Ordering prescription medication from Canada is not very different from using a community or domastic mail-order pharmacy. You provide a prescription, place the order, a pharmacist reviews the medication, the pharmacy dispenses it, and then the package is delivered.
The main difference is what happens after the medication leaves the pharmacy. A package delivered within Canada stays in the domestic delivery network. A package going to another country must also cross a border and may go through Customs, which can make delivery take longer depending on the destination.
The pharmacy process is familiar
Think about a community pharmacy down the street. You hand in a prescription, the pharmacist reviews it, the medication is prepared and checked, and then you receive it. A mail-order pharmacy works the same way, except the medication is delivered instead of picked up.
A Canadian pharmacy follows the same basic process. With SimplePills, you can place an order online (opens in a new tab) or contact us (opens in a new tab) to place it. You provide the prescription, or arrange for it to be sent to our pharmacy electronically. The pharmacist reviews the prescription and medication information, and once everything is in order, the medication is dispensed and prepared for delivery.
The difference is delivery
Once the medication leaves the pharmacy, the destination matters. A package going to an address in Canada can continue through the Canadian delivery network. For example, a package leaving Vancouver, British Columbia for an address in the United States must cross the Canada–U.S. border and go through U.S. Customs through a delivery partner. That extra border step can make delivery take longer.
From the patient's or receiver's point of view, there are no extra steps to complete. The border and delivery process is handled as part of the pharmacy's shipping process. The main difference is simply how long delivery may take, depending on the destination.
What do I need to do to order the medication?
From your side, the process is straightforward. You need a valid prescription and an order for the medication. You can place the order yourself online or contact SimplePills for help. If you already have a prescription, it can be provided to the pharmacy. If you do not have a copy, the pharmacy and your prescriber's office may be able to coordinate it.
We explain those options in How prescriptions work with SimplePills.
Once the prescription and order are ready, the pharmacist reviews the medication, the pharmacy dispenses it, and the package is sent for delivery.
What you may want to know next
Once the basic process makes sense, the next questions are usually about the medication itself and the rules around crossing a border.
You may be wondering whether Canadian medications are the same as the versions you are used to, why prices can be different, or what rules apply when medication crosses a border. We cover those questions in Are Canadian medications the same as U.S. medications — and why can they cost less? and Can you legally get prescription medication from Canada?.