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;

eth0_

P. Breathnach wrote: »

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

How's the weather up there on the moral high ground? :mad::mad:

OP - it's illegal to import medicines into the country without a licence to do so. However, unless you're receiving a bulk amount of medication, the worst you can expect is to have the birth control pills confiscated and a letter from the Irish Medicines Board will be sent to you telling you not to do it again.

But as everyone else has said, see if an Irish pharmacist can fill your prescription (although I doubt they can as it's from outside the EU), or go to an Irish doctor for a new prescription.

keithclancy

dudara wrote: »

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

Please post with more thought and consideration

dudara

Understood dudara, just pointing out that customs don't really enforce it, Its just as illegal to import bulbs or plants into Ireland without a license.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/travel-and-recreation/travel-to-ireland/customs_regulations_for_travellers

Prohibited or restricted goods

Certain goods cannot be imported to Ireland or can only be imported under licence.

The main items that cannot be imported or must be imported under licence are:

* Firearms
* Ammunition
* Explosives and fireworks
* Offensive weapons
* Indecent or obscene material (books, periodicals, prints and video recordings)
* Plants or bulbs
* Live animals or dead animals (including cats and dogs)
* Birds, poultry or eggs
* Endangered species
* Meat and meat products, milk and milk products, and certain foodstuffs (with specific exceptions)
* Hay or straw (even if used as packing).

Yet, thousands of Irish people travel to the Keukenhof every year and order them to be posted to their Irish Address and never have a problem. Thats all that i'm pointing out.

Also, as an example its possible to travel to Spain and pickup Inhalers for a fraction of the price in Ireland, yet people still do this even though its technically illegal.

I'm merely stating what the situation is with regard to enforcement.

IrishTonyO

keithclancy wrote: »

Understood dudara, just pointing out that customs don't really enforce it, Its just as illegal to import bulbs or plants into Ireland without a license.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/travel-and-recreation/travel-to-ireland/customs_regulations_for_travellers

Prohibited or restricted goods




Yet, thousands of Irish people travel to the Keukenhof every year and order them to be posted to their Irish Address and never have a problem. Thats all that i'm pointing out.

Also, as an example its possible to travel to Spain and pickup Inhalers for a fraction of the price in Ireland, yet people still do this even though its technically illegal.

I'm merely stating what the situation is with regard to enforcement.

It is not illegal to travel to another country and purchase medicines and bring the personally home as long as you have a valid prescription. It is illegal to get them mailed to you, and you will find customs are very strict on this at the moment. The medicines are normally confiscated and forwarded to the Irish Medicines board, who then get in touch with the person, and informs them that is is not legal.

dudara

keithclancy wrote: »

Understood dudara, just pointing out that customs don't really enforce it, Its just as illegal to import bulbs or plants into Ireland without a license.

Yet, thousands of Irish people travel to the Keukenhof every year and order them to be posted to their Irish Address and never have a problem. Thats all that i'm pointing out.

Also, as an example its possible to travel to Spain and pickup Inhalers for a fraction of the price in Ireland, yet people still do this even though its technically illegal.

I'm merely stating what the situation is with regard to enforcement.

And I am merely stating what is legal and illegal. We do not condone illegal activites here.

dudara

keithclancy

IrishTonyO wrote: »

It is not illegal to travel to another country and purchase medicines and bring the personally home as long as you have a valid prescription. It is illegal to get them mailed to you, and you will find customs are very strict on this at the moment. The medicines are normally confiscated and forwarded to the Irish Medicines board, who then get in touch with the person, and informs them that is is not legal.

But there is no Prescription needed for Inhalers yet they are a Prescription medication in Ireland. This as far as I am aware is illegal but almost impossible to enforce.

IrishTonyO

keithclancy wrote: »

But there is no Prescription needed for Inhalers yet they are a Prescription medication in Ireland. This as far as I am aware is illegal but almost impossible to enforce.

If they are prescription medications in Ireland you need a prescription to bring them in on person with you. The laws of Ireland apply in this country not the laws where you bought the medication.

sesna

IrishTonyO wrote: »

If they are prescription medications in Ireland you need a prescription to bring them in on person with you. The laws of Ireland apply in this country not the laws where you bought the medication.

Thats incorrect. You dont need a prescription to be in possession of them. You need a prescription to get lawful supply of them. The only expeptions being for CD 1, 2 and 3 controlled drugs.

If they have been supplied without prescription lawfully in another jurisdiction to you for your personal use, that is all above aboard.

Otherwise we would have to start confiscating many medications off Spanish tourists here, for example, where alot of medication is available without prescription.

BnB

I'd agree with Keith Clancy

I'd say get your mother to stick a pack in the post. Don't stick the perscription on the outside of the package to draw attention to it. But do include it in the package so that if they are stopped by customs and they open the package, at least they'll see it's harmless.

The very worst that will happen is that you get a call from customs or the Irish Medicines board explaining to you that you can't do it, and you don't get your pills.

mickman

it all depends on where the pills are coming from. outside the EU and there is a 30% chance of them getting stopped as customs look at a lot of these packages and try to get vat from the person getting the package. if the pills are coming from the EU there is a 99% chance of them not getting stopped as they dont bother with these packages as

1. they are under staffed
2. there is no revenue to be made from the govt here as there is not vat payable on packages from within the EU

IrishTonyO

mickman wrote: »

it all depends on where the pills are coming from. outside the EU and there is a 30% chance of them getting stopped as customs look at a lot of these packages and try to get vat from the person getting the package. if the pills are coming from the EU there is a 99% chance of them not getting stopped as they dont bother with these packages as

1. they are under staffed
2. there is no revenue to be made from the govt here as there is not vat payable on packages from within the EU

They don't try and get vat on them they confiscate the mediciation, you are thinking about electrical good etc, the law is different for prescription medication.

mickman

IrishTonyO wrote: »

They don't try and get vat on them they confiscate the mediciation, you are thinking about electrical good etc, the law is different for prescription medication.

i know they dont try and get vat off medicines. what i said was they open a good few packages from outside the EU as they can charge vat on these if its perfumes, etc. they dont know whats in the package until they open them. if its medicines then they confiscate them

if the package is from within the eu, they open almost none at all as even if it was perfumes etc they cant charge vat on them so there is no point in opening them at all

IrishTonyO

mickman wrote: »

i know they dont try and get vat off medicines. what i said was they open a good few packages from outside the EU as they can charge vat on these if its perfumes, etc. they dont know whats in the package until they open them. if its medicines then they confiscate them

if the package is from within the eu, they open almost none at all as even if it was perfumes etc they cant charge vat on them so there is no point in opening them at all

Not the case, you think they only open packages to see if they can charge vat? They don't check for drugs etc?? Most packages are automatically scanned and x-rayed these days.

mickman

well thousands and thousands of irish people get medicines from the UK without a problem

this number will grow in the future as the cost of medicine in this country is crazy

IrishTonyO

mickman wrote: »

well thousands and thousands of irish people get medicines from the UK without a problem

this number will grow in the future as the cost of medicine in this country is crazy

Well I am sure you have evidence that thousands and thousands are, however if you read the OP, the are talking about getting them from Canada.

P. Breathnach

IrishTonyO wrote: »

Well I am sure you have evidence that thousands and thousands are, however if you read the OP, the are talking about getting them from Canada.

And by the end of April.

sesna

mickman wrote: »

well thousands and thousands of irish people get medicines from the UK without a problem

this number will grow in the future as the cost of medicine in this country is crazy

If you have a medical card, Long Term Illness card, it's free.

If you are just getting antibiotics, pill etc, its not expensive.

Depends on what your doctor prescribes for you.