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Diagnosis & Treatment > Seizure Medications > Sabril > Can I get Sabril if I live in the United States?
 

Can I get Sabril if I live in the United States?

What's the problem?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates the production and sale of prescription medicines in the United States, has not approved Sabril. This means that if you live in the United States, you cannot get Sabril from your drugstore in the same way that you get most other seizure medicines. (It is available in many other countries, including Australia, Canada, and the UK.).

Your doctor will almost certainly recommend that you try FDA-approved medicines first. One or more of them probably will work well for you. But certain types of epilepsy often seem to respond best to Sabril. What if you or your child has this type? Your doctor will talk to you about the risks of Sabril. (See What are the most common side effects of Sabril? and What are the most serious side effects of Sabril? on this website.) If you decide that you want to try it anyway, you will have to get it from a pharmacy in another country.

How do I order it?
Ask your neurologist to help you. The doctor's office can fax a prescription to the overseas pharmacy that you wish to use. You will need to provide your credit card number to the pharmacy and authorize the shipment of the Sabril to your home address.

When the time comes to reorder, be sure to begin the process well in advance so you won't run out of pills if the medication is delayed at the border. Sometimes the doctor may need to write a letter of medical necessity before it will be released to you.

Am I breaking the law if I buy Sabril?
In general, it is not legal to bring into the United States any medicine that has not been approved by the FDA. Customs officers are allowed to seize such products at the border, whether they are arriving by mail or are being carried by an individual.

The FDA recognizes, however, that there is not an effective FDA-approved treatment for every serious condition, so people who live in the United States sometimes may want to use medications from other countries. To make this possible, the FDA allows discretion in enforcing the law against importing foreign medicines such as Sabril. The medicine may be permitted to enter the country if several conditions are met:

  • The product will be used to treat a serious disorder.
  • The product is considered not to present an unreasonable risk.
  • The quantity is reasonable for personal use, usually not more than a 3-month supply.
  • The product will be used under medical supervision. A prescription from a physician licensed in the United States would be evidence to satisfy this requirement.
  • The product is not commercially promoted in the United States.

What about cost?
Medical insurance in the United States generally does not pay the cost of medications purchased outside the country, so you will need to pay for the Sabril yourself. In early 2003, the cost of 100 tablets (500-mg) of brand name Sabril was $158 at a pharmacy in the Bahamas. The same amount of generic vigabatrin could be purchased from Switzerland for $105.

A Canadian pharmacy website featured the same amount of brand-name Sabril for $89.88, but you will need a prescription from a doctor in Canada so this is probably not a practical option for most Americans. Canadian pharmacies will not ship non-FDA-approved medications to the United States.

Following the FDA's guidelines, the order will probably be for a 3-month supply, although larger amounts are often permitted. It is not unusual for adults to take 4 or 5 tablets per day (or even more), so a 3-month supply may cost several times the 100-tablet prices given above. See What's the best amount of Sabril to take? for more information on dosages.

Reviewed February 2004 by Steven C. Schachter, MD, epilepsy.com Editorial Board.