia in the barrios, you're taking chances.
CarolRx..... best in the country and I find the prices are fair
Buying at Sosua Carol is cheaper than anywhere in Cabrera......IMO or IME....xperience
Buying at Sosua Carol is cheaper than anywhere in Cabrera......IMO or IME....xperience
Not a placebo, but a generic version. Most are made by well-established laboratories with impressive quality control standards. That's not to say there isn't clandestine labs producing medications - there are, and are frequently shut down.
But the big guys here have been around a long time and won't be getting shut down any time soon.
One thing about CarolRX: I've found in the past some of them do not give discounts which is an extremely common practice with all pharmacies here.
Most of them will give it to you (and even tell you how much it is) without asking, but I've found CarolRX locations who don't.
The unspoken rule is 10% for cash, 5% for CC.
Any time you buy in a pharmacy you should be asking for the discount.
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Anyone paying 25 cents is definitely getting a placebo. Most farmacias sell them for 50-60 pesos and who knows what the actual potency is(?).
You made me remember Lindsay de Feliz. She took meds for hypertension. She found one of those
Farmacias Del Pueblo/government pharmacies with much better prices for her drug, and happily bought a month’s supply. She wasn’t feeling well a week or two later, and took her blood pressure (she had her own monitor, for herself and the whole barrio came to her to check theirs too), and her BP was through the roof. She’d been taking fake drug. Went back on the original farmacia’s meds and BP returned to normal. It can be deadly to try to save money on drugs.
Since Lindsay told me that story, I’ve brought all our meds from USA.
I once got a 50 peso discount because their credit card machine was broken and I had to pay cash.
There you go!
You should always get the price first, then ask how much it is with your discount. They'll either tell you a lower price, or they already applied it, or they don't offer discounts.
If it's the third option, you know it's time to look for another pharmacy.
Prescription only for the good stuff. They are a non starter without a script.
The only meds I buy here in the 🇩🇴 are right now meds for acute conditions. All my medications for chronic (a type of medical condition not the well known plant) I have shipped in from my country of origin.