Prescriptions needed?

[colleen]

We made our Similares run today for their 25% discount. (it's not been available for the last 2 weeks) Now they won't sell tetracyline w/o a prescription. It had never been a problem and now they say that a prescription is needed since August 5. Does anyone know more about this? Is it only Similares? Are there other drugs that are no longer available? I think this is just an anti-biotic and they have been freely available. Well, now we are going back for the 2nd drug run of the day for more of my husband's drugs. We'll see if there are more that are on the list. Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks

[Heather]

We made our Similares run today for their 25% discount. (it's not been available for the last 2 weeks) Now they won't sell tetracyline w/o a prescription. It had never been a problem and now they say that a prescription is needed since August 5. Does anyone know more about this? Is it only Similares? Are there other drugs that are no longer available? I think this is just an anti-biotic and they have been freely available. Well, now we are going back for the 2nd drug run of the day for more of my husband's drugs. We'll see if there are more that are on the list. Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks

Was in the Correo a couple of times last week that throughout Mexico antibiotics are now prescription only, which really is a very good thing considering that unrestricted use of antibiotics is a real worldwide health problem.

[colleen]

Gracias, Heather

We just went back for more of what Sven needs, and it's a whole lot stronger than the antibiotics. This time there was a different woman there and she explained and gave me a Dr. Simi paper. Let me guess that Dr. Simi's helper (the two dollar doctor, as we call him/her) will give us a RX.

For anyone who might not know, there is a 25% discount off the already low prices btwn 11-1 and 5-7 on Monday. I have seen ads on TV about Thursday also and saw once that they seemed to be offering the same deal. You can only buy 500 pesos at each store during each time. We make a run about every 6 weeks. Can't use the INAPAM card but don't need to.

[DavidR]

We made our Similares run today for their 25% discount. (it's not been available for the last 2 weeks) Now they won't sell tetracyline w/o a prescription. It had never been a problem and now they say that a prescription is needed since August 5. Does anyone know more about this? Is it only Similares? Are there other drugs that are no longer available? I think this is just an anti-biotic and they have been freely available. Well, now we are going back for the 2nd drug run of the day for more of my husband's drugs. We'll see if there are more that are on the list. Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks

Was in the Correo a couple of times last week that throughout Mexico antibiotics are now prescription only, which really is a very good thing considering that unrestricted use of antibiotics is a real worldwide health problem.

I believe that restricting the availability of antibiotics (A/B's) is a very good move as the unrestricted use of this class of drugs has lead to the rise of drug resistant forms of bacteria that are now killing people world wide - this situation is exacerbated by the lack of new, safe A/B's being developed. In our countries of origin there are strict guidelines as to when A/B's can be used thus preventing prescribing for the common cold and other viral diseases which are not susceptible to A/B management.
Whilst studying recently one of my fellow students had a bacterial chest infection for which his house mother "prescribed" an A/B that she used for urinary tact infections. Needles to say his problem persisted until he went to a doctor and received the correct treatment. The Mexican government has done the right thing - let's just hope that pharmacies and doctors heed the call.

[soledad]

We have been reading here back in the states that Mexico was in process of changing the rules on prescriptions. Concern was the OTC sale of antibiotics and emergence of drug resistant superbugs.

[kasugie]

Here's a link to an article about Mexico's new restrictions on purchases of antibiotics, where you now need a doctor's prescription. I thought it only applied to pharmacies along la frontera, but evidently some chains like Farmacias Similares may be applying it across-the-board.

http://www.yumasun.com/news/rule-63503-m...otics.html

[doncoulter]

It's federal law and applies throughout the country. Most of the local pharmacies are displaying signs announcing the new restrictions and appear to be enforcing them. Whether this will last is anyone's guess, but for now everyone seems to be taking the law seriously.

Don