Diabetes Management Startup

[John K]

I have a friend who will be coming to Bangkok in the near future for an extended stay. At the moment he is diabetic and shortly he will be needing to start insulin injections. Can someone please tell me where he can go to get setup with local testing supplies and insulin Preferably a clinic. He does not want to bring supplies from home as they may not be available here. He will be staying generally near the skytrain perhaps Sukhumvit soi 40 and up.

Thanks in advance.

[tutsiwarrior]

I have a friend who will be coming to Bangkok in the near future for an extended stay. At the moment he is diabetic and shortly he will be needing to start insulin injections. Can someone please tell me where he can go to get setup with local testing supplies and insulin Preferably a clinic. He does not want to bring supplies from home as they may not be available here. He will be staying generally near the skytrain perhaps Sukhumvit soi 40 and up.

Thanks in advance.

your friend will need a local scrip from a doctor to get insulin and he will have to buy from an authorised outlet, ie., hospital, clinic, etc....you can't buy off the street at a pharmacy/chemist...

quite funny as you can get the other gear, bg meter test strips, needles and etc. I have been using mixtard 30 for insulin in Thailand and appears to be widely available...but you got to get the scrip

any doctor can give you the scrip...no explanation needed or examination so don't bother with big hospitals that cater to falangs...just say that you have 'bahwahn' and they understand..take in your test/injection kit for the doctor to see...I use the Novolet plastic pens but there is an arrangement in Thailand where they use a Novolet vial/cartridge in a resusable metal pen arrangement...cheap to buy and the same medication...test strips for 'One Touch Ultra' bg meters are widely available. This meter and the Bayer meter are available everywhere. Your friend is advised to ditch anything else.

your friend can go whole hog to Bumumgrad and pay lots of dough to an 'endicrinologst' but better to stay local to a clinic for better value...they come across OK...

if outside of BKK tell your friend to stock up...in resort areas you are supposed to have fun and not worry about chronic illness so there is no bahwahn medicine on demand (plenty of acid though)...in BKK no problems...

all the best

[lopburi3]

Accu and Lifescan One Touch are the only meters I have come across here in Thailand. I canned a Bayer model from USA as found no place that had test strips. In neither case would I call them available everywhere - even in Bangkok most pharmacies do not carry them. Although most can order. Just too expensive/short life to keep on hand for most.

I disagree with Tutsi and would recommend using a qualified endocrinologist. At a major private hospital (I also would not recommend Bumrungrad) that will run about 500 baht every 3 months. I do not consider that excessive. Most general clinics, other than those with limited hours (after work type of good doctors), are very suspect and I would not trust to correctly diagnose a hangnail.

[John K]

His biggest concern was getting refills for testing and delivery. Right now he is only taking oral medication but will need to start injections. If you could name a clinic on or near Sukhumvit that would be great. As he has never been here and the skytrain will more than likely be his mode of transportation for a while. I don’t know if the little walk in clinics have what he needs. I think they should be able to give him a startup kit to start and not send him all over town hunting it down. He has been diagnosed by his PC so a new diagnosis is not needed, just a place to get him setup. I am sure he can adjust the unit dosage without supervision.

[Mobi]

The best specialists in Bungrumrad are not expensive - certainly by western standards.

As an insulin dependant diabietic of more than 20 years and a Thailand resident, I wouldn't go anywhere else. You only have to see the Doctor every 3 - 6 months and you're talking small money. The specialists there are very good and very up to date. I wouldn't trust anywhere else.

Your friend will be getting all his medication on the NHS free in the UK. I strongly recomnmend he gets as much as possible when he comes to thailand. Some years ago, I told my GP I was going abroad for 4 months and he gave me 4 months supply.

All medication that he gets in England is available here - don't worry about that.

It is not true that you cannot buy insulin from a pharmacy in thialand. I have been buying insulin directly from pharmacies for years - not a single one has ever asked for a doctor's note. Sometimes it has to be ordered by the pharmacy - usually takes a couple of days - maybe that's where the confusion arises.

PM me if you need more info, or advice. I survive as a diabetic quite nicely here in the Thai system of things.

[jdinasia]

Bangkok Nursing Home Hospital has a diabetes clinic one of my friends swears by! It is close to both the subway (Lumpini or Silom) and the skytrain (Saladaeng). It is located on Soi Convent near Sathorn Tai

[Sheryl]

For the location you mention (Sukhumvit around Soi 40) Samitivej would be the closest. It's on Soi 49 but rather a long walk into the Soi, suggest cab or mototaxi from Sukhumvit. IMHO, generally a better hospital than Bumrungrad although he'd probably do fine there as well. Any of the major Bangkok hospitals will have specialists in diabetes and be able to supply all needed care. To avoid unnecessary costs have him bring a medical summary from his home doc with key test results and history.

