San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I had assumed, on leaving for Mexico, that my annoying allergy to mountain cedar would abate. Instead, my head got murkier. Whatever I had, it wasn't an allergy. It was probably an infection. I spent the first two nights here devising different ways to pile bed pillows so I could sit up through the night. I wanted to thwart the coughing.

Instead, my cough got worse.

By the third night there was a new problem: a painful earache. I started thinking about the time, years ago, that I had gotten pneumonia in Paris and was so confused I went to London, hoping to die in English.

What to do?

Visit a pharmacy. Talk to the pharmacist.

That's what you do in Mexico when you're sick but can still walk.

So I walked a few blocks to Botica Agundis, otherwise known as "Chelo's." A tiny storefront about a block from the jardin, Botica Agundis bears no resemblance to any pharmacy you've seen in the United States. It was also clear that it was a competitive business because there were several other pharmacies, equally small, within a few blocks.

I introduced myself to Roberto McLendon, a young pharmacist whose mother is the Chelo in "Chelo's" and described my symptoms. He suggested Amoxicillin, an anti-biotic, to fight the infection, and Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory, to reduce the internal swelling.

I bought a one-week supply of both and headed back for the hotel. One day later the earache was gone. Two days later I felt much better.

That's how you buy prescription drugs in Mexico. No doctor.

While visiting with Roberto I asked if he would do me a big favor. Would he give me prices for a list of some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in America? If I could come back that afternoon, he'd have it ready, he said.

Back in Dallas, I went to the Eckerd's where I pick up my monthly supply of Lipitor and asked pharmacist Cory Christianson if he would do me a big favor and give me a list of prices on the most commonly prescribed drugs in America. I wanted to compare them to prices in Mexico, I told him. Like Roberto, he couldn't do it on the spot but said he'd have it ready by morning.

Sure enough, Pharmacy Manager John Porter handed me the list in the morning. Both pharmacists were curious about the results. You can see them in the table below where they are ranked by their listing in "The Pill Book," a thousand-page compendium of pharmaceutical knowledge that even includes a photographic centerfold section sure to thrill pill lovers.

Comparing Common Prescription Prices in the U.S. and Mexico

Use Rank**	Drug	Dose& Number	Cost-U.S.	Cost Mex (in $)	Mex as % US	Primary use
1	Premarin	0.625 c/28	$23.79	$19.09	80.3%	female hormone replacement
2	Synthroid	100 mcg c/50	$28.59	$8.05	28.2%	thyroid hormone replacement
3	Lipitor	10 mg c/20	$51.79	$43.92	84.8%	cholesterol reduction
5	Prilosec-brand	70 mg c/20	$88.29	$41.08	46.5%	ulcers, reflux
6	Albuterol		$21.99	$14.09	64.1%	asthma & bronchospasm
7	Norvasc	5mg c/30	$46.49	$39.81	85.6%	angina
8	Claritin	c/20	$60.59	$24.52	40.5%	allergies-antihistamine
9	Prozac-brand	c/28	$83.29	$68.12	81.8%	depression, compulsions
	Prozac-generic	c/50 caps	na	$56.15	na
10	Trimox	500 mg c/16	$11.89	$23.74	199.6%	anti-biotic
11	Zoloft*	50 mg c/14	$39.09	$29.26	74.9%	depression, compulsions
12	Lanoxin	c/60	$15.49	$10.01	64.6%	congestive heart failure
13	Glucophage	850 mg c/40	$63.79	$10.94	17.2%	diabetes
14	Prempro	c/28	$38.99	$22.44	57.5%	female hormone replacement
15	Paxil	20 mg c/20	$61.09	$42.73	69.9%	depression, anxiety
16	Zestril*	5 mg c/28	$32.89	$10.51	31.9%	hypertension, cong. heart failure
17	Zocor*	5 mg c/30	$52.09	$41.75	80.1%	cholesterol reduction
18	Zithromax	500 mg c/4	$38.49	$38.29	99.5%	anti-biotic
19	Prevacid*	15 mg c/28	$123.89	$35.56	28.7%	ulcers, reflux
20	Augmentin 12 hrs	c/10	$46.89	$25.08	53.5%	anti-biotic
22	Celebrex*	200 mg c/20	$61.99	$36.54	58.9%	arthritis
23	Coumadin	5 mg c/25	$23.09	$6.19	26.8%	anti-coagulant
24	Amoxicilin-generic	c/50	$22.09	$13.73	62.1%	anti-biotic
25	Vasotec*	5 mg c/30	$41.59	$13.83	33.3%	hypertension

Sources: The Pill Book, 2000 edition; Botica Agundis, Eckerd's *costs for different dosages of these drugs can vary as a percent of U.S. costs Note: positions 4 and 21were occupied by generic and proprietary versions of Hydrocodone. Prices were not available.

Only one drug, anti-biotic Trimox, cost more in Mexico than in the United States. All the others ranged from a low of 17.2 percent (Glucophage for treating diabetes) to a high of 85.6 percent (Norvasc for treating angina) of the U.S. price. The average saving is nearly 36 percent. You should know that this is not a massive study. It's just a comparison of prices from two drug stores. You may find some lower prices elsewhere in Mexico. You might also find some lower prices than Eckerd's but I wouldn't make a heavy bet on it.

What does it all mean?

Simply this. If you need to take a drug routinely, as many older Americans do, you'll be able to get it for less in Mexico.

Is this a good reason to retire to Mexico?

Hardly. But it wouldn't hurt.

Tuesday: The Big Hurdle---Healthcare

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Personal finance writer Scott Burns is syndicated by Universal Press. His twice weekly column appears in newspapers from Boston to Seattle. He is the Chief Investment Strategist for AssetBuilder, Inc. Readers can register at www.scottburns.com. Questions/comments can be posted directly. They can also be sent, without registration, to scott@scottburns.com. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns and on this blog.

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