Supplements & Vitamins to Mexico

I work in the supplement/vitiamin industry and always pack a lot of the stuff with me. Some in bottles, others in plastic day/night packs. It is always more than the normal person would take. Will these cause a problem going to Mexico?

Thanks,

Puldu

Since you brought this up, perhaps others would like to know that a vitamin website, Puritan, supplies excellent products and will ship them to Mexico. There is no tax on these things. I have received a couple of boxes from them with no problem, directly to my PO box.

http://www.puritan.com/

Their selection is vast. Vitamin outlets that I have seen in Mexico, including GNC, are generally pathetic. Calcium and multiples, and that is about it. Puritan does, of course, charge more shipping to Mexico than it does within the U.S., but their excellent prices more than offset the additional shipping charge.

Regarding the question above, I would think not. Vitamins appear to have an open door to Mexico.

[BajaGringo]

I believe that Don is correct but I will relate a story that happened to the wife of a former employee of mine last year. She had been very overweight most of her life until a few years ago when she hooked up with a group that radically modified her diet and got her on an excercise and vitamin/natural supplement routine. She lost over 100 pounds and to her credit has kept it off. She does take about 30 different pills/capsules a day still and when she travels carries about 10 different large bottles of this stuff.

Although it is all legal in the US and available over the counter at any health food store, she was stopped for a routine inspection coming across the border into Mexico at San Ysidro and when they opened the rear hatch of their SUV they saw a bag with all the large bottles. They brought over another inspector who didn't seem overly concerned by the stuff until he noticed in the bottom of the bag several baggies of more supplements. As they were loose and unmarked, it did raise a lot of suspicion and my friends spent over an hour in secondary inspection before they were finally released. So it appears that if you are going to bring quantities of vitamins and/or supplements make sure they are in the original bottle and not loose in baggies thinking it would take up less room in your luggage.

[StrykerGT2001]

Good link Don, its in my bookmarks now. I usually bring a big bottle back with me everytime I fly, and have been asked about it both in the US and in Mexican customs - original bottles definitely help, so unless there is a pressing reason to remove the pills and rebag them, leave them be.

[Julie444]

I would like to take "good" bacteria supplements with me, but they will be killed by X-rays; how do I handle that?

[BajaGringo]

First of all you might want to verify that the amount of radiation that the bacteria would be exposed to would actually kill it. Second you need to get all of the documentation on the bacteria, and show it to security when passing through. Hopefully they will hand inspect it and not film it. I would definitely contact the airline and give them the specifics to see what they say...

[Julie444]

Thanks, that's easy enough.