Updated October, 2023

One season, the ensuing fatigue from staying up all night to watch a tropical storm (not that I had a choice - the claps of lightning were not to be denied) blossomed into a wicked bronchial cough upon the dawn. Fortunately, pharmacies deliver in Mexico.

Although drugs that require prescriptions, such as antibiotics and certain sleep aides require making a trip, a number of medicines that require a prescription in the U.S. don’t require one in Mexico.

Medicines and vitamins available on pharmacy shelves take different forms than you might be used to. Mexicans seem to like Alka-Seltzer -like tablets, including for vitamin C and calcium. If you don’t like that delivery system, check the box carefully that it doesn’t say en polvo.

Curious as to what the pharmacist would recommend, I asked what to take for the flu-like symptoms I was having. My Spanish suffers over the phone. In my weakened state I had no idea what she said after jarabe (syrup) other than “muy bueno.”

What I received was Panoto-S Hedera helix jarabe, sold in the U.S. as Prospan. Upon looking up the ingredients, the syrup is an extract from a flowering ivy plant common in Europe. I doubled the dose. (My cough is like none other. It has cost me relationships). The syrup worked well and I slept through the following night.

The fast delivery to my door was astonishing enough. Now let’s consider the unusual nature of the recommendation. I asked for advice and got advice on a natural alternative. This is something that has never happened in my U.S. pharmacy. Mexicans are far more accepting of homeopathic alternatives than we’re conditioned to being.

What do you think they’d recommend in the US if you asked? I’m almost always directed to Nyquil by pharmacists. By the way…

What exactly is in Nyquil?

According to an article in Wired Magazine, the ingredients in Nyquil are acetaminophen, a drug that breaks down in the body to form a cannabinoid (and we all know what that is), dextromethorphan (a painkiller five times more powerful than morphine that is listed by the National Institute of Drug Abuse as a “dissociative” drug. The third ingredient is doxylamine succinate (an antihistamine). 

Other ingredients are alcohol, sodium citrate and a flavoring that is likely added to make the cough syrup so nasty that people who really like disassociating don’t drink too much of it.

In researching Hedera Helix, what I was prescribed, had no negative side effects other than a possible mild stomach discomfort. It tastes like a strong tea.

Industry influence affects recommendations in the US

In Mexico, I get recommendations for brands from competitive foreign countries, like the German brand vitamins Vivoptal multivitamins recommended to me by several Mexican pharmacists (available on Amazon.com).

Proctor and Gamble has 70 brands to promote and protect in order to generate a billion in sales a year. The makers of Nyquil spent $2.8 million in lobbying efforts in 2020.

Pharmaceutical industry representatives (invariably extremely attractive as I recall of friends of mine hired in the 90’s) have been calling on doctor for decades. What influence do these lookers have on pharmacists?

This article from PharmExec.com opens by saying that most reps don’t have time to call on pharmacies, but the author encourages them to do so, and goes on to advise them to “find at least one person in the pharmacy who can advocate for your product.” Calling on pharmacies is listed in a number job descriptions for pharmaceutical sales reps posted online.

Even if you grew up believing in pills and modern medicine as I did, one can’t deny the potential of millions, even billions in profits and lobbying dollars to speak louder than the cheaper, less profitable but still effective natural alternatives. We don’t notice the affect of lobbying on what we buy at home, so accustomed we are to the consumer world they govern.

Lobbying only became legal in Mexico in 1997 and still hasn’t evolved to the power it carries in the US, affecting our lives in hundreds of ways we have come to ignore. Nary a week goes by in Mexico that I don’t experience at least one small benefit and revelation from the absence of their influence.

* You are allowed to bring three months worth of prescription drugs into Mexico.

Related Links:

My initial trips to pharmacies was far from a pleasure. What I learned that can save you from the same experience. - Ventanas Mexico

One of my most popular blogs, recently updated, on the best beauty products to buy in Mexico.   - Ventanas Mexico

Dental work is unequivocally work that should be done in Mexico - Ventanas Mexico

Most recent:

Restraining myself from rhetoric wasn't easy, but (at great sacrifice) I managed to do it to provide a simple list of what America's most expensive drugs cost in Mexico.

About the author:

Kerry Baker is a partner with Ventanas Mexico and author of three books.

The second book "If Only I Had a Place,' is about more than just renting well for less, it gives you an infrastructure to secure places every year that will support your best expat life.

Her second book is The Mexico Solution: Saving your money, sanity, and quality of life through part-time life in Mexico. This book is both a detailed manual and an entertaining read. Most recently she published The Lazy Expat: Healthy Recipes That Translate in Mexico. Trying to maintain a healthy diet in Mexico? You have to cook. Over 150 easy, healthy recipes you can make at home or in Mexico.