[John K]

OK my friend arrived and was very happy with BNH on Convent. He was told by the Doctor that the price there was a bit high and he might be able to find a better price around Sukhumvit, but the doctor did not know where.

He was given a Novapen. His insulin refills are 275 ThB and the needles are 11 ThB.

Does anyone know of better prices and where?

[kesam1]

I have an Accu chek active can anyone tell me the cost of strips for these please or if not should I buy the one touch and what are the cost of strips for that. I will be spending 2 month in Pattaya if anyone can advice on best Chemists there.

Many thanks

[thaigerd]

50 stripes around 1100.-Baht.

Gerd

[kesam1]

Thanks Gerd

[Joe Walshe]

My Thai wife and I plan to return to retire in Thailand but she worries about Diabetic care and long term costs. I am insulin dependent diabetic. In Ireland, where we live, all medication is free. we would be settling in Khon Kaen region. Any views or opinions would be much apreciated.

[thaigerd]

My Thai wife and I plan to return to retire in Thailand but she worries about Diabetic care and long term costs. I am insulin dependent diabetic. In Ireland, where we live, all medication is free. we would be settling in Khon Kaen region. Any views or opinions would be much apreciated.

I would calculate about 2000.-Baht a month for insulin and test stripes.

(What means 10 pints of Guinness )

Build up some free stock before you settle down here.

Gerd

[John K]

Nova pen refills

300 units 275 -320 ThB depending on type

needles 11 -15 ThB depending on size

accu-chek 25 test strips about 560 ThB at Boots

200 wipes 250 ThB ? At boots

Prices according to my friend.

[Mobi]

My monthly medication cost is just under 7,000 Baht per month. This includes insulin (two types), test strips, eye drops for my glaucoma, and a whole host of pills for my heart condition, and prostate.

Here is a breakdown of the prices, as bought at Fascino pharmacy in Pattaya.

I have yet to buy insulin pen needles, as I acccumulated so many boxes on the National health that I have been using them ever since. However the supply is almost gone, so that will be a new cost coming some time soon

Of course, consultants fees are on top of all this.

[Khutan]

I have an Accu chek active can anyone tell me the cost of strips for these please or if not should I buy the one touch and what are the cost of strips for that. I will be spending 2 month in Pattaya if anyone can advice on best Chemists there.

Many thanks

I buy my Accu Check Active Strips from the Pharmacy attached to Lotus at On Nut. They are expensive, you get 25 per can at about 500B a can of strips.

I am planning to go back to Australia next month, so I think I will stock up then, as I have a Diabetics Australia card, I get the preferred price.

[Joe Walshe]

My monthly medication cost is just under 7,000 Baht per month. This includes insulin (two types), test strips, eye drops for my glaucoma, and a whole host of pills for my heart condition, and prostate.

Here is a breakdown of the prices, as bought at Fascino pharmacy in Pattaya.

I have yet to buy insulin pen needles, as I acccumulated so many boxes on the National health that I have been using them ever since. However the supply is almost gone, so that will be a new cost coming some time soon

Of course, consultants fees are on top of all this.

Only just came across reply today. Thank you Moby, very sweet of you to reply with detailed info.

Joe

[ignis]

My monthly medication cost is just under 7,000 Baht per month. This includes insulin (two types), test strips, eye drops for my glaucoma, and a whole host of pills for my heart condition, and prostate.

Here is a breakdown of the prices, as bought at Fascino pharmacy in Pattaya.

I have yet to buy insulin pen needles, as I acccumulated so many boxes on the National health that I have been using them ever since. However the supply is almost gone, so that will be a new cost coming some time soon

Of course, consultants fees are on top of all this.

Myself I go to a back street pharmacy, all speak English or at least someone there will........ you will notice that these pharmacy’s have large bottles of all the different medications and count out how many a person wants by hand…

I always buy the bottle of each of my medication [most are 500 tables a few come in 1,000 tablet bottles]… The price is a fraction of the price I would pay for a box or blister pack + buying a bottle you get a discount…

Always ask the Pharmacist for the Thai version, when I came to Thailand my monthly medication bill was around 4,500 baht, now it is under 800 baht.

Eg: 1 x 500 tables cost 189 baht, used to pay 280 baht for 28 tablet box….

Another was 970 baht for 14 tablets, now pay 80 baht etc etc

[Mobi]

Fascinating to see this thread is being resurrected yet again. It's almost a year since I made that post.

Well during the intervening year my meds have changed a bit and my monthly drug bill is now even higher.

I am well aware of the need to buy Thai generics whenever possible, and always check with the consultant, the internet and drug store to make sure I am getting the cheapest available equivalent. In one instance, I baulked so much at the cost of an imported drug for my enlarged prostate,that I asked the consultant if he could suggest a cheaper alternative - which he did.

