Mexican Pharmacies

Mexican Pharmacies are so different from their counterparts in the United States and Canada that they deserve a detailed explanation for those who have not experienced them yet.

Pharmacies in Mexico are much more faithful to the concept of personal freedom and choice than their counterparts farther North. They don't treat their customers like infants or idiots. Need insulin or B-12 or penicillin and a syringe to give yourself a shot? No problem. Need something to slow down your system, speed it up, make you sleep, keep you awake, cure a hangover or enhance your sex life? No problem. It is up to the customer to read the warnings and labels and decide whether or not he or she is a candidate for the dosage or treatment. A sizable percentage of drugs and other treatments that in the U.S. require a needless and costly trip to the doctor can be purchased over the counter in Mexico.

The pharmacies in Acapulco are much like those all over Mexico. Do not, however, confuse Mexican pharmacies with the organized pill-pushing industry that operates along the border with the US. There you can buy almost anything, especially drugs that can be abused, like Valium, Zanex, and Rohypnol (aka "date rape drug"). In Tijuana, you might even be stopped on the street by someone asking, "hey amigo, you looking for a prescription?" This is not the case in Acapulco, nor is it the case elsewhere once you get away from the US border.

Another great aspect of Mexican pharmacies is that many of the most expensive drugs in the US can be purchased for much less in Mexico. In the US, brand-name drugs are price-controlled. In Mexico, competition affects how pharmacies charge for them. Generic drugs are widely available in Mexico, and they are usually inexpensive. Not all pharmacies handle all possible prescription-level drugs. If you go to a popular pharmacy chain (like "Similares" or "Ahorro") and do not find what you are looking for, it may be on sale at the pharmacies in the larger stores, like Wal-Mart, Aurrerá, Soriana, Comercial Mexicana, or Sam's Club. The individual pharmacies often have better prices, but they do not always have everything you might be looking for.