While you can carry your Schedule F medication when returning from abroad you are not allowed to receive it in the mail (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/compli-conform/import-export/gui-0084_biu-uif-eng.php). So what do expats do in Canada if they are taking medication not available in North America and don't want to change their treatment???? I am nonplussed and noone seems to be able or want to help.
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2Welcome to expatriates.SE. How sure are you that the medicine you take isn't available in Canada? I don't mean particular brand but the medicine.– KarlsonJul 16, 2014 at 1:13
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Of course, there are medicines with the same active ingredients but the dose is wrong -- I need 600mg a day and only 250mg and 500gr seems to be available. (and altogether I'd be extremely wary of switching after decades).– chxJul 16, 2014 at 2:01
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1I think that these are standard dosages but there are usually dosages available in smaller like 100mg, so I would check that first. BTW what's the active ingridient if you don't mind?– KarlsonJul 16, 2014 at 2:38
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1Well, getting different medicine, I suppose, is just a matter of going through the right doctor(s). But the question is not changing the medicine.– chxJul 16, 2014 at 6:46
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For the archives: yes, 125mg is also available and I switched medicines and I am still alive. Small miracles.– chxFeb 8, 2017 at 1:52
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1 Answer
There is not a lot of "active ingridients" in various medicines that are not allowed in US or Canada but are allowed elsewhere in the world. Chances are that the medicine you seek is available in Canada under a different brand name or as a generic.
If the issue is specific dosage then again you should look to see what is available because same medicine may be available in various dosages so for example 600mg of X is the same as 6x100mg of X though the number of tablets/injections will be more.
In addition to that any chronic condition need to be monitored by a doctor to make sure that it is unchanged and the drug is still effective (especially if the condition persists over decades).
So having said all that if you want a particular brand of particular medication with particular dosage that is not available in the country then your only option is to have someone or yourself bring this particular medication from the country where it is available.
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you are parotting the official line which is really dubious epilepsy.com/learn/professionals/diagnosis-treatment/… . Lucrative for sure but this doesn't answer the question which was "and not change their treatment". I did but it was a really risky process.– chxAug 31, 2020 at 22:58