Getting your medications without travelling - options

[Sheryl]

(Referring to essential medications  you normally take)

 

If you are unable to get your medication where you are:

 

1. https://www.medconsultasia.com/

or Line app MC Customer Service

WhatsApp: +6692-269-1347

Can get meds and mail them to you. Recently confirmed to include ART. They can supply anything available in Thailand except control substances. Prices are competitive but there is a 300 baht surcharge ion all orders so it pays to order in bulk.

 

2. http://www.bangkokdrugstore.com/

will ship by mail. More limited range of meds but still quite a few.

 

3. Paiboon pharmacy in Bangkok has a line app you can order form

Line ID: YAPAIBOON

 

4. Medtide drugstore  https://medtide.com/

Also has LINE, click on the website Line logo and scan the QR code

 

I would advise everyone to make sure they have at least 2-3 month supply of medications they require on hand now. More if is is an imported drug. Travel within Thailand may get harder  and supply chains may get interrupted. No need to go to extremes and hoard a year's worth but do give yourself a cushion and don't let stock dwindle down too far before re-supplying.

[ezzra]

Not sure i thai medicines can trusted to be the real McCoy and not the local version, seen it before, also, some specialty meds will probably not available here if they do their cost would be enough to make sick...

[Don Mega]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

Not sure i thai medicines can trusted to be the real McCoy and not the local version, seen it before, also, some specialty meds will probably not available here if they do their cost would be enough to make sick...

Buy from the hospital Pharmacy and you should be safe from fakes.

[lopburi3]

4 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Buy from the hospital Pharmacy and you should be safe from fakes.

And out of pocket a huge markup.  Drugs are not fake here with the normal exceptions of male enhancements sold on the street.  Both Thai made and imported drugs are sold by drug stores but there are exceptions that can only be obtained directly from hospital.  But most are not in that category.  

[Tropicalevo]

My local pharmacist always asks me if I want the real one or the fake (cheaper) one.

" And out of pocket a huge markup.  " - yes. Big time here on Samui.

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, Tropicalevo said:

My local pharmacist always asks me if I want the real one or the fake (cheaper) one.

Guess where they make a higher profit?  Most Thai made drugs are made to the same international standards as those imported and costing more (if actually the same drug).  Check size and generic name.

[Don Mega]

16 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

My local pharmacist always asks me if I want the real one or the fake (cheaper) one.

" And out of pocket a huge markup.  " - yes. Big time here on Samui.

My Pharmacist asks me if i want brand name or generic..... I'd be gobsmacked if they asked if I wanted fake.

[Sheryl]

6 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Guess where they make a higher profit?  Most Thai made drugs are made to the same international standards as those imported and costing more (if actually the same drug).  Check size and generic name.

 

As above. except for ED drugs and fake controlled drugs (xanax etc) sold by street vendors and in tourist areas, no problem with counterfeit drugs here.

 

Thai GPO brand is especially reliable, but many other Thai manufacturers are also fine.

 

 

[faraday]

6 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

My local pharmacist always asks me if I want the real one or the fake (cheaper) one.

" And out of pocket a huge markup.  " - yes. Big time here on Samui.

He most probably means Generic. 

[Fairynuff]

Would there be any likelihood of importation from overseas regulators being relaxed?

[lopburi3]

34 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

Would there be any likelihood of importation from overseas regulators being relaxed?

Just a guess but highly doubt it. 

[Russell17au]

A friend of mine recently returned from Australia where he had to go to get his heart medication because Thailand did not carry some of them and the remainder were too expensive. If he needs more before the travel restrictions are lifted then he has big problems because he cannot get the medication that Thailand does not have sent to him because of Thailand's import laws.

[lopburi3]

9 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

A friend of mine recently returned from Australia where he had to go to get his heart medication because Thailand did not carry some of them and the remainder were too expensive. If he needs more before the travel restrictions are lifted then he has big problems because he cannot get the medication that Thailand does not have sent to him because of Thailand's import laws.

But aside from cost there are probably medications available here that could be used for his treatment if he consults a local doctor.  And often there are local made medications at a fraction of imported brand name prices that can be used if money is a problem.  

[Russell17au]

7 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

But aside from cost there are probably medications available here that could be used for his treatment if he consults a local doctor.  And often there are local made medications at a fraction of imported brand name prices that can be used if money is a problem.  

He has consulted a local doctor when he first moved to Thailand and that doctor told him that those certain medications were not available in Thailand, and for him not to change his medication and to return to Australia for the medication that is not available here, that local doctor is American trained and much respected.

