I need my anti-baby pills for cheap, please

January 12, 2012 10:57 AM

Interested in ordering birth control pills from Canada to the US. Is this a good idea? If so, how do you do it?

I recently renewed my prescription for the pill (Yasmin/Ocella) from a local Planned Parenthood. I've been on it for 4 years without problems, but am currently without insurance. No PP locations in my region carry either Yasmin or Ocella. I checked a few Canadian prescription sites, and they are about 1/3 the cost from Target or Walmart for generic (roughly 3 packs for $55, instead of 1).

I have never done this before. What do you do? I have a paper prescription from PP. How do I transfer it? Can they be shipped directly to your home? Are there any hidden fees to be cautious about? Would this ever put me in a legal bind? What are some reputable sites?

posted by anonymous to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

I just did this with Nuvaring from birthcontrolbuzz.com because my insurance copay for brand name birth control is practically the full retail cost, so it was actually cheaper not to buy it through my insurance. Totally legit. They either ask your prescribing doctor to fax a copy of the Rx or you can send them a copy of your original. They verify it, and your payment is not processed until they do and they personally called me to confirm my order and shipping address, so they're not some shady operation. Be aware that packaging may vary slightly since they may change some minor details like colors for the Canadian market, but you will get the real brand name med you order.
posted by slow graffiti at 11:12 AM on January 12, 2012

(You might also check the Costco pharmacy if you have one near you. You do not need a Costco membership to use their pharmacy, and I've had good luck getting a certain lady-product prescription filled there in the past for much less $$.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:43 AM on January 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

You can usually mail or fax your prescription to the Canadian pharmacies and you DO need to watch out for shipping costs. Make sure you use a trusted one; other AskMe threads have included some suggestions for places.

Looking at the Costco website their mail-order fulfillment for Yasmin is worse than what you have access to, though you might try the store itself to see if the price is better. Like BlahLaLa I had good luck with them (though for generic prozac) and their already-low 30 day prices went even lower for 3 month supplies, though that was for counted pills. I'd bet that packaged stuff gets less of a multi-month discount.
posted by phearlez at 1:50 PM on January 12, 2012

I used Planet Drugs Direct successfully several years ago for birth control & depression meds. I either faxed or scanned and e-mailed them my prescription. Don't remember shipping costs but they were upfront about everything. They have Yasmin for about $20/month.
posted by jabes at 2:32 PM on January 12, 2012

Ask PP if they can recommend a Canadian pharmacy. They might help, might not. I've been directed to a reputable pharmacy by a (non-PP) clinic and it worked out great for a one-time prescription.

I also back up BlahLaLa and advise you to shop around if you're going in the U.S. I have found Walgreens to be the most expensive of any pharmacy, and both Costco and Sam's club pharmacies are open to the public, at least in my state. If you call and ask you can get a price over the phone.
posted by Bunglegirl at 2:39 PM on January 12, 2012