I am amazed that you are getting such huge savings by going to a back street pharmacy, and I wish you luck, and hope they are all genuine drugs.

For me, quite frankly, my health is too important to take a chance on drugs bought in such places, as it is well documented fact that there are many fake drugs sold in Thailand. Time expired drugs may also be an issue here.

Over the past year, I have found from other members that my drug prices are 'there or there about' with what other people are paying, and I will stick with Fascino, where I know I'm getting the real thing.

[tropo]

I have an Accu chek active can anyone tell me the cost of strips for these please or if not should I buy the one touch and what are the cost of strips for that. I will be spending 2 month in Pattaya if anyone can advice on best Chemists there.

Many thanks

The best value strips and meter I've seen in Pattaya is the "One-touch Horizon" meter. I've been using it for over 2 years...one that I bought in the Philippines.

The best price on strips is at the Fascino Pharmacy on Pattaya Nua (North).

They are 485 baht for 25 strips.

You can get a free discount card from this store (by spending 1000 baht) which will give you a 5% discount on everything you purchase. That brings the cost of the strips down to 460 for the "one-touch Horizon" meter.

They do have strips for the Accu Check meter.

[Mobi]

I've been using One Touch ultra for quite some time now. The strips are 1200 Baht for 50 at Fascino.

Most hospitals and diabetes specialists seem to use this product, and when I have a consultation, they down load the results from my machine.

I also download at home with One Touch soft ware, which provides me with a wide range of information and stats. I can also manually input other medical information, and in particular, daily blood pressure readings, and all is printed out on medical reports, showing trends, exceptions etc.

Being a diabetic is all about understanding and managing your own disease.

[John K]

I just spotted the drugstore directly to the left of Bullies in Nana sells accu check test strips for 485 Baht. That is well under the 560 Baht at Boots. That by the way is the cheapest drugstore for many other things I have seen.

[jezabel]

does anyone have any advice on how i can get hold of humalog pen cartidges? i am living in ranong and have only found one private hospital in phuket that have it and they were very reluctant to sell it me (would only sell 3 single cartridges, not a whole box) plus it was painfully expensive...

if there is a way of ordering it to here in ranong rather than having to travel to phuket every time i would love to know, do local pharmacies have the authority? i have no idea what the system is or where to order from if at all possible. i also use lantus but that is available from the government hospital here.

also i have a onetouch horizon meter but cannot find the strips anywhere in the town, i have found onetouch ultra strips but they have no meters for sale...if anyone knows the area or what is perhaps available in chumphon? or any advice in general! many thanks.

[tutsiwarrior]

I used humalog in Vietnam before I had a line on my usual Novolet Mixtard 30 in HCMC which is widely available in Thailand using the Novopen system. They are compatible (humalog - Novolet) but I would always check first with a doctor.

I am a type 2 diabetic and always thought that I needed insulin...then, I lost weight, began to exercise and to watch my diet (get away from the glycemic nasties) and now can control the blood glucose just using metformin (Glucophage)...with a proper routine I don't need any medication at all to stay around 100mg/dl...

but, one always likes to misbehave, especially when at home on R&R...

[syd barrett]

Any update information on the cost of Accu-Check test strips? Boots are still 560 baht for 25 strips and chip card.

Anyone found cheaper in Pattaya or indeed Bangkok?

Edited February 9, 2010 by syd barrett

[Sheryl]

Bound to be cheaper at Fascino's.

[syd barrett]

Bound to be cheaper at Fascino's.

Our friend 'Mobi' Post # 21 says 1200 baht for 50 strips.

I have tried there for Accu Check Active but never in stock. Will try again tomorrow.

[Spee]

Bound to be cheaper at Fascino's.

Our friend 'Mobi' Post # 21 says 1200 baht for 50 strips.

I have tried there for Accu Check Active but never in stock. Will try again tomorrow.

If I may revive this older thread, can anyone verify if some of the prices for insulin, needles, test strips, etc., are still relatively accurate for current prices?

[PMNL]

Test strip is about 480-500baht/25, Isulin price depends on brand and type ( Lantus 4500/box).

Price of almost everything at boots are higher than local chemist.

[Spee]

Test strip is about 480-500baht/25, Isulin price depends on brand and type ( Lantus 4500/box).

Price of almost everything at boots are higher than local chemist.

Cheers mate ... My partner's brother has just been diagnosed and is going to need insulin therapy. Not really sure what's up. She says the doc told him he only has 2-3 years left. No idea where that came from. These clinic docs can be a little scary. The guy is only in his early 30's. The main thing is cost. If it's 2k-3k ThB per month, that's something I can handle. If it's more, then I need another plan.