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, Russell17au said:

He has consulted a local doctor when he first moved to Thailand and that doctor told him that those certain medications were not available in Thailand, and for him not to change his medication and to return to Australia for the medication that is not available here, that local doctor is American trained and much respected.

But the situation now is not the same as then.  

[Russell17au]

7 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

But the situation now is not the same as then.  

The situation is the same now as it was then as this medication is still not available in Thailand

[lopburi3]

7 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

The situation is the same now as it was then as this medication is still not available in Thailand

But ease of travel is not - that could make a difference in what doctor has to say.  

[Bogbrush]

Getting some meds here can be problematic and expensive; I’ve just paid 6 500 baht for Xarelto 20mg (28 tabs) which is twice what I pay in my home country. I cannot get Zopidem in any pharmacy as they all refer me to a hospital which, for opioids, I understand and respect. I suspect it will be a mission to get them, with a doctors consultation probably mandatory as well. 
 

is it not possible to have prescription meds couriered from overseas? Surely, if accompanied by a copy of the scrip and possibly an accompanying doctor’s letter stating the urgency, Customs would be pragmatic? (yes, I know....)

[Lacessit]

This is why I bring 6 month's worth of meds back from Australia, and store them in a refrigerator.

[sammieuk1]

Lesson 1 never let go of the NHS lesson 2 never let go of the NHS prescription ordering service????

[Russell17au]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

This is why I bring 6 month's worth of meds back from Australia, and store them in a refrigerator.

and that is what my friend has to do, plus he can only bring 6 months supply back with him but some people just cannot understand and just want to try and make a big thing out of it

[TerryLH]

For info:

Srinagarind Hospital (Khon Kaen University) has started a new program today where some patients can have their meds delivered without having to go see a doctor.

There are a couple of qualification you need to be qualified.

Call the hospital to register.  It will take a week or two - maybe longer initially with so many people already registering- to get approval.

 

This info was posted on TV yesterday.

Terry

[Thingamabob]

There are several outlets in Bangkok which can supply a wide range of originally manufactured medications.

[scaldedfummy]

On 3/22/2020 at 12:25 PM, Don Mega said:

Buy from the hospital Pharmacy and you should be safe from fakes.

Always have the habit to consult a physician or a medical specialist before taking any medicine intake especially if the condition is critical or unknown. Always ask for prescriptions to avoid overdosage and wrong medicine intake.

[bert bloggs]

On 3/23/2020 at 9:46 AM, Russell17au said:

A friend of mine recently returned from Australia where he had to go to get his heart medication because Thailand did not carry some of them and the remainder were too expensive. If he needs more before the travel restrictions are lifted then he has big problems because he cannot get the medication that Thailand does not have sent to him because of Thailand's import laws.

just send it by ordinary post ,no problems in 12 years .always arrives .mind you i can buy mine here as well.

[SteveK]

Other than the two Sheryl kindly mentioned, does anyone know of any other online pharmacies here in Thailand? Neither of those has the thing I want.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

Other than the two Sheryl kindly mentioned, does anyone know of any other online pharmacies here in Thailand? Neither of those has the thing I want.

 

Is what you want legally available at pharmacies? I ask because while the online drug store listed does have a limited selection, Med Consult Asia can get virtually anything legal. They are not a pharmacy. They are a GP clinic run by a British doc, and  provide med refills/,med delivery as a service, sources from a wide range of suppliers in Bangkok. So if they cannot find it I suspect it is either not available, or a controlled substance.

[elektrified]

On 3/22/2020 at 11:44 AM, Tropicalevo said:

My local pharmacist always asks me if I want the real one or the fake (cheaper) one.

" And out of pocket a huge markup.  " - yes. Big time here on Samui.

It's not fake. It's generic. And perfectly fine.

[Langsuan Man]

One more thing to make me wonder if this Thai thing is really worth it !

 

They will give me a visa for six months but restrict my ability to bring in medicine to a 30 day supply

so I have to smuggle drugs to stay alive for that visa period 

 

Truly the inmates are running the asylum 

 

 

[Pilotman]

2 minutes ago, Langsuan Man said:

One more thing to make me wonder if this Thai thing is really worth it !

 

They will give me a visa for six months but restrict my ability to bring in medicine to a 30 day supply

so I have to smuggle drugs to stay alive for that visa period 

 

Truly the inmates are running the asylum 

 

 

Let's not over dramatise the situation.  Take a valid prescription from your last doctor to your local large hospital and I am quite sure that they will arrange to full fill your requirements. No need to die to prove a point that doesn't need to be made.