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I am a 67 years old Canadian Citizen who came to US to visit my son on Feb 29th, 2020. Can't go back due to Covid19, how can I get insulin?

jcaron
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Philby Thomas
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    Call the doctor your son goes to. He should be able to help you. Maybe after getting in touch with your doctor at home. – Willeke Apr 08 '20 at 15:25
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    You can still go back to Canada by car. Canadian citizens are not being denied entry, even now. – JonathanReez Apr 08 '20 at 16:24
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    As for getting Insulin in the US - pharmacists have expanded authority during the lockdown. I'd call your local pharmacy and ask if they can sell it to you. – JonathanReez Apr 08 '20 at 16:26
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    @JonathanReez the factors preventing return to Canada may be something other than the Canadian government. Also, do you have a reference to support the assertion that pharmacists have expanded authority? This is the first I've heard of it. – phoog Apr 08 '20 at 17:03
  • @phoog the US government will likewise not prevent you from leaving. Nor will state governments. As for pharmacies - see https://naspa.us/resource/covid-19-information-from-the-states/. Just how much authority each pharmacy has depends on the state. If the pharmacy can't prescribe something doctors now have expanded authority for telemedicine as well and some states (UW Medicine in Seattle for example) even offer free telemedicine consultations. – JonathanReez Apr 08 '20 at 17:50
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    If your son doesn't have a regular doctor or that option doesn't work, you could use a service like Teledoc to speak to a doctor from home at fairly low cost, and that doctor can transmit a prescription to a pharmacy for you (ideally a pharmacy that delivers, as many are doing now). The trickier bit will be ensuring you get a form of insulin that's affordable depending on your insurance situation, if any, as prices vary significantly. – Zach Lipton Apr 08 '20 at 17:58
  • @JonathanReez *if* you can call the pharmacy. My local pharmacy has switched its phone to outgoing calls only, due to the huge demand for advice. – Weather Vane Apr 08 '20 at 19:21
  • @JonathanReez thanks for the link. I don't see anything authorizing any pharmacists to dispense prescription medications without a prescription, however, only to dispense "emergency" refills, which wouldn't help OP. Many states have relaxed the requirements for submitting prescriptions, however, which ought to help as long as the OP can find a licensed doctor to prescribe the insulin. – phoog Apr 08 '20 at 19:56
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    What insulin, exactly? What state are you in? Would you be going home if not for COVID19? Yes telemedicine doc can prescribe for you, but I don't think any states are actually preventing people from flying. – VWFeature Apr 09 '20 at 00:52
  • related: https://travel.stackexchange.com/a/78470/57460 ( If you've got time to consider shipping it from home, there are a couple of other ideas on this FDA page: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/5-tips-traveling-us-medications ) – A C Apr 09 '20 at 06:34

4 Answers4

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You can get insulin without a prescription in USA. However, since it won’t be the kind you’re accustomed to, you should get a doctor’s advice.

https://insulinnation.com/treatment/medicine-drugs/insulin-over-counter/

WGroleau
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Depending on which state you are currently in, the pharmacist may be able to prescribe the insulin and fill the prescription.

Call⁠ (on the phone) ⁠your ⁠son's ⁠favorite⁠ pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist.⁠ They should be able to direct you to the best solution for the state you are in.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Across the U.S. states are recognizing the value of authorizing pharmacists to prescribe in order to increase access to important medications.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This authority exists somewhere along a continuum and is either dependent (delegated through a collaborative practice agreement) or independent (authority comes directly from the state, no delegation required) authority.

https://naspa.us/resource/swp/

Vikki
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James Jenkins
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Certain types of insulin, like Humulin N, can be purchased over the counter. If your specific type can’t, just go to a local urgent care, explain your situation, and get an RX for it. Also, you can state on this board the type of insulin and your location and maybe someone will be able to help you out.

TRiG
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R Torres
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    Please don't go to urgent care in person if you're over the age of 60, unless you really really have to. Your odds of getting infected there are astronomical. – JonathanReez Apr 08 '20 at 21:09
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    If you need insulin, it's so you don't die. If your type of insulin is not available over the counter, in order to not die, you must get a prescription. So, really have to? yes. – CGCampbell Apr 08 '20 at 22:03
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    I'd be very surprised if you couldn't get a prescription from a doctor over the phone for something like this. – ajd Apr 09 '20 at 03:08
  • @JonathanReez What does "astronomical odds" mean? I would expect it to mean vanishingly small, but from the context you are using it I would expect you to mean the opposite. – gerrit Apr 09 '20 at 08:33
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    @gerrit astronomical: informal (of an amount) extremely large. From here. – AndreKR Apr 09 '20 at 10:56
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    @AndreKR That makes no sense in a context of probability, the number 1 is not extremely large. – gerrit Apr 09 '20 at 12:17
  • @gerrit Fair point. – AndreKR Apr 09 '20 at 12:44
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    @gerrit 1 is the largest number that exists in the universe [0,1]... As far as probabilities go, it's definitely astronomical. You wouldn't say a 12 ft long human is not tall, just because they are tiny compared to Burj Khalifa; so you shouldn't say 1 is not a large probability, because 1000 is a way bigger number. – Paul Apr 09 '20 at 16:04
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    @JonathanReez The diabetes is actually a MUCH bigger risk factor than the age of 67 itself. – Vladimir F Героям слава Apr 09 '20 at 21:42
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    @gerrit, Jonathan is taking about odds, not probabilities. Either way, is this really an issue? An informal poll around the dinner table here informed me that everyone understood the statement as we believe it was intended. – Lamar Latrell Apr 10 '20 at 04:32
  • The odds of me winning the Superbowl are astronomical. – Laconic Droid Apr 10 '20 at 11:53
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I would suggest video consultation, my mom uses it. You pay per consult and they send the prescription to whichever pharmacy you choose.

Hélio Nunes
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    Please keep to the normal no spam rules. In this case the underlying suggestion is a good one so I will take out the link. – Willeke Apr 09 '20 at 08:06
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    A video consultation with one's own doctor might get a prescription, but US pharmacies won't fill foreign prescriptions. You'd be lucky to find any other doctor who'd write prescription on the basis of one video consult. –  Apr 09 '20 at 14:40
  • The link taken out was for a video consultation company based in the USA. I am sure there are more of those around. – Willeke Apr 09 '20 at 16:03
  • @ArthursPass these are special circumstances, many normal rules are waived. Worth a shot. – JonathanReez Apr 09 '20 at 17:16
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    @Arthur'sPass If the consult consists of "here's what I take at home as prescribed by Dr. Such-and-such. It works for me and my condition is stable while I'm on it. I'm running out. I need to continue the same treatment here," that's a pretty reasonable thing for a doctor to prescribe during a video visit, especially given the circumstances of the pandemic. Assuming the treatment plan appears reasonable to the doctor and is working, why wouldn't a telemedicine doctor allow you to continue it? There may be some limitations, such as for controlled substances, but that's not an issue here. – Zach Lipton Apr 09 '20 at 18:19
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    Sorry, I didn't know about the spam rules, I just created the account to give the suggestion. But by the way, yes, there is a lot of other companies doing the same thing and yes, they fill prescriptions by video consultation. – Hélio Nunes Apr 10 '20 at 06:40