Can you still buy Cipro in Coz w/o seeing a dr there?

[cxg31s]

I've done a search already and all the pertinent threads on this topic were over a year old. I ran across a few things online that mentioned a new law put into effect last year stating you can't buy Cipro (and many other drugs) anymore in Coz without seeing a dr down there and getting a written prescription. So that got me wondering......

I'm heading down in June and I always have stomach trouble when I'm there, despite being extremely careful. I got a "just in case" Cipro prescription from my dr here but he only gave me 6 (legal limit, I guess). So I'm wondering if I do have issues when I'm there and run through my 6 pills, will I be able to get more if I take my Rx bottle into a pharmacy or will I have to go see a Coz dr to get more?

Thanks!

 

[Brules]

If you traditionally have stomach issues, might I suggest buying and taking for 1-2 weeks before you go Acidopholous with Bifidus?

You can buy it at almost virtually any health food store. This will help protect your stomach vs foreign bacteria (ie: the bacteria in the US water is different than in Cozumel - not bad, just different). We always do this and have been stomach issue free since our 1st trip in 1996 when my wife and I both got M's revenge!

I swear by the stuff....!

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Edit: Ignore what I said here! (Explanation in later post I made.) I was so aghast at the thought of drugs like Cipro just being handed out to the general public for "whatever" that I made a 180º typing mistake. I am sooo sorry!

Original completely reversed post: "Although it sounds like the OP is having trouble with a virus, not bacteria, if antibiotics are being taken."

That's embarrassing.

 

[danvolker]

I've done a search already and all the pertinent threads on this topic were over a year old. I ran across a few things online that mentioned a new law put into effect last year stating you can't buy Cipro (and many other drugs) anymore in Coz without seeing a dr down there and getting a written prescription. So that got me wondering......

I'm heading down in June and I always have stomach trouble when I'm there, despite being extremely careful. I got a "just in case" Cipro prescription from my dr here but he only gave me 6 (legal limit, I guess). So I'm wondering if I do have issues when I'm there and run through my 6 pills, will I be able to get more if I take my Rx bottle into a pharmacy or will I have to go see a Coz dr to get more?

Thanks!

You should be aware that Cipro is a dangerous antibiotic, known for causing spontaneous Tendon Ruptures.... I would avoid Cipro like the plague, along with doctors happy to prescribe it for prophylactic purposes. ..See FDA Warns That Cipro and Similar Antibiotics May Rupture Tendons
or Cipro Tendon Rupture Side Effects - Topix , or just do a google search on cipro tendon rupture

I would suggest as a solution for your issue, visit Primal Defense Caplets by Garden of Life Primal Defense probiotics at discount prices

 

[Mossman]

Although it sounds like the OP is having trouble with a virus, not bacteria, if antibiotics are being taken.

Huh? What would antibiotics do against a virus?

Cipro is way-overkill for traveller's diarrhea. Why use such a powerful killer on such a common mild ailment? It's like tenting your house for 3 days of insecticide to swat a single housefly. Get out the fly swatter instead (Pepto-Bismol, Lomotil) or better yet, keep the "screen door" closed by watching what you eat. Any MD, American or Mexican, who dispenses antibiotics like candy pills should have their license revoked IMO as this practice doesn't just harm the patient, it adversely affects the health of all of us.

Such blind overusage of powerful antibiotics contributes greatly to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant strains. If you want the Cipro to work when you really need it, i.e. have a health-threatening serious bacterial infection, stop crying Wolf over a simple case of Montezuma's. Keep hydrated and it will run its course. You're most likely so susceptible to invasive "friendly" bacteria because you constantly wipe out your body's natural defenses, the other friendly bacteria that would normally suppress the Mexican invaders. This is why Brules suggests Acidophilus, something far more benign for your system than Cipro and far better for the rest of us who have to share this planet
.
If you get do seriously ill when you're down there, see a doctor, then get your meds.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Oh duh, I'm totally sorry Yes, I had my thoughts reversed 180º for some stupid reason. I think I was just so unnerved by the thought that people could/would just buy Cipro for "whatever" (not necessarily just the OP, but a large group of citizens), that I gabbled. I guess I was thinking of all the people who "demand" antibiotics for a cold, when you know it does nothing. Or the people who "self medicate" with antibiotics and only take about half of them, then feel better, and probably contribute to worldwide antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Thanks for pointing out my mistake! I do actually know this. Geesh :blush: I will go back and annotate my first post (but will leave the mistake so as not to negate your reply).

 

[Bratface]

Why not ask your doctor for a prescription and get it filled before you go. You can use your health insurance in the states but not Mexico. Just tell your doctor you would like to have a fully stocked first-aid kit to take with you.

You can buy most drugs at the farmacia without a script. You cannot buy narcotics or prescription sleep meds without an rx down there. Check with your own doctor first.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Why not ask your doctor for a prescription and get it filled before you go.

The OP states in the first post that she already got the limit from her home doctor (6).

 

[WOODMAN]

Yeah, cipro is available pretty readily down there, as I can attest. I am a nurse, and I was curious, so I asked a few places about this last week. A couple of them wanted a script, but most would readily sell this (in presealed bottles of 28) to anyone with the pesos. I have to say that this disturbs me considerably, as others here have already stated. Cipro is nothing to fool with, and is not even particularly appropriate for minor stomach issues. (I know, it doesn't feel minor when it hits you, but these things are almost always self regulating and will self destruct in a day or two. If not, THEN see a doctor.) The probiotic approach, such as acidophilus tablets recommended above, is a much smarter idea, and will help defend against most of these issues. It will not help you if you run into genuine food poisoning, such as a staphylococcus intoxication, but then nothing will help that, and these usually burn out on their own after several hours anyway. If you MUST carry an antibiotic for something like this, then get some Septra DS, which is a low powered antibiotic which has long been used for these kind of troubles. Even that has risk if you are sensitive to sulfa, which is why you have to get it through a doctor. Virtually all antibiotics have problems associated with them, so please don't try to self medicate with them. I have seen too much of what happens when people do that, and you have no idea how much trouble you can get into. Please, for your own sake, consult a doctor if you really need one. Good luck- Woody

 

[WOODMAN]

The OP states in the first post that she already got the limit from her home doctor (6).

There is no 'legal limit' to my knowledge, and I would guess that this is the doctor's way of limiting how much cipro gets used for non-urgent purposes. I have seen this before. I still like Septra better for this, but... Woody