Pain Killers

[Crouton]

Hi,

Ive done a lot of online reading a searching and think I've found the answer to this question but would appreciate it if someone could confirm.

I had a failed disc fusion on my back in the USA and take Vicodin ( hydrocodone) for pain. I came to BKK and went to Bumrungrad to see a doctor to fill my prescription. He was a nice fellow with passable English but had no idea what hydrocodone ( or percocet aka oxycodone as a replacement when he didn't know hydrocodone). He pulled out his medicine book and couldnt find them under either brand or generic names. i thought this very odd but he handed me the book and browsed thrugh the pain medicine section and sure enough couldn't find it listed under any name. He ended up giving me para+codeine to try as a replacement.

I go back to see him this week as a follow-up and was certain Id find some thai specific name for vicodin or percocet and everything I see seems to indicate they are not available here at all. Is this correct??? It sure seems strange to me. I know some drugs still under exclusive license have their sales restricted but i thought these were old, well known and now generic drugs.

Is there a name Im missing I can use to refer to these or is para+codeine indeed the strongest available pain killer a doctor can prescribe in BKK?

para + codeine seems awful week just to me, I can't imagine what people with cancer and very very bad chronic pain are doing if they are forced to use para + codeine ( setting aside the liver issues with the para if someone were to take many pills to try to get a stronger dose of codeine for relief).

Thanks for any insight!

[bkkrox]

Hi,

Ive done a lot of online reading a searching and think I've found the answer to this question but would appreciate it if someone could confirm.

I had a failed disc fusion on my back in the USA and take Vicodin ( hydrocodone) for pain. I came to BKK and went to Bumrungrad to see a doctor to fill my prescription. He was a nice fellow with passable English but had no idea what hydrocodone ( or percocet aka oxycodone as a replacement when he didn't know hydrocodone). He pulled out his medicine book and couldnt find them under either brand or generic names. i thought this very odd but he handed me the book and browsed thrugh the pain medicine section and sure enough couldn't find it listed under any name. He ended up giving me para+codeine to try as a replacement.

I go back to see him this week as a follow-up and was certain Id find some thai specific name for vicodin or percocet and everything I see seems to indicate they are not available here at all. Is this correct??? It sure seems strange to me. I know some drugs still under exclusive license have their sales restricted but i thought these were old, well known and now generic drugs.

Is there a name Im missing I can use to refer to these or is para+codeine indeed the strongest available pain killer a doctor can prescribe in BKK?

para + codeine seems awful week just to me, I can't imagine what people with cancer and very very bad chronic pain are doing if they are forced to use para + codeine ( setting aside the liver issues with the para if someone were to take many pills to try to get a stronger dose of codeine for relief).

Thanks for any insight!

Hi Crouton,

Sorry to hear of your pain...and I know that kind of pain. A few years back I had 2 herniated discs in my lower back and was treated at Bumrungrad. They gave me a drug called Ultraset, it is Tramadol and paracetemol. The doctor prescibed it in low doses and gradually increased it as the tramadol can give a mild high feeling. Ask your doc about it.

On another note,a friend in the UK asked me to try to find vicodin for him here and the chemist I use (who gives me pretty much anything ) said they do not have it in Thailand and said he does not carry ultracet either as it is highly controlled by the government and only available in hospitals.

My doctors' name at Bumrungrad is Sutthi and he is a GP .

Good luck and hope you find some relief.

[Pattayaman]

Hi,

Ive done a lot of online reading a searching and think I've found the answer to this question but would appreciate it if someone could confirm.

I had a failed disc fusion on my back in the USA and take Vicodin ( hydrocodone) for pain. I came to BKK and went to Bumrungrad to see a doctor to fill my prescription. He was a nice fellow with passable English but had no idea what hydrocodone ( or percocet aka oxycodone as a replacement when he didn't know hydrocodone). He pulled out his medicine book and couldnt find them under either brand or generic names. i thought this very odd but he handed me the book and browsed thrugh the pain medicine section and sure enough couldn't find it listed under any name. He ended up giving me para+codeine to try as a replacement.

