# Meds from India stuck in Customs



## Nevada

I've got an order from India stuck in customs 9 days now. Tracking normally indicates that it's there for only 3 to 5 days, and I've never seen it over 5 days before. The order has prescription meds, but no controlled substances.

Allegra (allergy med), 200 pills
Boniva (osteoporosis med), 2 pills
Evista (osteoporosis med), 60 pills
Singulair (asthma med), 200 pills
Levoxyl (thyroid med), 100 pills

As you can see, there's nothing nefarious or with a potential of abuse, and quantities are reasonable for personal use.

With it being in Customs for so long, is the shipment dead and likely to be returned to India?


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## tab

Unbeknownst to me, part of my order was stuck there. Thought it did not ship as I got most of it and part of someone else's, too.
There is a phone number to call. I googled the customs addres and lots of info popped up, seems they keep some things for a very long time. I did eventually get the remainder of my order.


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## Guest

I had a sixty year old book stuck in Customs for three weeks. It shipped December 9th, was supposed to arrive close to December 25th and finally arrived January 19th. Who knows what's going on. Likely just inefficiency.


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## Nevada

Thanks. I'll just be patient then. I don't want to contact them though, since I don't want to call attention to myself. I'd rather just mind my own business and wait for it to fall off the other end of the Customs conveyor belt.


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## Belfrybat

A couple of years ago I had a package of meds from India go missing. I didn't receive any notice. About a month after it had been sent it showed up back at the company with a notice that it was illegal to send prescription drugs to the US without a prescription. I was never contacted and the company replaced the order and that one came through just fine. I guess it depends on whether the custom inspector is having a good or bad day.


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## Bearfootfarm

> As you can see, there's nothing nefarious


Nothing except prescription drugs with NO prescription



> I don't want to contact them though, since I don't want to call attention to myself


Why not?
Didn't you say it's fine to do?


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## Ernie

If you want illegal substances mailed to you, then your best bet is to go to one of those UPS type places that do drop boxes for businesses. Fish around until you find one that isn't too curious about identification, pay in cash for about 6months to a year, and use that to have your goods shipped to you.

The amounts you're ordering don't really scream abuse, but a quick web search revealed that at least some of these are prescription meds. If you don't have a prescription to match then you need to figure out some less-than-legal method of delivery. If you do have a prescription then you still may have violated some federal law by ordering from India.


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## Ohio dreamer

Ernie said:


> you still may have violated some federal law by ordering from India.


My first thought, too. There are lots of laws about import and export of things....is it legal to bring in meds??


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## Ernie

Ohio dreamer said:


> My first thought, too. There are lots of laws about import and export of things....is it legal to bring in meds??


Lots of little old ladies have meds shipped in from Canada. The drugs Nevada mentioned are primarily drugs for post-menopausal women. It might be legal, or it might not. I've never researched it.

I know that I would wonder about the efficacy of any drugs from India. Even if they are "brand names", India isn't known for its strict following of FDA rules.


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## AngieM2

It is illegal and doesn't matter to Nevada as he's not paying the American prices and gets more for his money.

He's posted about getting supplies from these places for when SHTF. Antibodics, etc. 

Some here has asked about it, to build up their supplies and save the $$, as this is very cost effective, per Nevada.

Do a search on the site for Nevada and posts about drugs and you'll see all kinds of information about it.


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## Nevada

Ernie said:


> The amounts you're ordering don't really scream abuse, but a quick web search revealed that at least some of these are prescription meds. If you don't have a prescription to match then you need to figure out some less-than-legal method of delivery. If you do have a prescription then you still may have violated some federal law by ordering from India.


Oh, I'm sure that it's illegal. Back in 2006 congress was considering making it legal for humanitarian reasons, but they didn't because Customs told them that they would no longer enforce the laws, as long as it didn't involve controlled substances.

http://inhousepharmacy.biz/border_seizures.html

I've never ordered a controlled substance from overseas. All of the meds on that list are prescription meds in the USA, but none are controlled substances. Also, those meds are non-prescription in most of the world, including Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

The amounts are only of concern if it is more than one household can reasonably consume. A few hundred is no problem, but 5,000 would be. In that case they would suspect that you are importing cheap drugs for resale. That's what they want to prevent.

Understand that this is all about money. They don't really care if you live or die, just as long as all the right people are getting rich.


