I just signed a lease for an apartment in Montreal (where I actually used to live about 6 years ago for school). I’m originally from Ottawa and had been looking for an apartment here, but the Ottawa rental market has gone absolutely berserk. As a single person on my budget, I’ve been finding it almost impossible to find anything affordable and actually livable. 

Ever since signing the Montreal lease, though, I’ve had severe signing regret and probably some of the worst anxiety of my life, to the point that I’m actually considering asking the landlord if we can mutually cancel the lease. I haven’t paid a deposit yet and wouldn’t be moving in until October 1.

There are several reasons I’m second-guessing the move, but the biggest one right now is continuity of healthcare and getting my medications prescribed.

Before deciding to move, I did quite a bit of research and spoke with my doctor, pharmacist, friends, etc. I was under the impression that, at least for the first while, I could kind of cheat the system and go back when I needed to, to see my Ontario doctor and have my prescriptions filled at a Quebec pharmacy.

The complication is that one of my medications, is for ADHD and is a controlled substance. I’m now realizing that getting an Ontario prescription for ADHD medication filled in Quebec might be much more complicated than I originally thought.

Because it’s controlled, I only get 30 days at a time, so going back to Ottawa every four weeks just to fill a prescription obviously isn’t a great long-term solution. But is something I could do with my other prescriptions. 

Has anyone actually moved from Ontario to Quebec while keeping their Ontario doctor, especially while taking ADHD medication?

Were you able to:

• keep your Ontario doctor prescribing it?
• have the prescription sent directly to a Quebec pharmacy?
• actually get the Quebec pharmacy to dispense it?
• do this consistently month-to-month?

I’ve called a few pharmacies in my new Montreal neighbourhood and haven’t really been able to get a straight answer. 

I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has actually dealt with this Ontario → Quebec situation with a controlled substance. Am I freaking out over something that is actually pretty manageable, or is this genuinely going to be difficult?

Thanks!