I go back to see him this week as a follow-up and was certain Id find some thai specific name for vicodin or percocet and everything I see seems to indicate they are not available here at all. Is this correct??? It sure seems strange to me. I know some drugs still under exclusive license have their sales restricted but i thought these were old, well known and now generic drugs.

Is there a name Im missing I can use to refer to these or is para+codeine indeed the strongest available pain killer a doctor can prescribe in BKK?

para + codeine seems awful week just to me, I can't imagine what people with cancer and very very bad chronic pain are doing if they are forced to use para + codeine ( setting aside the liver issues with the para if someone were to take many pills to try to get a stronger dose of codeine for relief).

Thanks for any insight!

Hi Crouton,

Sorry to hear of your pain...and I know that kind of pain. A few years back I had 2 herniated discs in my lower back and was treated at Bumrungrad. They gave me a drug called Ultraset, it is Tramadol and paracetemol. The doctor prescibed it in low doses and gradually increased it as the tramadol can give a mild high feeling. Ask your doc about it.

On another note,a friend in the UK asked me to try to find vicodin for him here and the chemist I use (who gives me pretty much anything ) said they do not have it in Thailand and said he does not carry ultracet either as it is highly controlled by the government and only available in hospitals.

My doctors' name at Bumrungrad is Sutthi and he is a GP .

Good luck and hope you find some relief.

I am not sure but check out Oxi_contin ,iuse this for pain and is very good

[chutai]

The problem is that in Thailand they used French manufactured drugs , so aren't the same name as in. e.g. Britain.

Although it helps if you have a covering doctor's letter from your own country - I found that the Bangkok Nursing Home Hospital (BNH) were able to prescribe a small amount of something similar that I needed after a prolonged overstay.

[solo siam]

"dihydrocodeinone"?

Doubt they're very keen on these here as they have a very high potential for misuse and dependency.

*EDIT* You can buy Tramadol from just about any pharmacy, although it does make you a little high.

Edited May 1, 2007 by Ben@H3-Digital

[leisurely]

Dihydrocedeine also makes you constipated.

[womble]

Dihydrocedeine also makes you constipated.

This is synthetic codeine, same strength as codeine.

All opiates can make you constipated.

Tramadol is a synthetic opiate also, pretty strong.

Sounds like the only thing they have here for your level of pain is MS contin, although morpheine is probobally a little too strong and too adictive.

[leisurely]

From what I understand about pain theory, people who need to use morphine/pethidine/opiates for severe pain, rarely become dependant on them as you don't get a buzz, rather adequate pain control.

[pumpuiman]

I had the same problem trying to refill a hydrocodone prescription at Bumrungrad.

The doctor explained to me that it and other "mid level" painkillers are not available in Thailand.

I was shocked and saddened to think of the millions suffering with chronic pain in Thailand.

After much discussion, and insisting on a painkiller that would actually help me cope with my pain, he suggested a "fentanyl patch".

An opiate, and addictive (as is oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxycontin) it helped tremendously.

The patch is placed on your arm or shoulder and lasts 3 days. It comes in different strengths....I believe I was comfortable with 50 mcg.

The heat in Thailand can cause you to sweat and loosen the patch...I found 3 or four fabric bandages (Band Aids) to hold it on worked well.

It is very expensive...at least at Bumrungrad.....but helped me immensely.

Just be aware of it's addictive properties....but if you suffer from chronic pain and are gonna be taking drugs constantly anyway........why not be happy?

[leisurely]

Another thought, have you tried a TENS machine. I have frequent L5/S1 disc problems and find my machine a life saver.

[Sheryl]

Percodan/percoset and vicodin are not available in Thailand.

