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Roaxana;
I take Euterox for my Thyroid. It is available under several other names here over the counter.  If you were to take a picture of the front of the medication box and ensure it has the strength showing I will ask at the local Farmacia.  We are in a smaller area than San Jose proper but Marcia, the Pharmacist, has been extremely helpful over the last 7 years.  Please send it in a private message.
Cheers .... Terry

hi There Yes HERE IN HEREDIA WHERE I LIVE I MODERN YET UNKNOWN ON THIS SITE
I TAKE A THYROID PILL CALLED LEVORXITINA..
My dr , a specialist 5 mins from my bnB charges a big $25 for exam. but i think less for just a perscription.
email me IF i can put my email here..no idea why not..but i will try in code..just replace the A with the usual emogi..    extrapetsATgmail.com
i hope the boss will allow us to help patients here..usually not so good luck
remember to replace the A 
after30 years still no spell check..tootired to write more with catarcts . i am awaiting my opertaion. if you are moving ner by maybe here ...call me and pick my brain
cheers
pebs

This medication I take is very hard to find in those countries is a natural medication made from the thyroid pig I was taking euterox is the same as levotiroxine but that doesn't work for me I need to take both hormones t4 and T3 in order to function everything is so complicated

Thanks so much

Roxana Rodriguez31 wrote:

This medication I take is very hard to find in those countries is a natural medication made from the thyroid pig I was taking euterox is the same as levotiroxine but that doesn't work for me I need to take both hormones t4 and T3 in order to function everything is so complicated

Try to connect with someone who lives in the area you'll be living in here (facebook group or something) and have them check at local farmacias.

My experience here is that they don't have anything but the most common medicines and anything brand name can cost 2-4 times as much IF you can get it.

Example: I use Flonase for allergies. It's generic in the USA and costs me $29 for a 120 dose supply on Amazon in the USA. Here they do not get that medicine at all but sell a similar one but it's half the dose.
The one that is half the dose costs me $40, so that's about $80 for what I pay $29 for in the USA. Also there is tax on it that I think is close to 10% so that makes it $88 instead of $29. Three times as much!

SOME medicines are cheaper here but many are not.
Another case in point: I use a particular medicine once in a blue moon but like to have it on hand. Here where I live all the pharmacies quit selling it and it's only available through the CAJA/national health care which requires seeing a CAJA dr., standing in for 1-2 hours at 6am to get an appointment, then standing in line for potentially hours to get the medicine as well.

A lot of people praise the CAJA and it's good for many things. But always requires standing in lines, and my experience and seeing the experience of my friend's wife who has hashimotos (a thyroid disorder) makes me realize how inadequate it can be for any unusual illness. And I hate standing in lines, especially standing in line with sick people when I'm sick. More so during a pandemic!

i PITY  THE PATHETIC PEOPLE WHO NEED TO STAND IN LINE FOR CAJA..WELL IT DEPENDS WHERE YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE !
OBVIOUSLY SAN RAMON IS NOT GOOD TO LIVE WITHOUT STANDING IN   LINES..
I MOVED 32 YEARS AGO TO HEREDIA IN HE GORGE0US TRANQUIL HILLS..AND GUESS WHAT?  10 MINS AWAY FROM ALL THE MOST MODERN HOSPITALS AND 10 MINS FROM MY FARM/BnB ,  is the town of San Rafael de HEREDIA.
I  HAVE NEVER HAD TO STAND IN LINE IN OUR CLINIC in  San Rafael de Heredia..  I
go there each month for all my meds ugh but..WHICH  PROVES THAT MANY GRINGOS CHOOSE THE WRONG AREAS TO LIVE.FOR SURE !
stay away from well touted gringo gulches " you will be much better off
good luck to those who stand in line god i could never live like that..

