Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anyone else on earth. No wonder people are always looking for a way to save money on the medicines they need. But trying to combine two money-saving strategies might backfire. An irate reader trying to save money by ordering inexpensive generic drugs from an online Canadian pharmacy was sorely disappointed.
Generic Drugs Are No Cheaper in Canada:
Q. Canadian online pharmacies charge ridiculously high prices for generic medicine compared to the U.S. Metformin 500 mg tablets, for example, can be bought here for about two US cents each. They are charging more than 10 times that price.
A. You are right that generic drugs are often more expensive in Canada. According to PharmacyChecker.com, 500 mg metformin from a Canadian online drugstore costs between 20 and 50 cents a pill. The cutthroat competition on generic drug prices in the U.S. usually makes such medicines much cheaper here.
Saving Money by Buying from Canadian Drugstores:
Brand name drugs, on the other hand, are frequently much less expensive in Canada. People who buy medicine from an online Canadian pharmacy to save money should be very careful to verify the pharmacy is actually in Canada, however. Some unscrupulous operators have taken advantage of the good reputation these online drugstores enjoy. They may pretend to be Canadian although they are located elsewhere in the world and not subject to Canadian regulation.
How Readers Save Money on Meds in Canada:
Nancy in Richmond Hill, Georgia, reports:
“I buy my Xarelto [rivaroxaban, a blood thinner] from a Canadian pharmacy and get 84 pills for $200.00. When I first got on this drug and went to a Kroger pharmacy, the price was $555.00 for 30 pills. later I found some drug stores had it for $460.00 for 30 pills. I still could not afford it.”
Ann Marie in Cleveland has problems with generic Synthroid (levothyroxine):
“I have been buying Synthroid from Canada for years and get a brand name. I cannot take the generic version.”
Diane in Raleigh, NC, has a lot of experience:
“I am glad that People’s Pharmacy has become more open to Canadian pharmacies. I have been ordering one of my prescriptions from Canada for at least 10 years. It is the same product from the same company that I would buy in the States, but I save about 2/3 of the cost.”
Ruth notes that that there are pitfall in trying to find a legitimate Canadian pharmacy:
“I’ve been researching Canadian pharmacies for my husband’s meds and it’s impossible to find one that is actually in Canada and not a fake. There does not seem to be a website or listing that specifically states ‘yes we are in Canada.’ I would quite cheerfully buy them that way as I am tired of being ripped off by US drug companies, but it’s too expensive to find out you were ripped off by an Indian drug company!
“I have knowingly bought drugs from India, some pharmaceutical and some herbal, and the quality is always questionable. And the spam mail afterwards is horrendous!”
We discuss the ins and outs of Canadian online pharmacies and how to determine which are legitimate in our updated Guide to Saving Money on Medicines. This online resource is available at PeoplesPharmacy.com. When you buy this guide, you will be emailed a link just for you that allows you to read it whenever you wish, as many times as you like, on any device that you have connected to the internet. We hope you find this resource helpful.
Share your own experience in the comment section below.