Pain Killer that are available (other than obviously paracetemol & aspirin), in approximate order of increasing strenght, are:

a very wide range of non-steroidal anti-inflammaries

pentozocine

codeine with paracetemol in varying strengths

tramadol

temegesic (buprenorphine, synthetic opiate)

fentanyl

[ProThaiExpat]

Hi Crouton,

Sorry to hear of your pain...and I know that kind of pain. A few years back I had 2 herniated discs in my lower back and was treated at Bumrungrad. They gave me a drug called Ultraset, it is Tramadol and paracetemol. The doctor prescibed it in low doses and gradually increased it as the tramadol can give a mild high feeling. Ask your doc about it.

On another note,a friend in the UK asked me to try to find vicodin for him here and the chemist I use (who gives me pretty much anything ) said they do not have it in Thailand and said he does not carry ultracet either as it is highly controlled by the government and only available in hospitals.

My doctors' name at Bumrungrad is Sutthi and he is a GP .

Good luck and hope you find some relief.

I have concluded that Thailand is so conscious about drug addiction and illegal drugs that the nation severely restricts addicting drugs, and the physicians tow the line as well.

My similar experience recently with my broken leg and two surgeries was an extremely tight reign on morphine which was quickly supplanted by the physician with Ultracet. Manufactured in the U.S., it consists of 35 mg. of Tramadol and 300 mg of Paracetamol.

As soon as I got out of the hopital, I went to my local pharmacy and found generic Tramadol in 50 mg capsules and of course the usual paracetamol in 500 mg. tablets. Used them to great effect for the first month, until no longer needed. Cost was very low compared to the hospital charges for Ultracet.

Codene was banned last year due to kids using it for a recreational drug, may be available in hospitals but not in local pharmacies.

Edited May 2, 2007 by ProThaiExpat

[angsila]

Hi,

Ive done a lot of online reading a searching and think I've found the answer to this question but would appreciate it if someone could confirm.

I had a failed disc fusion on my back in the USA and take Vicodin ( hydrocodone) for pain. I came to BKK and went to Bumrungrad to see a doctor to fill my prescription. He was a nice fellow with passable English but had no idea what hydrocodone ( or percocet aka oxycodone as a replacement when he didn't know hydrocodone). He pulled out his medicine book and couldnt find them under either brand or generic names. i thought this very odd but he handed me the book and browsed thrugh the pain medicine section and sure enough couldn't find it listed under any name. He ended up giving me para+codeine to try as a replacement.

I go back to see him this week as a follow-up and was certain Id find some thai specific name for vicodin or percocet and everything I see seems to indicate they are not available here at all. Is this correct??? It sure seems strange to me. I know some drugs still under exclusive license have their sales restricted but i thought these were old, well known and now generic drugs.

Is there a name Im missing I can use to refer to these or is para+codeine indeed the strongest available pain killer a doctor can prescribe in BKK?

para + codeine seems awful week just to me, I can't imagine what people with cancer and very very bad chronic pain are doing if they are forced to use para + codeine ( setting aside the liver issues with the para if someone were to take many pills to try to get a stronger dose of codeine for relief).

Thanks for any insight!

Can anything be done about the failed disc fusion or is long term vicodin the only option?

[Lickey]

Another thought, have you tried a TENS machine. I have frequent L5/S1 disc problems and find my machine a life saver.

I agree with you Leisurely, after 25 years of lower back pain and trying every presciption drug from docs, nothing worked!!, Ive had an active pyhisical life and was {afterthought} stupid in the way i lifted heavy weights, a Cat Scan showed i had 2 protruding discs, i had two minor invasive sugerys to relieve pain, 1st no good atall, 2nd was laser treatment to burn off nerve ends, this helped me relax for longer, after a course of exercises to strengthen muscles in lower back, i could walk further, stand longer, with little or no pain, I have an exercise bike at home and a trapezium bar on the farm, where i can hang upside down and let my spine elongulate, then no pain for days, I prefer the natural methods as opposed to todays tablet culture, although some things cant be controlled naturally, its worth a try!!

[Crouton]

First of all, thank you everyone for the replies. I really appreciate it.