Here in San Rafael de Heredia, with  gorgeous views. and  modern fast wifi.. in 30 years I  have never stood in line for my meds in our clinic SHOWS YOU GRINGOS EN MASS FLOCK TO AREAS UNBEARABLE,,,

IF YOU ARE A 'COKE HEAD" YOU WILL LOVE SANTA THERESA /LOL
ASK MANY OF MY PALS WHO NEEDED REHAB ,,

pebs wrote:

i PITY  THE PATHETIC PEOPLE WHO NEED TO STAND IN LINE FOR CAJA..WELL IT DEPENDS WHERE YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE !
OBVIOUSLY SAN RAMON IS NOT GOOD TO LIVE WITHOUT STANDING IN   LINES..
I MOVED 32 YEARS AGO TO HEREDIA IN HE GORGE0US TRANQUIL HILLS..AND GUESS WHAT?  10 MINS AWAY FROM ALL THE MOST MODERN HOSPITALS AND 10 MINS FROM MY FARM/BnB ,  is the town of San Rafael de HEREDIA.
I  HAVE NEVER HAD TO STAND IN LINE IN OUR CLINIC in  San Rafael de Heredia..  I
go there each month for all my meds ugh but..WHICH  PROVES THAT MANY GRINGOS CHOOSE THE WRONG AREAS TO LIVE.FOR SURE !
stay away from well touted gringo gulches " you will be much better off
good luck to those who stand in line god i could never live like that..

I take exception to your statement that San Ramon is the wrong place to live. Actually many areas - most I've heard of - require lines for some things: banking, seeing a doctor, paying bills, RTV (even with an appointment!), etc.
As my Tico friend says, "Ticos love to stand (or sit) in lines!" 

But of course where you live is The best place in Costa Rica to live. You keep saying it so it must be true.

By the way, did anyone ever tell you using CAPS is considered "yelling"  on a forum?
Glad you like Heredia so much. Lucky you found the perfect place for You. Too cold for some of us who like the Tropics.

Your statement (in caps again) "YOU GRINGOS EN MASS FLOCK TO AREAS UNBEARABLE,,," is just wrong. Gringos (like you) go to all parts of Costa Rica and some like those areas and some don't.

I like San Ramon as do many others. It's by no means "unbearable" as you state.
I simply stated that seeing a CAJA doctor requires waiting in line here. From what I've heard it's like that in many areas of Costa Rica.

It's the CAJA system here that is a bit of a problem, it's not San Ramon's fault. We have our own hospital and there are many private doctors available at a reasonable price if you prefer not to see a CAJA doctor.

I was simply informing people that the CAJA system in general is not all it's cracked up to be by many expats, and Ticos don't know anything better so they tend to praise it. Personally I think having private insurance or a discount plan for private doctors is well worth it. The quality of CAJA doctors and availability of specialists also varies by region. It's just something to be aware of, that's all.

If anyone here is looking to move to Costa Rica, I like to inform them of the down sides as well as the up sides. Personally I'm not a big fan of the CAJA health system.

pebs wrote:

IF YOU ARE A 'COKE HEAD" YOU WILL LOVE SANTA THERESA /LOL
ASK MANY OF MY PALS WHO NEEDED REHAB ,,

Kind of rude to imply people who live in Santa Theresa are coke heads. I heard Montezuma was a drug haven but the year I lived there, I never saw any drugs at all.
Guess it depends on who you know...

CAN ANYONE ANSWER THIS QUESTION?:

IS DESICCATED THYROID AVAILABLE ANYWHERE IN COSTA RICA??

Product names would be ERFA THYROID or Armour Thyroid.

I am from Canada, here visiting - it will take over a month to ship here, and no guarantee it will even get thru customs.
I am in urgent need of filling my prescription and am not getting anywhere with Reception personnel in doctors offices.

Go directly to a Farmacia and ask!

I did - they didn’t know what it was. Also called endocrinologists offices, no call backs and no help from their Receptions.

Forgive me I'm on massive pain meds from oral surgery. But did I read somewhere that after a certain sheet you no longer have to do the forced caja? I mean you can do do it but if you want you can drop it. I plan on getting a private health insurance policy so was wondering if that was true thanks for your info!

@Roxana Rodriguez31 any updates on this? I have some individuals living in PV over there and they are in need of the same thing. Thanks in Advance 

@nardab Did you ever get an answer to this? We are also needing advise and assistance on options

@bill2054 desiccated thyroid is scientifically research and Armour was the medicine and only thyroid medication for 40yrs until lab made meds came avail. Get educated

Warning.. my desiccated thyroid pills went bad very quickly while in CR. I didn’t realize it was happening and ended up very sick when it stopped working. It’s been 3 months now and I’m still not 100%. I’m heading back to CR in a few months .. please let me know if you were able to get the desiccated thyroid . I brought 6 months worth with me,, but after a month it was bad.. I know I must have stored it wrong .

did you store them in a fridge?

