No one likes the price of medications in North America. The reason why they’re so expensive is due to a host of very complicated issues that we are really not willing to discuss here, though there is one practical one that does merit mention.
Medications have to be imported, as most of them are manufactured overseas. There really isn’t an option to move this manufacturing to local facilities, as there’s just no infrastructure for it other than where this manufacturing already occurs. Also, and a global economy, doing so would actually be less constructive in the long run, even if it were possible.
Anything imported like this, especially were absolute care and control must be exercised in order to protect the safety of everyone, is going to escalate in price. There’s nothing they can be done about this, and even if there could be, trust me, you wouldn’t actually wanted to happen. You want this control, even if it incurs a higher cost.
So, if the various “competitive” prices between pharmacies in your area aren’t reducing the price enough, what else can you do? You can search for medications online, and this could potentially save you money into very big ways.
Generics
Generic medications are one of the first things that you’ll find suggested when you search for medications on the Internet. Most sites, even the ones simply intended to identify and explain various medications, will be quick to point out generic alternatives to brand-name medications.
Of course, pharmaceutical companies will try to sell you the brand-name first, as they would with any other product. However, these generic medications are identical in all but name and maybe some minor cosmetic differences in the pills or tablets themselves. With exceptions, the dosages will be identical, and the potencies and properties of them are guaranteed to be indistinguishable.
You can save upwards of 30% or more on a lot of medications simply by going with the generic alternative.
Canadian Pharmacies
Canadian pharmacies can actually offer the medications somewhat cheaper as well. Due to various complications we, again, will discuss here, the face value price of medications is lower in the nation of Canada. It’s not actually that much deeper for Canadian citizens, but since as an American, you’re not part of their tax system, you can legitimately save quite a bundle.
The price will escalate a little bit, as importing these medications will probably result in taxes and customs fees, but in the long run, combined with generic alternatives, you might deal to literally halve the price of your medications in many instances.
Is this legal?
Honestly, as long as what you are purchasing is FDA-approved, and is coming from an entity licensed and certified to sell the product, and is within a nation that’s part of a trade agreement with the United States, yes, you can buy your medications from anywhere. Controlled substances may be tricky, but exceptions are known to be made with this as well.
But, is this safe?
Yes, if you’re buying these medications from a source, online or otherwise, that meets the above requirements, you are every bit as safe as you are when purchasing them off the shelves of a drugstore or over-the-counter from a pharmacy. In fact, right now, this is even safer, because you’re not going out in exposing yourself to an environment experiencing a pandemic!