To answer the first , and most important question, they can attempt to do another fusion with no guarantees of course and after the last experience its not something I want to do unless they tell it will have a very high success rate for me. My mother went through almost the same thing and her second failed one kept her almost bedridden and when she had to do things she was so zombied on meds it was terrible. They took her from morphine to fentanyl to methadone! ( I had never heard of methadone being used for pain treatment prior to that - just heroin rehab stuff ). Im not sure how the methadone actually worked out for her because she was very embarrased by the stigma that she was taking methadone. I tried to explain the logic against worrying about that over and over but never got far. This was in the US and the hoops she had to jump through to even get the stuff once the prescription was made was crazy.

Sorry, back to the original points. There's no way I want to jump to morphine ( if it would be available here ). Hopefully I never progress to to needing morphine but if I do I certainly don't want a head start on tolerance not to mention I assume it would make me pretty zombified.

I just assumed MS contin would not be available here since i thought ( and may be wrong) that it is much more powerful than vicodin or percocet. I will ask the doctor. If it is the medicine Im thinking of it is time released and would be good to use on days I know I need to be more active or recovering from a bad day.

I am truly shocked they prescribed you a fentanyl patch. I thought ( and am pretty sure) fentanyl was really hardcore and near the top of the severe pain management options. As with everything though, I guess they may have a really low dosage patch.Cost doesn't matter ( to a certain degree) if its what is required. I will inquire about this also but Im sure my doctor in the USA would laugh me out of his office asking about fentanyl as the government seems to really be giving doctors a very hard time prescribing the super strong pain meds regardless of how bad someone needs them. I think that is a really sorry state of affairs when a good legitimate doctor wants to manage his patient's quality of life with medicine and gets investigated and audited and generally hassled just because he has too many patients in that condition. Another aside here, my mother was a nurse and actually worked with most of the doctors taking care of her and they even tried to talk her into moving to a less powerful pain medicine because the doctors try to avoid the DEA hassle. I forget offhand what what the change they suggested was, perhaps it was going from morphine ( which had all but stopped working for her) back down to tramadol or something. I almost literally fell out of my chair when she told me that over the phone. Luckily, she knows the hospital chief of staff and primary partner at the practice so she was able to resolve that but what about a non-connected person?? They would be out of luck or I guess "doctor shop" maybe. Now that I think about it , perhaps it was her insurance pressuring the change and not the DEA monitoring prescriptions in that one case. I'll check with her ( if anyone actually cares ) and stop digressing again!

In regards to the one post about codeine, I was just prescribed it at the hospital here in BKK ( with para ), so it is certainly still available via hospital prescription just not when you walk into your corner pharmacy. if what I read is true, only hospitals are allowed to stock it now.

The constipation side effect - lol - Im new to Thailand and enjoying the food immensly. I love spicy food but my body hasn't adjusted yet so the constipation side effects of the opiates would be a plus for me right now!!

I asked at the local pharmacy and they do see tramadol over the counter. Depending on what my doctor decides to do I'm going to give it a try though I think the codeine will be more effective ( i just hate taking the para mixed with it all the time). Im going to inquire about taking tramadol and para+codeine together. I doubt he will think its a good idea or suggest a safe but working dosage but its worth asking while Im there.

As far as the addiction, the physical addiction is there for sure if you stop cold turkey your body will tell you it wants that medicine you've been feeding it ( besides all your pain coming back also) but the classic mental "euphoria addiction" generally doesn't apply ( except maybe the first bit after you are bumped to a stronger drug if it becomes necessary )

I had never heard of a TENS machine and no doctor has suggested it to me ( or my mother that I know of). I just googled it and will look into it. One of the initial things they did was hook me up to those wires zap electricty back and forth for whatever diagnostics , certainly not pain relief. Sounds similar though.

Thanks for still reading if you made it this far. your advice and information has been great which just got me to thinking. Why didn't the doctor in the hospital know/tell me all this stuff?? Perhaps I should go see the other Doctor in that hospital that was mentioned earlier. The guy did literally hand me the prescription handbook and told me to flip through and pick what I wanted when vicodin/perocet generic names weren't listed.

