Mailing pills via An Post

marcjacobs

Not sure if this is the right forum but it is the closest I could find to the topic. I'm Canadian and recently moved to Ireland. I have a prescription for birth control pills in Canada and I am about to run out of pills at the end of the month. My mother was going to mail me the box which includes 28 pills inside their packaging with a prescription sticker on the front of the box. Would anybody foresee any issues that might arise from doing this?

Paulw

Possibly the illegal importation of controlled substances? Can you not get your perscription filled in Ireland? Or have an Irish doctor get you something similar.

Thoie

A friend used get some of her tablets sent from France when she moved here first, but there was always the risk of them being confiscated (and her receiving a fine for illegal imports). Ask your Canadian doctor to give you the generic name, or a breakdown of the active ingredients, and an Irish GP should be able to give you a prescription for the Irish equivalent.

The other thing to remember with birth control tablets is that you're supposed to have your blood pressure etc taken regularly while on them - if you're getting them from Canada, no-one is monitoring that.

Cabaal

Just get them in Ireland in fairness, makes more sense in the long term

dudara

I think (not 100% sure) that if the pills are spotted coming in, that they will be confiscated.

You're better off getting a prescription here.

Pythia

You might as well just go to an Irish doctor. It's not til the end of the month and you'll have to do it anyway even if she sends over this set.

honerbright

I moved from NZ to Ireland 2 years ago and I asked the FPC about sending pills over here but they said it wasn't allowed/they'd get confiscated because they couldnt guarentee who was getting them at the other end and also customs couldn't guarentee the pills were what the packaging said or some such along with the fact they would'nt be able to treat me (check ups) etc. So I ended up going to the FPC here.. Just give them the name of the pill you're on and they can give you either the same one/something with the same ingrediants

IrishTonyO

It is illegal to import prescription medication through the mail in Ireland. I used to but then they started getting stopped by customs and the details are then passed on to the Irish Medicines Board, who get in touch with you asking where you got the pills and telling you not to do it again.

calex71

IrishTonyO wrote: »

It is illegal to import prescription medication through the mail in Ireland.

This is very true, however I was of the view that once you had a prescription to cover it it was ok. I'm probably very wrong in holding that view though.

Legal or not , customs will likely get hold of it and the hassle involved with trying to get it back form them + any cost's they will most likely try and charge make it not worth the effort I think.

Paulw

calex71 wrote: »

This is very true, however I was of the view that once you had a prescription to cover it it was ok. I'm probably very wrong in holding that view though.

I believe your view is wrong. You would need an import license to import controlled substances (drugs of any nature).

Aside from which, customs will confiscate any drugs sent via post and also have the power to follow the matter up at a later stage (fines/prison).

calex71

Paulw wrote: »

I believe your view is wrong. You would need an import license to import controlled substances (drugs of any nature).

Aside from which, customs will confiscate any drugs sent via post and also have the power to follow the matter up at a later stage (fines/prison).

Yes, suspected as much as I said myself. While I would be in favour of being able to buy from where ever if you had a script, there is just too much risk involved regards being sure what you are getting buying online as well as the legal risk involved.

Anyway the OP should pop into a GP here and explain the problem and they will definitely be able to help her out, albeit for a price

Edit: You could actually pop into a pharmacy for some free advice 1st, many are happy to advise you but I am sure they will not honour a non irish script and a gp visit will be inevitable.

marcjacobs

Thanks for all the information, glad I asked before telling her to go ahead and mail it. One last thing, I have my prescription from my canadian doctor with me, will this work at a pharmacy? Obviously they might have to call my doctor or something. Or will I have to go see an Irish doctor for a new prescription? Just thinking of the cost involved with seeing a doctor here...

calex71

marcjacobs wrote: »

Thanks for all the information, glad I asked before telling her to go ahead and mail it. One last thing, I have my prescription from my canadian doctor with me, will this work at a pharmacy? Obviously they might have to call my doctor or something. Or will I have to go see an Irish doctor for a new prescription? Just thinking of the cost involved with seeing a doctor here...

It cost nothing to ask in the pharmacy

Paulw

You will have to see an Irish doctor. It's unlikely that the pharmacy will recognise the credentials of your Canadian doctor. The perscription would not be valid for Ireland.

P. Breathnach

marcjacobs wrote: »

Thanks for all the information, glad I asked before telling her to go ahead and mail it. One last thing, I have my prescription from my canadian doctor with me, will this work at a pharmacy? Obviously they might have to call my doctor or something. Or will I have to go see an Irish doctor for a new prescription? Just thinking of the cost involved with seeing a doctor here...

I'd imagine that is a professional judgement for a pharmacist to make. If the pills are fairly routine and unlikely to have any tricky side effects or to offer any scope for abuse, your Canadian prescription might be accepted.