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## tab

Also understand that very few of the drugs you get through a pharmacy are made in the US. They come from India and China, possibly Mexico, etc. Sixty minutes(?) recently did a story on a problem factory, seems like that one was in Peurto Rico. Iirc, the factory needed to be shut down, it was reported and ignored. Point is, drugs from any source seem to be a chancey thing.


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## Bearfootfarm

> I've never ordered a controlled substance from overseas


A prescription medication IS a "controlled substance"
It's just not a "narcotic"



> Also, those meds are non-prescription in most of the world, including Canada, Mexico, and Europe.


That makes no difference at all if you live *here*


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## Nevada

Bearfootfarm said:


> A prescription medication IS a "controlled substance"


I'm certain that you are mistaken about that.

There are Schedule I though V controlled substances. They are sorted mainly by usefulness as medicines, how dangerous they are, and potential for abuse.

I. Marijuana, Heroin, Psilocybin, Mescaline, etc.
II. Cocaine, Ritalin, Morphine, hydrocodone, Dextroamphetamine, etc.
III. Intermediate-acting barbiturates, Anabolic steroids, etc.
IV. Long-acting barbiturates, Valium, Xanax, etc.
V. Cough suppressants with codine, anti-diarrhea medicines with opiates, Lyrica, Lomotil, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act

So you see, you won't find any of the meds I ordered on the controlled substances list. In fact, the pharmacies I order from don't carry any controlled substances.


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## AngieM2

I'm putting a disclaimer here...

I think I can safely say that the views on ordering from another country, whether or not the medicines are "controlled substances" or not - are only those of each poster, and not Homesteading Today. A person has to decide for themselves whether they want to accept all conditions of their actions concerning this ordering.


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## Bearfootfarm

> I. Marijuana, Heroin, Psilocybin, Mescaline, etc.
> II. Cocaine, Ritalin, Morphine, hydrocodone, Dextroamphetamine, etc.
> III. Intermediate-acting barbiturates, Anabolic steroids, etc.
> IV. Long-acting barbiturates, Valium, Xanax, etc.
> V. Cough suppressants with codine, anti-diarrhea medicines with opiates, Lyrica, Lomotil, etc.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act


That's a tiny portion of the actual list:

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_cs_alpha.pdf

There's also a long list of "regulated" drugs:

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/f_chemlist_alpha.pdf

Semantics don't change much at all


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## salmonslayer91

well i hope customs doesnt reject my order im not in the posistion to pay 15$ for 12 pills compared to 500 pills for 25$!!!


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## Ohio dreamer

Let us know when they make it through...I'm curious. 

I only questioned the legal part thinking if they open the box for inspection (which they randomly do) would they send it on to you or send it back? Would you be notified if it was sent back? As far as where you get your meds, in my opinion....that's up to you.


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## Nevada

Ohio dreamer said:


> Let us know when they make it through...I'm curious.
> 
> I only questioned the legal part thinking if they open the box for inspection (which they randomly do) would they send it on to you or send it back? Would you be notified if it was sent back? As far as where you get your meds, in my opinion....that's up to you.


I'll let you know. Customs promised congress that they would not seize prescription meds, but they didn't promise not to ship them back to the sender. I honestly don't know if they would go ahead and let some prescriptions go through. I've never had a shipment delayed like this, but I also never seen any indication that it had been opened either.



salmonslayer91 said:


> well i hope customs doesnt reject my order im not in the posistion to pay 15$ for 12 pills compared to 500 pills for 25$!!!


It takes a good 3 weeks to get orders from inhousepharmacy. It's always made it through to me from them.


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## mnn2501

If you order from places like that, you take your chances.
Both on even getting them and on their quality.

Not worth the risk to me.


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## mekasmom

Under the last administration, they were stopping lots of script orders from coming into the country, even from Canada. I thought they had eased up under the new administration? 
It's just to protect big pharma, so they can make so much money selling scripts to citizens here.


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## DryHeat

I'd bet there's a simple explanation for a delay on the order of an extra week or two. The port of entry is likely JFK airport in NYC, right? What's been going on there over the last week, maybe the heaviest snowfall in recent memory with flight cancellations plus ground transport delays and likely staffing problems?


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## Belfrybat

Ohio dreamer said:


> Let us know when they make it through...I'm curious.
> 
> I only questioned the legal part thinking if they open the box for inspection (which they randomly do) *would they send it on to you or send it back? Would you be notified if it was sent back? * As far as where you get your meds, in my opinion....that's up to you.