His name is Dr. Visit ( appropriate first name) Thienpaitoon.

Thanks all, I will update after my appointment.

Oh yeah, one more thing, I hope it wouldn't come down to this but would they be legal in say like Cambodia with a prescription? And then since legally prescribed able to be brought in Thailand or absolutely not?

Oh no, one more thing, last one for real this time - when I was googling for all this information on pain meds in Thailand, i ran across the articles where some online "pharmacies" in Thailand got busted for shipping pain killers and such around the world without prescription. A lot of the links were to still operating online pharmacies in Thailand to ship hydrocodone etc to people in US without a prescription. The irony that they have it for sale on the "black market" and we can't get it in a hospital in the same country.

-Crouton ( who got his first Sak Yant yesterday and hopes it protects him from some of this pain lol )

[leisurely]

Crouton, I know Dr Visit. He diagnosed me with dengue fever last year and sent some blood off for confirmation. When I went back to him an hour later he told me it wasn't dengue. I asked what he thought it was and he told me either leukaemia or a virus ! We agreed that as I had no other leukaemic symptoms we would go with virus. Honestly, if I weren't as old as I am I would have been scared witless.

Good luck with your quest for pain management.

Leisurely

[Crouton]

Crouton, I know Dr Visit. He diagnosed me with dengue fever last year and sent some blood off for confirmation. When I went back to him an hour later he told me it wasn't dengue. I asked what he thought it was and he told me either leukaemia or a virus ! We agreed that as I had no other leukaemic symptoms we would go with virus. Honestly, if I weren't as old as I am I would have been scared witless.

Good luck with your quest for pain management.

Leisurely

Well I go see Dr. Visit and tell him that we didn't find it in his medicine bible because its not sold here. I try to explain to him that I've been talking with all of you and got information on possible alternatives assuming he want want to store this information for later use. He doesn't care.

I had written down on a sheet of paper the ms contin, fentanyl patch ( 3 days - 50 mcg as was written in the post here) and tamagesic. I had quickly googled tamagesic and already decided it wasn't for me but it was still on my paper and when he saw that he got very concerned - not good for you. i think he was trying to say it was too strong. I wasn't interested anyway so I let it go at that and he looks up fentanyl and ms contin in his medicine bible to see the description. I'm no doctor but even I have the general notion of what they are and this is all they give in the book - a sentence or two and available dosages.

He tells me he thinks ms contin is good, reads in the "bible" the quick description that it is for acute pain in cancer patients. He looks at the 50 mcg dosage for fentanyl patch and laughs and says that is way too small ( the book didn't list mcg at all BTW - just 25mg, 50mg and 100 mg).

We decide I'll try both and see which works better. The 25mg he decides is too weak for me so Im testing the 50mg patches now and then ms contin if needed.

You were right, those patches are really expensive. They are doing the job well so far but if ms contin is close to the relief and much cheaper I may have to go that route. Im happy now with 3 day 50mg fentanly patches to try for the month.

Im not sure if he is "the norm" here in Thailand but he will just prescribe anything you show interest in it seems. Id imagine these patches would be worth quite a few baht on the street ( not enough for me to stay in pain though) so wonder how he can be so carefree giving this stuff out. It must be the office visit fee??

In conclusion thank you for the idea for the fentanyl patch as it is working wonderfully so far. The doctor would have never came up with it on his own.

When I go back to followup on the patches and possibly try the ms contin I'll post again for completeness.

I can't find my receipt right now and Im guessing somone may be wondering so my recollection is the fentanyl patches were on the order of a little over 1,000 baht a piece ( which last 72 hours ).

Bye now,

Jack

[pumpuiman]

Jack,

Glad to help. By the way, I believe MS contin is morphine in time release. (MS=morphine sulphate)

I recently had disc problems in the US and was on fentanyl for six months.

After surgery I discontinued the patch and switched to percocet.

