Pharmaceuticals

Border-area pharmacies have multiplied like bunnies on Pergonal, supplying a mostly U.S. clientele. Where once there were drugstores every few blocks, now you'll find streets in the heavily populated tourist areas with a "farmacia" on each corner and another midblock.

Snowbirds finance week-long south-of-the-border vacations just by stocking up on regular medications. From youth-in-a-tube Renova and Retin-A to antibiotics, fertility drugs, ulcer, heart and high-blood-pressure medications, 98% of the most prescribed drugs in America cost 30% to 40% less in Mexico.

Since the United States funds most of the research-and-development costs for the rest of the world, Baja shoppers benefit - on both name brands and generics. Not only are most drugs available on an over-the-counter basis, but pharmacists have a great deal more authority in Mexico. If you feel like you're coming down with the flu on your weekend away, just visit your friendly pharmacist and you can get a shot in the butt, right in the back room.

How good can pharmaceutical savings be? A 60-gram tube of Renova, which costs about $70 in L.A. and $80 in San Diego (after a visit to a cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist for a prescription), is available under the brand name Stevia in Mexico for less than $14. And it's exactly the same formula.

Popular birth-control and estrogen-therapy prescription Premarin is about $25 for a month's supply at San Diego discount drugstore chains; the identical box is sold over the counter in Baja for about $14. Ativan, the second-most-prescribed US anti-anxiety drug, recently was increased to about 80 cents per pill stateside; border-area price: 27 cents per pill.

It can be easy to buy over-the-counter in Mexico, but don't think you can bring enough medications over the border to start your own pharmacy. Here's the letter of the law: Mexican law does require a prescription - from a Mexican physician - for painkillers, tranquilizers and many diet pills. Antibiotics, antidepressants, heart medication, birth control pills and some other classifications do not require a prescription for purchase. However, you are required to declare imported medications before re-entering the United States, and if the drug requires a prescription here, you will be asked to produce a prescription (in your name) from a US or Mexican doctor. The US allows you to import foreign medications for personal use, generally defined as a 90-day supply.

Insider tips
Prices vary in the border area, according to what the tourist vs. the local market will bear. Try a pharmacy a block or two from the main drag, and you might get a price break of a buck or two per item. Don't stray too far off the beaten path, though, or you may not find English-speaking personnel.

Best city to shop
Reputable pharmacies are literally everywhere in Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada. Those closest to the main tourist centers are most knowledgeable about what visitors are looking for and stock up on those items.

Prices in Mexico will vary with fluctuations in the peso. All prices on bargainable items quoted above are after bargaining. The law of supply and demand does apply in the border area. As tourists' tastes change, inventory will vary at shops that cross-sell or feature items from different categories. Specialty or one-of-a-kind items mentioned above may not always be available.

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