Job Discussion Forums

[kruegs4]

Iam moving to CR with my girlfriend in early August and she was wondering where she can purcase birth control/pills/ring ect? Will she have to get a prescription from a doctor or can she buy these things over the counter? Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[woodersn]

Not sure exactly - but in my brief time in CR, it seems the farmacias offer most things without a prescription (or more correctly, farmacias have a doctor who is usually willing to offer you one on the spot). This is what was told to me by a local guide.

I'll now glady give the floor to someone more experienced than myself. *bow*


Brandon

[Musica]

I live in CR and have been able to aquire medication that would normally require a prescription in Canada, simply over-the-counter at the farmacia . If you don't speak spanish, the pharmacist will hand you a pen and paper to write down what you would like. Even better, bring along the bottle, box, or packet.

[doreenp]

Luckily i'm past the point of needing it! However i wouldn't be surprised if you could buy it over the counter. I did hear however it is expensive and that is one of the reasons that there are so many growing families in CR. When you're a tica and only making 2 - 3 bucks an hour , 20 bucks a month is expensive.
On one other point regarding the wonderful world of female anatomy..... if you prefer tampons to pads...bring a years supply! They are extremely expensive and not much variety !

good luck
dee

[Fatcat]

Can you have prescriptions mailed to you? If so, is it more expensive than sending any other kind of package; do they check what you're sending? and how much can you ship at a time?

[doreenp]

I highly doubt you'd be able to have prescriptions mailed to you. I worked for Canada Post and you were not allowed to put any medicines in packages crossing any borders. The customs would view it as shipping "drugs" and anybody could have any kind of drugs, legal or not, pressed into pills and put in a prescription bottle.

I had my dr. write me a prescription for my meds for two years, I filled it all in one go and brought it all with me.

As for mailing regular parcels. There is no way to trace things from the States or Canada so if you don't want to take a chance, I would ship UPS. They have offices in Heredia. Maybe they have different ideas about shipping medicines for you?

D.

[still trying]

I lived in C.R. for 6 years and I wouldn't recommend shipping meds or really anything else for that matter. I once was sent a package of things for my birthday. Long story short..The package was held at the aduana and I had to get special permission from the Ministry of Health connected to the Aduana and pay the taxes, which amounted to about $100 U.S. The special permission was needed for sample packets of shampoo, conditioner, and skin lotion. Needless to say I now receive nothing but e-mail greetings for my birthday which suits me just fine. I would hazard a guess that something similar would happen with a prescription. As other posters have said, if you know the name of what you want you can ask for it at any pharmacy and barring that have your free appointment with the on-staff doctor and he/she will write the prescription. I usually used the one on the corner of Avenida Segunda and Calle 3 or 5. It was accessible and reasonably priced.

[C]

You can get most medications without prior perscription at any pharmacy. Birth control pills are about $5, the shot $10, the patch $20. If you need to see a doctor for something the appointment usually doesn�t cost more than $20.

It�s true that the mailing system here is not always reliable. I personally have not had many problems with it. Recieving packages to an American p.o. box system such as JetBox is where it gets expensive and there can be many delays. Don�t count on your mail getting to your home address in any good condition either. I have a p.o. box at the Correo Central and haven�t had to pay any fines or taxes on any packages that I have received there from the US including electronics and medications. Most of the Correos (post offices) have p.o. boxes available and I think they are the safest and most reliable way to send and recieve regular mail here.

[tesolitis]

Correo Central San Jos�
what is the location + address of this place - for "lista de correo" too
pls

[tesolitis]

what about these products listed here

http://www.drugstorebestbuys.com/cialis.htm

http://www.drugstorebestbuys.com/generic/generic.htm

What is their cost in CR

[C]

tesolitis,

Correo Central or Correo Nacional is located on Calle 2 and Avenida 1 and 3 in San Jos� Centro. It's a big green building, very well-known, you can't miss it. As I wrote before, just about all the correos have p.o. box systems, you just have to ask. The phone book lists the numbers of the correos. There's also a website for Correos de Costa Rica. I haven't looked at it much but the addresses seem accurate enough. You may want to call to get an exact address if you are unsure of the location.
http://www.correos.go.cr/contactenos.php

As for those other products I don't know much about them since I am a young woman. You can call any pharmacy or go there and ask about them. I think someone else mentioned bringing in the bottle or package to show the pharmacist. Fischel is a well-known store chain here but their prices are usually a little more expensive. Their website showed Viagra $10-$40 depending on dosage/number of pills; Cialis $12-$50 depending on dosage/number of pills. https://www.fischel.co.cr/Default.asp?Usu=Anonimo OR https://www.fischel.co.cr/
I also found a website for Farmacia Sucre that looks helpful if you are not in the country. http://www.edenia.com/medical/sucre/Default.htm

I want to mention that the medications and electronics and things that I have recieved at my p.o. box were in personal packages and not commercial packages directly from a company which may be why I've never had any problems with taxes and customs. Only with the American address p.o. box courier systems have I had delays and expenses.

Hope that helps.

[tesolitis]

C

thanks, I thougt the general subject warranted the extension, better than starting its own.