I had withdrawals from the fentanyl for a few days.....restless, cold clammy feeling, night sweats.....but overall not too bad.

I'm scared of the morphine too.......but who knows, it's been a saviour forever.

Good luck,

Eric

[pumpuiman]

MS Contin, a controlled-release tablet containing morphine, is used to relieve moderate to severe pain. While regular morphine is usually given every 4 hours, MS Contin is typically taken every 12 hours--only twice a day. The drug is intended for people who need a morphine painkiller for more than just a few days.

[Lickey]

My daughter in the UK has a PHD in medicine, and contantly reminds me that strong pain killers taken over a long period act as a mask to to lots of other pains,and will gradually destroy your natural imune system, on the other hand, its nice to be pain free for a few weeks?

[Nignoy]

Hi,

Ive done a lot of online reading a searching and think I've found the answer to this question but would appreciate it if someone could confirm.

I had a failed disc fusion on my back in the USA and take Vicodin ( hydrocodone) for pain. I came to BKK and went to Bumrungrad to see a doctor to fill my prescription. He was a nice fellow with passable English but had no idea what hydrocodone ( or percocet aka oxycodone as a replacement when he didn't know hydrocodone). He pulled out his medicine book and couldnt find them under either brand or generic names. i thought this very odd but he handed me the book and browsed thrugh the pain medicine section and sure enough couldn't find it listed under any name. He ended up giving me para+codeine to try as a replacement.

I go back to see him this week as a follow-up and was certain Id find some thai specific name for vicodin or percocet and everything I see seems to indicate they are not available here at all. Is this correct??? It sure seems strange to me. I know some drugs still under exclusive license have their sales restricted but i thought these were old, well known and now generic drugs.

Is there a name Im missing I can use to refer to these or is para+codeine indeed the strongest available pain killer a doctor can prescribe in BKK?

para + codeine seems awful week just to me, I can't imagine what people with cancer and very very bad chronic pain are doing if they are forced to use para + codeine ( setting aside the liver issues with the para if someone were to take many pills to try to get a stronger dose of codeine for relief).

Thanks for any insight!

Can anything be done about the failed disc fusion or is long term vicodin the only option?

I had surgery on C4,C5,C6 for disc fusion, which has failed badly,I am on a pain management regime of 100gms of Tramadol 4times a day while in australia, when travelling or in Los 200grams of slow release Tramadol twice a day,no side effects up to now, did try one of those computerised pain management thingies, was fantastic but it kept tuning my Pacemaker to Channel Nine, but tramadol works fine and is available everywhere Nignoy

[endure]

I had surgery on C4,C5,C6 for disc fusion, which has failed badly,I am on a pain management regime of 100gms of Tramadol 4times a day while in australia, when travelling or in Los 200grams of slow release Tramadol twice a day,no side effects up to now, did try one of those computerised pain management thingies, was fantastic but it kept tuning my Pacemaker to Channel Nine,

[gtiracer18t]

I was wondering i am taking a vacation to thailand, and have a slipped disk in my lower L5 i was wondering the Thai laws on bringing pain medication back to the US. just wondering to be on the safe side. any help would be great thanks.

[Crouton]

I was wondering i am taking a vacation to thailand, and have a slipped disk in my lower L5 i was wondering the Thai laws on bringing pain medication back to the US. just wondering to be on the safe side. any help would be great thanks.

Hi qtiracer18t,

If you are bring prescription drugs back to the USA from Thailand it is the US customs you need to be concerned with. There has ben alot of flux in the laws the last several years with people buying cheaper drugs in Canada and Mexico and bringing them back for their personal supply. You may want to double check that there haven't been any more changes recently but the last I understood it:

1) You must declare the medicine in customs and you can now bring a 50 unit supply of EACH type of medicine if you have a valid prescription from the originating country.

2) You can bring a 90 day supply if you have a valid prescription for the medicine in the USA as well.

The law used to let you bring 90 day supply from the country where you bought the medicine regardless of a US prescription but that was tightened up.

