Prescription Meds: Who will write Rx?

[pwilliams]

Trying to plan ahead for our medical kit. Our personal MD won't write a generic persciption for us to fill our medical kit with some of the controlled medicines.

Any ideas on where to turn for this? Can we order stuff from Canada over the internet without prescriptions? Or do we just wait till we get to Mexico to fill our medicine chest?

Thanks

[Lancerbye]

Not much prescription drugs available without prescriptions in Canada. In general a lot of stuff available in the US is not even available here. However pot is readily available all over the place. lol

[sarafina]

We have very complete emergency medical, burn and surgical kits at home and on the boat.

Most of the supplies I purchased from Vet supplies.

Some from the pharmacy.

Some my Dr wrote script for.

I always fill every prescription for every refill and cycle them oldest to newest.

I have a good supply of pain meds from prescriptions that were not used up completely.

I have military medical manuals in each kit. They are very comprehensive.

In the absence of medical aide I am in good shape to deal with most non life threatening injuries and superficial wounds, and illnesses.

So long as you can stop bleeding, prevent dehydration and support your patient thru the shock you stand a pretty good chance of saving them.

[Doodles]

Sounds like you need to find a more sympathetic doctor. I'd try your local health department (they often have travel specialist on staff) and explain to them where you are going and why you need the drugs. We were able to get a healthy supply of malaria medication like that, but I'm not sure it will work with controlled pain killers which I imagine is what you are looking for. I also found some useful information here ....Medical Kits

As noted in the link, you might use the argument that what you need is "required" for New Zealand, Australian and UK boats going offshore.

[tallyhorob]

Check out this place Seaside Marine International Drug Company, Inc.
was told about it in a Seven Seas U class

[lorenzo b]

If you are concerned, take an EMT course, you don't really need drugs as much as you need knowledge in a medical emergency. What you will learn will prove helpful wherever you are.

[atoll]

last year on a delivery from hawaii to australia,was suprised that usa pharmacists would not supply saline solution over the counter!as for iv use.

most 2nd and 3rd world pharmacies are only too happy to help and drugs are1/4 of the price.

[AnchorageGuy]

If you need specific medication, your doctor will give you those. We have found in the past that if we were going to Mexico or other countries south, we waited until we arrived there and got our antibiotics, etc. at any Pharmacia with no prescription needed. You will need one for any medication containing any kind of narcotics. But even non-narcotic pain pills can be bought without a prescription. Others might tell you these are lower quality or counterfeit drugs, but we never found that to be the case if we bought from the local well known Pharmacia. And the biggest plus was that it is a fraction of the cost found in the US. We have been doing this for many years. Chuck

[LakeSuperior]

If you have a dentist that's a friend he can precribe some of the medications you may want.

[Pblais]

If you are concerned, take an EMT course, you don't really need drugs as much as you need knowledge in a medical emergency.

Injuries would be the most common situation and those can be life threatening. As noted it isn't so much a perscription issue. Many drug situations can be stablized for a period long enough to get advanced medical help. Dealing with breathing, bleeding, burns, and broken bones are the things all boats need to be able to handle. Best if the whole crew has some training as well since the best trained person may be the injured person.

Having a full medical history for each crew members is important since they may be unconscious and have conditions that might require alternative treatments. A large supply of prescription drugs may not be the right tool if someone has an allergic reaction. Most people can handle most drugs but you need more assurance than that before they can be administered.

The Red Cross has a host of courses that work up through EMT training levels. Those techniques could all be the real life saving perscription. Completion of the standard First Aid course should be part of all crew members education just the same as boat handling skills. The knowledge even if not needed helps crew maintain control under adverse conditions. The ability to know what to do makes all the efforts more effective.

[GordMay]

pwilliams:
With which particular medicines are you concerned?

[hoppy]

Maybe you could try at some specialised travellers medical clinic, the sort of place you would go to get immunised for exotic diseases that your local GP may have never had even heard of.

They are probably more understanding about the need to be medically independant.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Pblais

Injuries would be the most common situation and those can be life threatening. As noted it isn't so much a perscription issue. Many drug situations can be stablized for a period long enough to get advanced medical help. Dealing with breathing, bleeding, burns, and broken bones are the things all boats need to be able to handle. Best if the whole crew has some training as well since the best trained person may be the injured person.

Having a full medical history for each crew members is important since they may be unconscious and have conditions that might require alternative treatments. A large supply of prescription drugs may not be the right tool if someone has an allergic reaction. Most people can handle most drugs but you need more assurance than that before they can be administered.

The Red Cross has a host of courses that work up through EMT training levels. Those techniques could all be the real life saving perscription. Completion of the standard First Aid course should be part of all crew members education just the same as boat handling skills. The knowledge even if not needed helps crew maintain control under adverse conditions. The ability to know what to do makes all the efforts more effective.

You are suggesting first aid classes for the OP and that prescription drugs are maybe not the right tool. In many cases you are correct.

That said, the OP was just trying to find a way to get the right prescriptions he needed for his medical. As far as we know the OP may have already had the EMT classes and that is why he is looking for the medications.

If injuries are the number one risk then take a compound fracture occuring 10 days from landfall for example. I would want some prescription strength pain medications and antibiotics in my medical kit for this injury. The right infection alone could kill the crewmember in a hurry. I don't even want to imagine enduring 10 days of pain with the ever present boat motion without pain killers.

[pteron]

Originally Posted by Doodles

As noted in the link, you might use the argument that what you need is "required" for New Zealand, Australian and UK boats going offshore.

Certainly not the case in the UK, you can sail an old tub off with no equipment whatsoever if you're so inclined.

Coded vessels do, however, require muchos kitos.

[barnakiel]

We took what we needed along with prescriptions and then we walked into doctors anywhere and they prescribed whatever we needed along the way.

b.