Your first call is to the pharmacy.

[Or you could drop the matter and practise abstinence.]

honerbright

P. Breathnach wrote: »

[Or you could drop the matter and practise abstinence.]

The OP might be on the pill for medical or personal reasons that have nothing to do with protecting against pregnancy

P. Breathnach

honerbright wrote: »

The OP might be on the pill for medical or personal reasons that have nothing to do with protecting against pregnancy

I'm not going to get into an argument about a joke.

Faith

marcjacobs wrote: »

Thanks for all the information, glad I asked before telling her to go ahead and mail it. One last thing, I have my prescription from my canadian doctor with me, will this work at a pharmacy? Obviously they might have to call my doctor or something. Or will I have to go see an Irish doctor for a new prescription? Just thinking of the cost involved with seeing a doctor here...

I'm pretty sure you can't use a prescription from outside the country. My dad is a GP and told me before that a prescription I had from my doctor at home wouldn't be accepted in the UK when I was living there.

Stench Blossoms

Sorry to hijack this thread but what about sending pills within Ireland?

IrishTonyO

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Sorry to hijack this thread but what about sending pills within Ireland?

That should be ok as they are not being imported, unless coming from the North.

Very stupid question here. How do they know if an envelope contains pills?
I do know that you can't use a foreign prescription in Ireland, it has to be from a local doctor. They wouldn't even take my prescription from the north in Dublin.

_Whimsical_

Faith wrote: »

I'm pretty sure you can't use a prescription from outside the country. My dad is a GP and told me before that a prescription I had from my doctor at home wouldn't be accepted in the UK when I was living there.

Prescriptions issued by qualified medical practitioners from across the EU are now accepted in the UK and NI. I'm not sure if this is the case in Ireland though.

_Whimsical_

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Sorry to hijack this thread but what about sending pills within Ireland?

This is not ok. Sending any medications in the post from anywhere is a no no as far as I am aware.

I cannot find an exact statute reference but I think you can infer from the below that the location from where the medicine is sent is unimportant.

Prohibition of mail order supply of medicinal products
19. (1) A person shall not supply by mail order any medicinal product.

Reference : http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2003/en/si/0540.html

Del2005

[quote=[Deleted User];65567181]Very stupid question here. How do they know if an envelope contains pills?
[/QUOTE]

They x-ray everything that comes via air mail, and nearly all mail is air these days, and you also have to declare on the package what you are sending.

IrishTonyO

chilly wrote: »

Prescriptions issued by qualified medical practitioners from across the EU are now accepted in the UK and NI. I'm not sure if this is the case in Ireland though.

No it is illegal in Ireland

keithclancy

Feck that .. send them anyway, it'll be grand.

Customs only really look for uncontrolled substances (weed/hash/cocaine etc)

Even if they did get stopped just plead ignorance and say you didn't know, can you imagine getting hauled into court for getting your birth control pills sent from home ?

Lighten up lads

Customs are more worried about illegal substances + stuff they can stick VAT/Duty and Excise on.

dudara

keithclancy The import of any prescription drug into Ireland is illegal.

Please post with more thought and consideration

dudara

rocksolid

I buy a lot of tablets from naturesway.ie and they are only ever posted in a padded envelope, no hassle though they are posted from within ireland...i did buy painkillers however from USA bout a year ago and had no hassle getting them either. If I was the O.P. id chance it, cant see why customs would stop them...

sesna

IrishTonyO wrote: »

No it is illegal in Ireland

Prescriptions from all EU member states are legally valid in Ireland.
The only exception being prescriptions for controlled drugs. These must be issued by a registered prescriber from within the state.

I am not sure of the status for veterinary prescriptions.

IrishTonyO

sesna wrote: »

Prescriptions from all EU member states are legally valid in Ireland.
The only exception being prescriptions for controlled drugs. These must be issued by a registered prescriber from within the state.

I am not sure of the status for veterinary prescriptions.

the prescriptions might be legal but getting the pills in the post from another country is not.

sesna

IrishTonyO wrote: »

the prescriptions might be legal but getting the pills in the post from another country is not.

Yeah its a strange one. For example if the OP had a years supply of her medicine, and brought it with her on a flight from Canada, and could prove it was for her own use on foot of a valid prescription, Customs would generally accept this.

However, I dont see how the situation is different if she were to get her prescription dispensed in Canada, on foot of valid canadian prescription and mails it to herself. This is not mail order pharmacy if she is already in possession of the medicine.

“supply by mail order” means any supply made, after solicitation of custom by the supplier, or by another person in the chain of supply whether inside or outside of the State, without the supplier and the customer being simultaneously present and using a means of communication at a distance, whether written or electronic, to convey the custom solicitation and the order for supply;