All that being said, it is possible to get a prescription medicine in another country and then have that medicine be scheduled differently in the USA so it is not allowed to be prescribed and you would be in big trouble at customs for importing the illegal medicine ( probably a narcotic).

I believe it is also legl for you to mail the medicine from Thailand to the USA accompanied by a note from the authorizing doctor in Thailand so you don't have to deal with it in US customs.

It sounds like the medicine would be for you but to be clear, the prescription would have to be for you and not your grandmother if you are carrying it.

I seem to recall a few years back a few grandmother/grandfather types were busted bringing their US prescribed but bought in Mexico drugs when they returned to the US. If possible I would make sure to have a US prescription and Thailand prescription ready to present. One important thing to note is that depending on what the medicine you are buying in Thailand and bringing to the USA is, it may very well be "over the counter" in Thailand but not in the USA. The pharmacies in Thailand are able to sell a good many drugs over the counter after talking with the pharmacist that would require a doctor prescription in the USA. I suppose in this case you could probably just see a Thai doctor and get the prescription, say for Tramadol, when if you weren't transporting it to the USA you would just walk into any pharmacy and askfor it.

The government has seemed to quieted down a lot on the cheaper importation of medicines from other countries recently but a few years ago when they seemed to want to make examples out of people I would have said its not worth the chance they catch you on a technicality.

All this having been said, if you read through this thread you know there's a big availability gap between the weaker pain medication and the very strong stuff. Im curious what you think would be worthwhile taking back.

After having typed that I realized if/when i need to transition back to vics/percs from fentanyl patch I'll be in for some fun.

Bye now,

Jack

PS. I read that the fentanyl concentrations start to level out after 10-12+ hours of patch application. What hit me at around hours 13-14 + was completely unexpected. Very very strong increase when I thought it had more or less leveled. Be careful where you are at/ what you are doing for at least the first 24 hours I'd say if you get prescribed this ( the doctor and pharmacist in the hospital failed to even mention this to me )

[3XXX]

You can buy whatever you need in Cambodia the years of internal strife have had a major impact on the pharmaceutical sector in Cambodia. During the Khmer Rouge years, the country lost most of its pharmacists and pharmacies. Prior to this strife, pharmaceutical laws and regulation were well enforced, and only over-the-counter drugs could be bought without a prescription.

However, since the period of civil unrest and the introduction of a more open market prescriptions are no longer needed to obtain pharmaceuticals. Most drugs can be purchased over the counter and most people choose to obtain drugs directly from drug stores rather than consulting doctors.

There are three legal outlets for selling drugs in Cambodia i.e. outlets that are licensed.

a) A pharmacy-run by pharmacist

B ) A depot A-run by assistant pharmacist (three years of training)

c) A depot B-run by a “retired” nurse

There are a large number of illegal drug sellers, 81% of drug shops in the provinces are unlicensed and 71% of all drug shops are unlicensed.

easy and cheap and anything you want

http://www.yellowpages-cambodia.com/medical/pharmacies/

hope this helps

[english_farang_lady]

You can buy whatever you need in Cambodia the years of internal strife have had a major impact on the pharmaceutical sector in Cambodia. During the Khmer Rouge years, the country lost most of its pharmacists and pharmacies. Prior to this strife, pharmaceutical laws and regulation were well enforced, and only over-the-counter drugs could be bought without a prescription.

However, since the period of civil unrest and the introduction of a more open market prescriptions are no longer needed to obtain pharmaceuticals. Most drugs can be purchased over the counter and most people choose to obtain drugs directly from drug stores rather than consulting doctors.

There are three legal outlets for selling drugs in Cambodia i.e. outlets that are licensed.

a) A pharmacy-run by pharmacist

B ) A depot A-run by assistant pharmacist (three years of training)

c) A depot B-run by a “retired” nurse

There are a large number of illegal drug sellers, 81% of drug shops in the provinces are unlicensed and 71% of all drug shops are unlicensed.

easy and cheap and anything you want

http://www.yellowpages-cambodia.com/medical/pharmacies/

hope this helps

To the original poster --- instead of Bumrungrad, try Samitivej (on soi 49, same as dental hospital) in Bangkok. From my recent two experiences their medical staff are more dilligent and knowledgable. Apparently it is a hospital run by doctors, not businessmen. Probably similar in price, but clinically far better in my experience.

