False Pharma

This appeared in the Toronto Star today. I'm thinking we're probably all right, especially if we use the hated blister packs.

https://torontostarreplica.pressreader.com/article/281921662478174

Mike, thanks for posting that.  I wish they had named names (of the pharmacies).  

I hear expats brag about paying far far less for drugs they buy at no-name farmacias, sometimes purported to be similares.  A few have said their pharmas will sell them a few loose pills, rather than a pack of them.  Hope these discount pills are the real deal ingredient-wise.  Even if they aren't fentanyl or another poison, if they are sugar pills, these customers are not getting the medications they need.

Despite the sometimes higher cost, I will stick with Farmacia Guadalajara.  Not saying they are beyond reproach, but they do follow protocols such as requiring a scrip for meds that need one in Mexico.  The Toronto Star story made it clear that the stores where they bought fake pills did not ask for scrips.

I use Farmacia Guadalajara and for one prescription I buy from Claudia at her discount pharmacy next to the satellite place in San Antonio and that one comes in the hated blister pack. She’s honest and the name of her store escapes me at the moment. Have dealt with her for years.

I'm so glad I don't have to regularly take meds for any health conditions. Of course, I have occasionally had to take antibiotics, and I do keep paracetomol and ibuprophen around, as well as anti-hystamine in case of stings.

Years ago when I saw a neurologist for a terrible sciatica I had, he gave me some prescriptions. He told me that it was fine to substitute generics for brand-name, but not to buy at Farmacias Similares. He didn't warn me about fake, dangerous drugs, just said their products are inferior and may not have any or enough of the active ingredient in them to be effective.

In the last few years, about 100 new farmacias have appeared in Sayulita- there's often 2 right next to each other (like Oxos) and you can't go a block without there being a farmacia. They are far more ubiquitous than taco stands. Word is, they are all owned by the cartels and are money-laundering operations.

It doesn't help that so-called pharmacists in Mexico are anything but. They are simply salespeople in white coats. I know that in Canada, pharmacists go through years of study and are usually far more knowledgable about medications than the doctors who prescribe them.

But if somewhere along the line dangerous street drugs are being packaged in brand name, sealed  bottles, and they are able to infiltrate the supply chain so these tainted and fake medications end up in reputable pharmacies, that's super scary.

I listened to a radio show on CBC many years ago about the "War on Drugs". One man they interviewed was a Dutch doctor who said that in Holland, there are labs where kids or anyone can come in with their drugs and have them tested for free. So a teenager can walk in with some ecstasy they bought, without any judgement or fear of questioning or prosecution, the drug will be tested and returned to them with a factual report- it may say this is pure MDMA, or it may say it has been laced with this drug and that drug, with warnings that it could kill you or make you incredibly sick or addicted. So a kid who just wants to take some ecstasy isn't going to consume it if it isn't the real thing and will put the word out to all their friends not to buy ecstasy or anything else from that dealer.

The doctor said something to the effect of "Look, we know people are going to do drugs, so placing moral judgement on it isn't going to help. We just don't want our kids or anyone to die."