

Ask HN: Is there any way a non-American citizen can get antibiotics in NYC? - ivp

Hi folks,<p>Currently I am in NYC (Manhattan) and I happen to feel quite sick and knowing myself it will probably get worse and the only way it will go away is to take antibiotics. However, I am not an American citizen (I am from Eastern Europe) and hence I don&#x27;t know how the health system works here. Could someone tell me if there&#x27;s any way I could get a prescription from a doctor so I can buy antibiotics?<p>Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you in advance!
======
patio11
Yes, this is pretty routine here. Go to a doctor's office which accepts walk-
ins (most of them do -- in a pinch, every hospital will let you wait briefly
for the emergency room, or you can Google for "acute care center" or "urgent
care center"). They'll ask for your insurance information. Tell them that you
have none and will be self-paying. You'll fill out a brief form, be seen by
the doctor, likely get a prescription written, and get presented with a bill.
It will likely be somewhat larger than what you're used to paying to see the
doctor. You can take the prescription to any pharmacy, and pay there for the
antibiotics. They will likely be more expensive than you are used to.

American doctors, by law and near universal custom, treat patients without
regards to citizenship.

------
carbocation
Where you should go depends on severity of disease. If you are seriously ill,
you should go to an _emergency department_ at a hospital. (If you had a
primary doctor in the US, they might be able to admit you directly without
going through the ED if you were very ill.) If you are ill and need to be seen
soon, _urgent care_ centers exist and they should be able to see you quickly.
If you are well enough to wait for a few days-to-weeks, then you can schedule
an appointment with a doctor.

How it is paid for depends on insurance status. I don't know whether your home
country has national insurance, how that works once you're in the US, or
whether you personally have private insurance. If you are not insured in any
way, then you could be liable for expenses.

Finally, it seems unlikely that a doctor would write you for antibiotics
without seeing you first, but who knows.

------
uberuberuber
Having to negotiate some paperwork is a small price to pay for not dying of an
infection. The ER is required by law to provide you with care, regardless of
your ability to pay, or immigration status. They do not 'turn in' or 'report'
people without ID/passport/green-card/etc. Depending on the nature of your
illness, just taking an oral antibiotic is unlikely to be curative.

If you really want to just take an antibiotic, you could just rush order from
here with no prescription needed. Fish antibiotics are the same as
humans...just less quality control.
[http://www.fishmoxfishflex.com/index.php/fish-
antibiotics.ht...](http://www.fishmoxfishflex.com/index.php/fish-
antibiotics.html)

Amazon must have cracked down on their sale because they aren't available
judging from the search results.

------
rdouble
Duane Reade walk in is likely your best bet. It will probably cost $200,
though.

[http://www.drwalkin.com/](http://www.drwalkin.com/)

If you're living in NYC for a while, I suggest a membership with One Medical
Group.

------
ivp
Thanks a lot guys! Went to Duane Reade and got what I needed.