I think they may have a "Pain Clinic". It is worth a look. They have a good website, but dont try and bookan appointment through it because when I tried a week ago, it was not working. Call them and ask for the expat department.

Good luck !

[Lickey]

How many of you on here are sports people? or ex sports people? not many i would think, do you ever hear of an athelete or sports person withdrawing because of back pain, and if so, can they take pain-killers, no, because they useually contain banned drugs,

After 25 years of lower back pain because of protruding discs, i was offered an operation to relieve this, i refused, on the belief that walking into a hospital and leaving in a wheelchair was a 50/50 chance, I then took on a 6 month course of phsyio to strengthen muscles in lower back, That was 4 years ago, i keep up the exercise and all is fine, i do come out of remission sometimes, but i can cope with this, no problem and NO tablets, try it, dont keep poisning your imume system, good luck..

[Sheryl]

Re Cambodia:

1) You can get a large assortment of medications over the counter there but not "everything"...certainly not morphine. In terms of pain killers, the only widely available is codein in vaiious formulations. May be able to find tramadol and temegesic with some difficulty, not sure.

2) There are only a handful of pharmacies that can be trusted not to have counterfeit drugs. Best is Pharmacie de la Gare, near the train station. Elsewhere you run a good chance that the drug is fake.

[bob6023]

Hi,

Ive done a lot of online reading a searching and think I've found the answer to this question but would appreciate it if someone could confirm.

I had a failed disc fusion on my back in the USA and take Vicodin ( hydrocodone) for pain. I came to BKK and went to Bumrungrad to see a doctor to fill my prescription. He was a nice fellow with passable English but had no idea what hydrocodone ( or percocet aka oxycodone as a replacement when he didn't know hydrocodone). He pulled out his medicine book and couldnt find them under either brand or generic names. i thought this very odd but he handed me the book and browsed thrugh the pain medicine section and sure enough couldn't find it listed under any name. He ended up giving me para+codeine to try as a replacement.

I go back to see him this week as a follow-up and was certain Id find some thai specific name for vicodin or percocet and everything I see seems to indicate they are not available here at all. Is this correct??? It sure seems strange to me. I know some drugs still under exclusive license have their sales restricted but i thought these were old, well known and now generic drugs.

Is there a name Im missing I can use to refer to these or is para+codeine indeed the strongest available pain killer a doctor can prescribe in BKK?

para + codeine seems awful week just to me, I can't imagine what people with cancer and very very bad chronic pain are doing if they are forced to use para + codeine ( setting aside the liver issues with the para if someone were to take many pills to try to get a stronger dose of codeine for relief).

Thanks for any insight!

I have similar back problems. Had surgery in in '97 worked OK for a time, now really f----d up. They knew I had bad pain in US and they were smart enough to prescribe Vicodin. Thailand seems to be so paranoid about prescribed drugs it seems a bit childish. They should be so paranoid about the recreational drug usage and try to help, instead of hinder, people who have real pain

But heck let the kids smoke dope, take ya ba, drive motorcy like maniacs, just get those d---m people who are in pain, teach them a lesson. I really do love Thailand.

[Old Man River]

I had a failed disc fusion on my back

About 30 years ago I herniated a disc, but never had the back operation having heard so many war stories, similar to yours. However, I was in pain until one doctor in the US told me to swim. He explained that swimming (free style) strengthens the supporting muscles in the back while the water doesn't put any pressure on the back while exercising. I thought he was crazy, but figured I had nothing to lose. After about a month or two (can't remember exactly), all (and I mean all) the pain went away.

I still swim. It is a great exercise anyway, but has the added benefit for the back.