Online pharmacies - is it legal to buy prescription meds online?

You need a licence to import prescription medicines. You buying online is importing them to the likes of the Customs people.

From what I have read, its not a problem with VAT, they just don't want you importing stuff.
 
Smashbox said:
You need a licence to import prescription medicines. You buying online is importing them to the likes of the Customs people.

From what I have read, its not a problem with VAT, they just don't want you importing stuff.
Click to expand...

Cheers for that Smashbox. He will be relieved and can enjoy his weekend pints. I didnt think he would realistically be in any trouble (apart from losing the shipment!), but just wanted a second opinion.
 
Hi Northdrum

That happened to me with Tobacco i ordered from Spain. They said it was illegal to receive any form of tobacco through the post in Ireland. Yet a week later customs sent me a letter saying if i paid them €114 extra they would send me on the tobacco!? I let them keep it, never heard from them again.

Buy the way was the reshipment of sleeping tables confiscated by customs as well or did it get through?
 
I purchase asthma preventative drug online each month from a UK chemist without a bother. I have a prescription. The drugs refund threshold is now 90 permonth. It costs €82 here and £41 includ P&P) sterling - same manufacturer and content, same colour box but a slightly different name. Sure whats in a name!! Not sure if I can claim on my taxes for the UK purchase.
 

Do you mind if I ask which UK pharmacist you use? Did they have any difficulty with using an irish prescription? Have you had any queries from Customs or Irish Medicines Board blocking of parcels?
 
assetchemist.co.uk is the name. I was asked if I had a prescription on one occasion but not after. No enquiries recived from authorities. Packages open by comeone though and not closed fully but goods okay.
 
Does this need an NHS prescription (as per chemistdirect website), or can an Irish prescription be used?

Nicola
 
NicolaM said:
Does this need an NHS prescription (as per chemistdirect website), or can an Irish prescription be used?
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It says that you need an NHS prescription OR a private prescription. I don't know if they accept Irish private prescriptions.
 
I've emailed them to ask re the situation with Irish private prescriptions. I'll post back when they respond. Nicola
 
Update...

This is the reply I've received from chemistdirect: so I guess that's a no, then.

Dear Nicola

Thank you for your enquiry, unfortunately we only accept prescriptions from a GMC registered GP's. You may need to enquire if your GP is GMC registered.

I hope this helps

Kind Regards

Heather.

ChemistDirect

Customer Service Advisor
 
Beware of buying certain items that are on offer from chemistdirect.co.uk .... toiletries, over the counter medicine like paracetamol, pain killers, cosmetics... .... they are mostly about to expire items with in a month or two and they wont give the expiry date on the website... I had to send chemistdirect a strong mail to get refund on few items.... so make sure to know the expiry date before u order... waste of shipping charges...
 
Re: Update...

I continue to get my asthma medicene from asset chemist. no other comes near in price and I am not on commission!! When I purchased for the first time last year, I stated that I had a prescription and gave my doctor's name and address. My prescription is Irish. I think the Competition Authority got it right becasue we are paying way over the odds for medicene here.
 
Hi,
I got generic viagra from a company called Indianmeds .
The customs confiscated them and I am waiting for a reply from the drugs enforcement agency.This is the first time perhaps it had no customs declaration .

Regards,
Atkin.
 
I recently got Ibuprofen NSAID's from cemistdirect, and they were incredibly cheap.
The expiary dates (just checked now!) are not a problem. Got 148 tablets for about 3€ plus shipping! Dont need a prescription in UK for low dosage tablets, but do here.
 
I also use www.chemistdirect.co.uk and they are great for own brand tablets and also baby products such as baby nurofen (much cheaper) My husband also gets his blades here which again are much cheaper. Buy every couple of months when I have a large order to justify the 7.95 postage.
 
Online Pharmacies


Well, I'm writing this four years after the quoted message, so I don't know how much things have changed. And I'll add that I don't know how strictly some laws are enforced.

The thing about online pharmacies, however, is that there are a number of Canadian pharmacies online and they're quite legitimate. This is because of the ban in the US on reimported drugs, which Obama didn't attempt to lift, so Canadian Pharmacies do a thriving business with US customers. US customs could crack down on it, but they don't seem to bother. Many of those Canadian pharmacies will ship overseas as well and the savings, even with shipping charges included, can be remarkable. The reason for this is because many drugs in Ireland are not yet available in generic form, whereas in Canada, they often are.

Irish law does not apply to Canadian pharmacies - and in Canada, it is not against the law. As for the legitimacy of the company, well, I suspect most of them are legit, but one has to follow one's intuition. If they have a street address and phone numbers, can be reached by phone, and have certain standards in requirements for faxed or emailed prescriptions, I doubt if there's much to worry about.

The online pharmacies I'd distrust are the Spanish ones. I'd be very careful of those. I was delighted to see the list of German pharmacies that have been rated - that's encouraging.

As for being in possession of online supplied drugs, if you actually have a legit prescription for those drugs, I find it hard to imagine that the Irish govt. will prosecute over the technicality of how drugs were received.

In most countries, including and even especially this one, there are a range of draconian laws on the books that are not enforced. Governments always keep these tyrannical options open to themselves. In the US, federal laws are so convoluted, the chances are that 90% of the adult population has broken one or more here or there in their lives without realizing it. It's remarkable who can be prosecuted under RICO laws, for instance, just as here it's shocking who can be picked up and detained under emergency legislation - I mean, for instance, vandals (!!) for God's sake!

Anyone who lives near the border or knows someone regularly travelling back and forth between the republic and NI should get prescriptions filled in NI, really. And request generics, where possible.
 
Terry 5135 - Can you recommend some of the online Canadian pharmacies that are legitimate?
 

wow I feel a lot more confident now that they are registered pharmacies in Germany. I wanted to buy diflucan which is €8 to purchase but you have to buy it on prescription which means a visit to the doctor at a cost of €60!!! shocking, I think I feel ok now that Im not going to die of poisoning...
 
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