Preparation Can Help the Trip Go Much More Smoothly
So you have heard that you can save some money by purchasing medications in Nogales, Mexico and are planning a trip south of the border to refill some prescriptions. Before you drive to the border and cross through the turnstiles to enter Mexico, there are some things you may want to do first, to make sure that your Nogales, Mexico pharmacy experience is a positive one.
Check with your doctor
Let he or she know that you plan to purchase medication in Mexico, and request a hardcopy prescription. If there is some reason your physician does not recommend purchasing certain types of medications south of the border, heed his or her advice.
Locate a package insert for the medication
Get a package insert from your medication to take with you to Mexico. It is the piece of thin paper that has been folded in squares 32 times and has tiny words that provide information about your medication. If you cannot find the insert, ask your local pharmacist to provide one for you.
Some of the information contained in the insert can be quite handy as you shop for medication in Nogales, like the generic and other brand names for the medicine, the formulation, and other details about the drug. Take the insert with you to Nogales as a reference, to make sure that you are getting the same medication and dosage.
Do your homework – Check the price and availability
If you come to Nogales with the sole intention of purchasing discount medication, if you do not do some research first you may end up finding that the medication you had planned to buy is either not available or costs more that you would have paid in the United States.
In checking prices for people who request the information, we have often found that they would end up paying more in Mexico for that medication than they would if they purchased it in the U.S. with their prescription drug plan.
To get pricing information, you can either contact a pharmacy listed on one of our pharmacy pages (many of them have Arizona phone numbers), or check our medicine price surveys. And if you do not see the medication listed, fill out the medication price request form and we will let you know if it is available for sale in Nogales, and at what current price.
Another important thing to do is to make sure that the medication is even available for purchase in Mexico. There are many prescription medications that are not yet on the market south of the border because of licensing or patent controls, or they have simply not yet been approved by Cofepris, the Mexican federal authority similar to the FDA in the U.S.
Stay in the Nogales Tourism District
There are lots of great pharmacies within the Nogales tourism district, which extends from the Morley pedestrian crossing west two blocks past the DeConcini Port of Entry to Avenida Obregon, and south for three or four blocks.
And you will be in a tourism area where not only will you be able to visit a number of pharmacies, but you can enjoy a Mexican meal, browse curios and other unique products, or just stroll and enjoy the ambiance of Mexico.
If you have any questions or would like to share information about your personal experiences, please contact us.
And enjoy your trip to Nogales!