Algodones, Mexico: A Travel Guide

One of the perks of living in Los Angeles is that you can drive down to Mexico just for the day and it will only take a few hours. I've been to Tijuana and Rosarito, but I had heard a lot of people talk about Los Algodones and how it's a great place to visit, so I decided to head down and see what the town is really like.

Why visit Algodones?

There are two main reasons people make the trip out to Algodones: to buy inexpensive prescription medicine at the many pharmacies or to get low-cost medical services. With the high cost of prescription medicine and medical care in the United States, many senior citizens who live in the neighboring cities began flocking across the border and as a result, medicine is the town's biggest draw. Nowadays, you'll still see the seniors but you'll also see families, young people and tourists from pretty much everywhere.

Pharmacies

A Mexican pharmacy is a lot different than an American pharmacy. In Algodones, the pharmacies are all small stores with the bottles of pills visible on shelves. For commonly purchased medication such as ibuprofen, prices are sometimes commonly posted but for other medication you will have to ask about the prices. There are pharmacists available to help you in choosing the right medication. You can ask for your medication by name or let them know what symptoms or conditions you have. In general, the pharmacists are helpful and will even recommend a generic if available.

Mexico uses a different system for controlling medication than the United States does, therefore a customer doesn't always need a prescription. For example, you can buy muscle relaxers such as cyclobenzaprine over the counter in Mexico whereas in the United States you need a prescription. There are dozens of different pharmacies in Algodones and if the one you go to doesn't have what you need, they will call and have somebody deliver your medication to you.

Dentists & Opticians