As far as I understand, no one here was able to obtain T3 in Costa RIca, no endocrinologist in CR can prescribe it, and no pharmacy can fill it. Shipping medication from abroad to Costa Rica is prohibited. So it seems that the only option is to bring a 3-6 month supply of the meds with you and hope they won't spoil in 30C heat! I have a genetic mutation that doesn't allow my body to convert T4 into T3 as well, especially in the brain, so I need my T3 one way or another.

@juliett007 Update: I was just able to purchase Triyotex (liothyronine) 75mg and Eutirox from La Bomba both without prescription

What and where is La Bomba?

@sandrariches

Thyroid meds are heat, light and humidity Thyroid.  You may have to fine a different way to store it. 

@nardab

I'm sorry you are going through such extreme measures to maintain your thyroid levels.  I to have had a total thyroidectomy.  Still in the USA and strongly considering moving to Costa Rica, I'll thinking long and hard about this.  I found this site today while searching for clean and affordable Levothyroxine medication. 

Many of the generic meds have up to 15 additional ingredients Including yellow dyes and aluminum.  The purest form Tirotint cost $125.00 per month has 3 or 4 ingredients. 

I pray that you will find a simpler remedy that makes you well soon. 

Best Regards,

@bill2054

you have no idea what you're talking about. When I take Synthroid I get violently sick. And that is a fact for a great many people. Many people need all the elements of the thyroid and not just that one thing. You have no idea what you're talking about how dare you

@Roxana Rodriguez31

i'm desperately trying to find out the same thing. What do you do if you can't get it in country? My advice would be to fly out of there and get a year's supply pay for it out of pocket whether you like it or not and bring it back with you

I wondered if anybody has encountered over-the-counter desiccated thyroid which is very much a thing in the United States. The dosing isn't quite as accurate but it's a good substitute for the armor or NP thyroid if you can't get it. Has anybody seen that in Costa Rica at a reasonable price? I went to a GNC when I visited there and paid $60 for a bottle of vitamin D so obviously supplements are not cheap.

First, almost nothing that's imported is cheap, and little that GNC sells is cheap either. The combination is almost certain to be pricy. Several vitamin D supplements (various strengths, etc) are commonly available in the private sector farmacias. I'd bet a cheap lunch that they're all cheaper than GNC.

I've been taking the locally available Eutirox (levothyroxine)  for nineteen years with no noticeable ill effects. I'm a post-total thyroid removal veteran. It's reasonably inexpensive, available in virtually every private sector pharmacy, and sold in at least three potency levels (50mcg, 100mcg and 125mcg).

@daveandmarcia  yes but as I explained in a previous post I am violently allergic to it. I'm glad that you can take it -- but I cannot. I've been taking NP thyroid for 30 years because I cannot take Synthroid or Eurotex or whatever you're calling it . And I am perfectly aware of the expense of import duties regarding the GNC thing. I was merely commenting. I am hoping that somebody on this forum can help me with the difficulty of getting the thyroid medicine that I need which is either armour or NP -- there are no other options for me. Thank you for your comment, but my doctor and I are well aware of of the existence of Synthroid and we know that I am completely unable to take it. The last time I took a sleep medicine I ended up in the hospital with heart failure. So lucky you you can take any medicine they throw at you. I have to be extraordinarily careful or I die.

Send me a private message and I'll put you onto a local company who can import virtually anything from Miami to Heredia for $6.00 per pound. It would be up to you and your doctor, of course, to get what you need prescribed and delivered to Miami.

Thank you. I will probably have to make some kind of arrangement like that but I don't plan to move to Heredia. I'll be too far away to take advantage of anything in that area.

Actually, the folks in Heredia can put any package on a bus and have it to your nearest bus terminal in 24 hours. And it's cheap. Costa Ricans use "bus freight" extensively.  I recently had a nine-pound package shipped from Heredia to the bus station in Grecia for c5,000. I certainly couldn't have driven it for that much less sacrificed three hours of my remaining life.

Yes I would like to know who those people are thank you

On WhatsApp, type the word "valana" (no quote marks) in the text space.

Tell them you wish to use their service but need instructions on how to register and how to pay. Tell them you will want your packages sent by bus to whatever your closest bus station is.

Hi @Roxana Rodriguez31, were you ever able to find Armour anywhere in Costa Rica?