voyagerUSA

I think Xolair was originally introduced as powder and later they switched it to prefilled syringes for convenience, but maybe that given the cost of this medication there is not so much demand for the syringes in Thailand and they have a limited shelf life even if refrigerated, whereas powder prob has much longer shelf life so they stick to powder at most hospitals. It is possible that the top hospitals like Bumrungrad do offer syringes but the price they quoted me was crazy, like 2x the price at Vichayut. Unfortunately, Xolair is expensive because even after like 20 years there is no generic substitute available so the branded can charge whatever they want for it. The question if Xolair can create a long term remission of urticaria or only suppress it is controversial and I got different replies to that from different specialists. Never tried ciclosporin, it is a somewhat risky medication and requires frequent blood monitoring. In my case antihistamines do help but need to take a huge dose, 3-4x the normal dose used for standard allergy treatment. My urticaria tends to quiet down, then flare up after any sort of infection like a flu or covid that revvs up my immune system.

On the issue of mpMRI for prostate it seems BNH Hospitals offers a special package for 18,000 bhat

I am on levocetirizine now which works to some degree, but I still get break through hives whenever I have some sort of infection. I found that Vichayut hospital offers Xolair for about 18,000 baht per 150mg. I have heard it is a bit cheaper at some public hospitals but difficult to access that. However, it seems that in Thailand they do not have the prefilled syringes that you can self administer, instead they use powder that must be especially prepared and dissolved so as a result you can only get the shots at the hospital.

Thank you Sheryl for pointing me in the right direction. I might have a Thai friend call them first see if they could give us a price for the medicine because I already have an allergy/immunology doctor at a private hospital. Of course, if I do decide to go on Xolair and to use Chula clinic as the source I know I will have to see the doctor there to prescribe it etc. I know there is no generic version despite this medicine being like 20 years old and so best case it will be 15-20,000 baht per dose :(

I have been recommended to try Xolair to help control chronic hives that are not fully controlled with antihistamine. This is a quite expensive medication that must be injected monthly. At Bumrungrad I was quoted 40,000 per dose, and at another private hospital (Vichayut) it was 27,000. I suspect it might be cheaper at a government hospital but I never dealt with one before and not sure how to go about finding out this information. Would I need to make a specialist appointment first? Which govt hospital would be likely to have this sort of medication?

Hi I wear multifocal contact lenses for which I got prescription some years ago at Rutnin hospital. Now I feel my vision has changed and I might need a new prescription. However, when I called Rutnin to my surprise they told me they no longer do contact lens fitting so they cant help me. Of course, I can always go to Bumrungrad but this is very simple and quick procedure and I wonder if anyone knows another place that will not charge me an arm and a leg as Bumrungrad surely would. Thanks

As it happens your link does not contain information that I needed, which is the manufacturer, as I did not want something made by some unknown small company. The more detailed information that I needed as it happens is only accessible in a website that requires an account which I don't have and several members have kindly provided it. I am not looking for medical advice, rosuvastatin was prescribed to me by a bumrungrad cardiologist but since I am buying it outside the hospital I am on my own as far as making sure I am getting a good quality medication. Sandoz is a good compromise for me, is cheaper than the original brand (crestor) but is made by a reputable company and apparently works well for me based on blood test results. Vivacor is apparently made by Astrazeneca which is the original maker of crestor so now I know there is no issue about quality and is only about 300 baht more expensivesonir will do until I can get ahold of Sandoz again

Incidentally how does one get access to this Mims website, I often get it in search results but cant view it without an account, but when I try to set up an account it just hangs...

ah thank you exactly the info I been looking for

Thank you for this link, it seems to confirm that Vivacor is supposed to be equivalent to Rosuvastatin but no info on who manufacture it or where.

So until now I was buying Rosuvastatin made by Sandoz and it works well for my cholesterol. Now the couple of usual pharmacies that I use (include the online Medisafe) telling me they are out of stock. Not sure if this is temporary or if it was discontinued? In any case they offer me Vivacor brand instead but I cant find any information on this. I know that these are many generic versions of rosuvastatin but I want to make sure is a reputable manufacturer and not something fake or of questionable quality. Pricing seems to be close to Sandoz...

This sort of situation can be particularly difficult for someone who developed health conditions while covered by a given insurance policy for many years. The existing policy covers these conditions if they developed after the policy started. However, if the company decides to discontinue your policy you might not qualify for a new policy or might face exclusions as these health conditions will now be treated as being pre-existing. In fact I wonder if some less reputable insurance companies discontinue policies deliberately to get rid of policy holders with costly health issues...

My agent told me that the 800k balance must be always in the same bank account, so if I move the money to a different account during the year even at the same bank I will no longer qualify for the visa. So then if this is true you are stuck forever in whatever account you started at retirement unless want to spend a year without a visa.

I have a related question, doesnt buying a sim card these days require passport ID and your picture taken at the shop? If so how can you get a sim card on Lazada? Or do you then have to go to the shop to activate it?

Just something to keep in mind - studies show that in case of stable heart disease stents do not improve survival as compared to medical treatment. They only seem to improve survival when done during a heart attack. It is probably best to think of stents as a palliative measure that helps improveunpleasant symptoms such as chest pain, but they dont seem to prevent heart attacks unfortunately, at least this is my understanding...

Yeah I was quoted 23k including prep work by my current place, but sounded a bit high and also the crown they did before lasted only 9 years which is on the low end from what I understand so I am inclined to shop around. There are several places with fancy english language websites but perhaps a more local oriented place would do as good a job but at lower cost? Or is it just that the cost of the crown itself so high that they cant discount much?

Looks like I may need to have a crown replaced soon. What should be the price range for a porcelain crown and what is a good place to do it in Bangkok? The one I have now lasted only about 10yrs and is now leaking apparently, I am hoping for something that will last longer.

Im mid-50s and do heavy powerlifting 3x per week plus cardio.. but I've been doing some form of resistance training for a long time and my body is used to it. Either your body is just not used to such exercise and you need to get into it slowly scaling up gradually or you have some medical issue. 50s is not yet the time to slow down unless you have specific medical problems. Maintaining muscle mass an strength is important and just gentle stuff like yoga (which I do as well) is not enough

Yes I know my specific issue hard to find a good specialist anywhere, but is not the only issue I have or will have in the future so information about good general health options outside of thailand I think is useful to me and to others.

Yes, I've used Gleneagles outpatient services before and is pretty good

The problem is not known, lower urinary tract symptoms, but cause unknown, doctors so far suggested everything from bacterial prostate infection to cancer, though more likely the former I hope!

My specific problem at the moment is in urology (though is probably not cancer), but I also want a place that is generally excellent so I have a go to place with my records etc.

Yeah fortunately my insurance only excludes USA so Switzerland is an option. USA is completely off the charts when it comes to costs, it can be financially tough even if you are a $$ millionaire

Thank you Sheryl. I like how they have detailed profile for every specialist so you can find the one with the right subspecialty and interests

I realize also for a lot of readers here their natural fallback option would be their home country because of public health benefits and general comfort.