CH sufferer with no health insurance and reside within driving distance to Mexico. 

Five yrs ago, I took a drive south and parked my car on the USA side of our nation's border, walked across into Mexico to a pharmacy, paid cash without prescription for my Prednisone, Verapamil and Imitrex, walked back across the border, presented my driving license at US Customs, got in my car and drove 5 hours back home. 

Times have changed in the past 5 yrs at the USA/Mexico border....for those of you who are knowledgeable on this subject, is a US Passport presently required to re-enter the USA or will a state issued driving license be sufficient?

Also, is there a limit on quantity of medications brought back from Mexico into USA?  Certainly would love to stockpile, but don't want US Customs to question distribution

So take some of your OLD script bottles with you... transfer the NEW stuff to the bottles before you cross the border.

Me, I'd drive across, stay a few hours. Take the med bottles in a case with a note from the doc that says "Vegas takes XXX for CH and carries medication for this disease."

I've carried tons of meds across borders in countries that were VERY strick and searched everything. I used to carry DHE with syringes and all. I've been all over the world with this stuff and never got more than a raised eyebrow and a shake of the head.

Good luck :-*

We have to have passports to get into canada and mexico now.  I have mine because we are wanting to take a cruise that leaves seattle and arrives in Vancouver BC.  It is an alaskan cruise.  Unfortunetly the kids are tapping us dry right now and we can not afford to take the cruise because we are choosing to help our children out.  The rest of your questions I can not answer. 

ok, so question #1 passport IS required.  Thanks.
anybody with answer to question

#2...limitation on quantity of meds being brought back to USA?  Just don't want to purchase a bunch of meds and have US Customs accuse me of distribution, when it is truly just a personal use stockpile of 6 months of meds.

Is it even legal to bring any meds back purchased in Mexico? Like BarbD suggested, I'd only carry back containers that originated in the US with prescription dosage typed on them etc.

yes it is legal providing it is a legal drug in the USA. 

i.e. you can legally bring back Prednisone, Verapamil and Imitrex which are all legal medications in the USA, however you can not bring anabolic steroids and/or other drugs which are not illegal in the USA even though they are legal in Mexico.  Make sense?

i'm just questioning the QUANTITY of legal drugs to bring across back into USA

I am assuming that your prescribed  Prednisone, Verapamil, and Imitrex are all in pill form and that you have the prescription bottles from your local pharmacy.  If in any other form, then I don't know what to tell you.

If so, do what Barb said, take down empty script bottles, buy your meds in the same quantity as printed on those bottles, dump the Mex meds into those bottles, and come home with them.  I did this when I flew to Mexico on a vacation, and brought back both Imitrex and Meloxicam (Mobic) with no problem.

If you are looking to bring back a much larger quantity than what you were prescribed per bottle, I don't think it would be wise.

Sandy

going down for a regular prescription amount such as 30 or 60 pills of each med and a dozen trex injectables just isn't worth the drive and hassle.  I have no insurance, so there is no prescribing doctor nor previous empty bottles.  Based on 30 yrs of CH's I finally know what works for me and wanted to stock up on a cycle or two of meds, but don't want to be stopped at US Customs thinking i'm a dealer with intent to distribute and they take away all my meds.  Guess when the time comes that I decide to take the drive (with US Passport) then I will decide quantities, etc.  Thanks for the input

Contact US Customs and ask.  You don't have to identify yourself, and you will (probably) get the right info.

Jerry

Callico, great idea!!!  Thanks for your input :)

Quote:

You don't have to identify yourself,

They'll know who you are. They know who EVERYBODY is.

Take Joe with you.

         Potter

Or maybe you can mail it to yourself and not go through customs at all? Just a thought.

International mail is subject to Customs inspections as well.

I know whereof I speak - I lost a box of Cuban cigars that way. And they were coming from Panama.

Brew wrote on Jan 29^th, 2010 at 7:31pm:

International mail is subject to Customs inspections as well. I know whereof I speak - I lost a box of Cuban cigars that way. And they were coming from Panama.

You expected Cuban cigars to get past Panamanian postal employees!? Those babies were lit up before they got near Customs.

Kirk wrote on Jan 29^th, 2010 at 8:15pm:

Brew wrote on Jan 29th, 2010 at 7:31pm: International mail is subject to Customs inspections as well. I know whereof I speak - I lost a box of Cuban cigars that way. And they were coming from Panama. You expected Cuban cigars to get past Panamanian postal employees!? Those babies were lit up before they got near Customs.

They did. Every time. When Customs got ahold of them, they roughhoused their way through them then sent them on to me. Unsmokable.

last time i was in el paso i was sitting around a truck stop listening to the cb and a guy was taking a van load of drivers across the border at $20 a person. other drivers had done it and never mentioned a passport. just an i.d. 

What you need:
START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

and drugs:
START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Bob P wrote on Jan 30^th, 2010 at 6:45am:

What you need: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE and drugs: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

"Thus, in virtually all instances, individual citizens are prohibited from importing prescription drugs into the United States."

That says all you need to read.

Be sure to have a perscription with you, it is not the US customs to really worry about the most it is the Mexican customs. If they catch you with the drugs and no script even though you purchased them over thecounter there it could still be iligal and they will through you in prison not jail. I watched a 60 Minutes show a few years ago about an elderly man that could not afford his medication here so he went to Mexico to get his valium and the Mexican customs found it and he did not have a perscription for it and they tossed him in prison and he was like in his 80’s and the show aired five years after this happened and he was still in prison donw there so be very, very careful you don’t want saving a few bucks to wind up being the worse thing you have ever done.