Why is it necessary to have prescription to buy cpap?

[johnmw1]

John, your GP should be able to write a script

Hi,

And yes thanks I will follow up on that.

Cheers,
John

[johnmw1]

The FDA decided that people might over dose on air and cause harm to themselves. If you watch out you might find a used machine for a reasonable price that can be shipped to you.

Hi,

I would definitely prefer new, I have a thing about second hand don't know why, but thanks for the suggestion anyway.

Cheers,
John

[johnmw1]

eBay (in N.America anyhow) won't sell without a script as far as I know.

Hi,
I was not aware of that thanks for the heads up.

Cheers,
John

[49er]

Hi John,

I just sent you a PM about members on this forum who have previously sold machines without a prescription.

49er

[Jay Aitchsee]

Hi John, Welcome.
I'm not sure exactly how the law reads, but essentially no "business" in the U.S. may sell cpap machines, new or used, without prescriptions. They are treated similarly to prescription drugs.
It's possible the law may not apply if the seller is selling to a foreigner where prescriptions are not needed, I don't know, but this may raise other issues like export regulations.
Have you checked with a legitimate seller to see if they would ship to Australia, even with a Rx? If they would, then as mentioned previously, the easiest thing would probably get your doctor to write one. See our host's page here: https://www.cpap.com/cpap-faq/Prescriptions.html for a good review of the requirements.

Jay

[johnmw1]

Hi John, Welcome.
I'm not sure exactly how the law reads, but essentially no "business" in the U.S. may sell cpap machines, new or used, without prescriptions. They are treated similarly to prescription drugs.
It's possible the law may not apply if the seller is selling to a foreigner where prescriptions are not needed, I don't know, but this may raise other issues like export regulations.
Have you checked with a legitimate seller to see if they would ship to Australia, even with a Rx? If they would, then as mentioned previously, the easiest thing would probably get your doctor to write one. See our host's page here: https://www.cpap.com/cpap-faq/Prescriptions.html for a good review of the requirements.

Jay

Hi Jay,

Thanks for the welcome. Yes it's very muddy waters that's for sure and way beyond me and my understanding of what's what, anyway that's what it is!

Cheers,
John

[Gerald?]

John

I just called my specialist and said I needed a letter confirming I was on CPAP to buy a mask from the US. Specialist emailed me a short letter the next day which did the job. Your specialist or GP might also be willing to do the same.

If you are looking to buy new, you can shop around a bit in Australia, but totally agree to be careful from who you buy. Based on past experience, it is good to have someone who has some premises near you so you can take it back if there is a problem. I found the dealers will price match to a point. They won't price match to the US and they won't price match to a pure internet supplier.

Also one thing to remember is that if you have private health insurance, often there is a rebate for CPAP machines. Call your insurer but from what I have seen it can be anywhere from $0-$1000. However they only give this rebate if you purchase from an Australia supplier.

Having said all that I find it is much cheaper to buy masks, tubes filters etc from the US, particularly CPAP.com!

Regards,
Gerald.

[archangle]

Some reasons to require a prescription:

1) The MAIN reason is to protect the profit margin for doctors and the rest of the medical mafia.
2) There are some fairly rare medical conditions CPAP can make worse.
3) Even an auto CPAP machine doesn't always figure out the right pressure. For many people, it takes some educated adjustment to get it right.
4) If you set the pressure too high, it can cause central apnea and make your apnea worse.
5) If you set the pressure yourself, you can get the wrong pressure and not successfully treat your apnea.
6) You might have a more serious medical condition unrelated to apnea. For instance, you might have some sort of heart trouble and think it's sleep apnea. If you try CPAP, you might end up not treating your real problem.
7) Insurance probably wouldn't pay for CPAP if it didn't require a prescription.

[chunkyfrog]

I overdosed on my cpap the other night.
I slept 9 hours.
It felt wonderful.

[newsnore]

I overdosed on my cpap the other night.
I slept 9 hours.
It felt wonderful.

The danger of a frog overdosing on cpap is that they might leap too high and then come down to earth with a crash

[jdm2857]

Some reasons to require a prescription:

1) The MAIN reason is to protect the profit margin for doctors and the rest of the medical mafia.
2) There are some fairly rare medical conditions CPAP can make worse.
3) Even an auto CPAP machine doesn't always figure out the right pressure. For many people, it takes some educated adjustment to get it right.
4) If you set the pressure too high, it can cause central apnea and make your apnea worse.
5) If you set the pressure yourself, you can get the wrong pressure and not successfully treat your apnea.
6) You might have a more serious medical condition unrelated to apnea. For instance, you might have some sort of heart trouble and think it's sleep apnea. If you try CPAP, you might end up not treating your real problem.
7) Insurance probably wouldn't pay for CPAP if it didn't require a prescription.

Just three more and you can submit the list to Letterman.

[chunkyfrog]

Well, "doctors" in online clinics write RX's for Viagra every day.
(And that stuff can kill you)
Go figure.

[Stormynights]

Further, doesn't all this type of machine have to inspected in a timely fashion by an individual with certain certification as to their expertise.

I don't think that is likely to happen.

[stage0]

Archangel is right....all kidding and sarcasm and anger at insurance companies set aside.

I set the pressuress for pts. almost every nite, and see the problems associated with pressure changes. I have to monitor body systems and the changes that happen as the pressure changes. I see the adverse reactions; that plainly can be life threatening; which include EKG arhythmias, oxygen desats and respiratory responses. I have to monitor all age groups; of which will react diferently as the pressure changes. I know it is just air, so what is the big deal? It is a machine that is pressurizing air the is pressurizing the lungs, which puts preassure on the heart and other organs in the area. This should be enough of a explanation for being monitored and getting a script for the machine. Also, the machine is akin to the respirator and tends to breath for the person.

[chunkyfrog]

How about "breathe"?
I usually let spelling errors slide, but you claim to be an expert.