See my post above.


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## Nevada

DryHeat said:


> I'd bet there's a simple explanation for a delay on the order of an extra week or two. The port of entry is likely JFK airport in NYC, right? What's been going on there over the last week, maybe the heaviest snowfall in recent memory with flight cancellations plus ground transport delays and likely staffing problems?


Yes, they are at JFK. Hadn't thought about the snow.


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## Roadking

Any update?
Matt


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## texican

mnn2501 said:


> If you order from places like that, you take your chances.
> Both on even getting them and on their quality.
> 
> Not worth the risk to me.


Haven't gotten around to getting my own order in yet...

Imagine yourself in a PAW (post apocalyptic world), and you're coming down with an infection thats thinking about spreading. You have a choice... take a round of antibiotics obtained from India, or take nothing, because your doc wasn't about to outfit your PAW medkit for you... or, because you don't even have a doc.

Which would you choose? An iffy/maybe card full of pills that might save your life? or gelatin capsule filled with sugar and hope?

I'd take iffy or nope anyday... 'specially if my life was at risk.


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## salmonslayer91

even the placebo of sugar and hope will help at least you think you are getting better it may actually help ) but still i believe the Indian drugs are perfectly safe especially since they are regulated by the EU which have different standards then the FDA but hell if its good enough for the Britt's and French its good enough for me


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## mekasmom

India has a very high standard of medical care. It's not like the witchdoctors of some lost tribe in Sub Sahara Africa.


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## Nevada

I'll be darned. It sprang out of Customs this morning. It was stuck there from January 19 through Feb 1, thirteen days in all. It should be here tomorrow, since it's coming by Express Mail.

I'll post back if there is any indication that it was opened or has a nasty note from Customs.


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## Guest

Just like my book. Why a sixty year old book on turkey management got stuck in Customs for three weeks I have no idea but it did finally show up.


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## AngieM2

I think it's all the global warming that's fallen and iced things up that has delayed workers getting to work, planes and such being able to flow in a normal manner. but I could be wrong and it's the new little ice age happening.


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## oregon woodsmok

[[[....antibiotics obtained from India, or take nothing, because your doc wasn't about to outfit your.....]]]]]

Several different kinds of antibiotic available from the farm supply store, or on-line, both for livestock and fish. I've got 5 different antibiotics in my fridge right now.

Probably not my first choice to give to myself, but certainly better than nothing if nothing is the other option.

I find that most doctors are pretty generous with the prescriptions if you ask for something. My problem with stockpiling is that I use a couple of meds that are really expensive, so the budget is the limit, not the actual prescription.

There is also the option of using two different doctors and having them each write script for you. That way you can double the meds that you are purchasing and have some to stockpile.

If you are buying overseas and can tell the meds are working, that's fine. But there are a lot of counterfeit pills out there. Cheap is no bargain if you are buying baking soda colored with roadway paint. (seen film of that factory)

I know for a fact that there are counterfeit flea drops for dogs out there, so caution with purchase of bargain priced flea drops. Placebo effect doesn't work on fleas.


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## Nevada

oregon woodsmok said:


> My problem with stockpiling is that I use a couple of meds that are really expensive, so the budget is the limit, not the actual prescription.


What meds are those?



oregon woodsmok said:


> There is also the option of using two different doctors and having them each write script for you. That way you can double the meds that you are purchasing and have some to stockpile.


Be really careful doing that. Thanks to Rush Limbaugh the practice of "double doctoring" has become a criminal offense in some places. You're better off ordering from overseas from a legal standpoint.


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## Nevada

It arrived today. No indication that it had been opened and no nasty note from Customs. The postman said that it's not unusual for things to get stuck in Customs for a few weeks.


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## Ohio dreamer

Glad you have your package unharmed. Too bad your package can't talk....it might have an interesting story to tell. I bet it was the weather that held it up.....I'm waiting on a package that left Monday from about 1 day away....


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## Ed Norman

Ohio dreamer said:


> Glad you have your package unharmed. Too bad your package can't talk....it might have an interesting story to tell. I bet it was the weather that held it up.....I'm waiting on a package that left Monday from about 1 day away....


I have a Fedex package that made it to Ohio on Monday, and hasn't moved since.


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