Branded triptan medications are extremely expensive with one pill of Relpax or Frova costing $30 – $40. Fortunately, Imitrex, Maxalt, Amerge, and Zomig tablets are available in a generic form. However, even the generic version of Amerge is $3 to $4 a pill, although generic Imitrex and Maxalt can be found for $2. Unfortunately, some patients respond only to Relpax, Frova or Zomig nasal spray, which insurance companies tend not to pay for. Other people need medications that are not available in the US, such as domperidone, an excellent drug for nausea or flunarizine, a calcium channel blocker for the preventive treatment of migraine (not such an excellent drug because of its side effects).
Some patients who need a branded product or one not available in the US buy drugs from online Canadian pharmacies. But how do you know if the pharmacy is legitimate? Some sites that claim being a Canadian pharmacy in fact are not Canadian and the drugs they sell are fakes. One way to find a legitimate Canadian pharmacy is to check if it is certified by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. You can also check if the pharmacy is certified by the PharmacyChecker.com and is listed on their free website.
When buying locally, you can find a pharmacy with the cheapest price for a specific drug by going to GoodRx.com. But do not assume that if a pharmacy offers the lowest price on one drug, its prices on other drugs will also be the lowest.
