Importing Medication from the UK

[shedend]

I have medication for my heart and was wondering if anyone uses DHL or similar for importing their meds to Thailand?

 

When I lived in Bangkok before the meds were very expensive. My Thai spouse and myself will be returning back to Bangkok to live and Plavix is the most expensive medication I have, so can I have this sent by DHL every 3 or 6 months? I assume I will need a Thai doctors certificate confirming I have a heart condition, but is there anything else required by customs please?

[steve187]

i have read ordinary mail,  no courier is the best

[ivor bigun]

Use ems ,never ever dhl or any of those other ones .

[Chris.B]

1 hour ago, ivor bigun said:

Use ems ,never ever dhl or any of those other ones .

In the UK use 'International Signed & Tracked' by Royal Mail.

[Puccini]

How do the prices of generic equivalents of Plavix in Thailand compare to the price of Plavix in the UK?

[The Hammer2021]

41 minutes ago, Puccini said:

How do the prices of generic equivalents of Plavix in Thailand compare to the price of Plavix in the UK?

Presumably he's getting 'free' NHS medicine. If he wasn't it would be cheaper here. You can only get NHS medicine by being in the UK or returning every 6 months otherwise you lose you NHS rights.

[borborygmus999]

15 hours ago, ivor bigun said:

Use ems ,never ever dhl or any of those other ones .

No EMS in the UK.  He wants to send meds FROM the UK, not the other way round!  ????

 

He's be as well using the Royal Mail to send the meds International Tracked and Signed, or just International Tracked if he's not worried about needing to sign for them.  

 

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/international

[Chris.B]

10 minutes ago, borborygmus999 said:

No EMS in the UK.  He wants to send meds FROM the UK, not the other way round!  ????

 

He's be as well using the Royal Mail to send the meds International Tracked and Signed, or just International Tracked if he's not worried about needing to sign for them.  

 

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/international

I understood 'International Tracked and Signed' is the EMS in the UK because when it arrives in Thailand it is delivered as EMS.

 

[Rimmer]

A post in giant red fonts has been removed, this is trolling and could earn you a warning

[Sheryl]

Importing through DHL will be prohibitively expensive and difficult -- if possible at all. Please see pinned topic on this. You will have to get an FDA import license and while a few (very, very few) people have managed to do this, all the cases I know of involved drugs not available in Thailand.  It is questionable whether you could do this for a drug that is available here and even if you did, by the time the courier costs ,(inclusive of processing the license application etc) are factored in, cost would likely exceed buying the medication in Thailand.

 

While it is technically illegal to bring in medication by mail without an FDA license, in practice customs usually (not always, but usually) will let through small quantities if sent by regular mail rather than a courier. (Using a courier guarantees problems, delays and demand for FDA license).

 

There is certainly no reason at all to do this for Plavix since there are locally made generic equivalents that can be inexpensively bought at a pharmacy without a prescription. Apolets is one common brand name.

 

For the rest of your medications, please list what they are and I will tell you if there are local brands.

 

In thinking about moving to Thailand,  please do not think of the cost of your current medications as the only consideration in terms of health care. Even if you retain a UK address and  registration with a GP under NHS, you need to consider how you would pay for medical care in case of emergency hospitalization. With pre-existing  heart condition you will not be able to get health insurance so unless you already have a policy that will cover you in Thailand, you will have to self pay. A major accident, stroke, heart attack etc can easily cost 3-5 million baht in a private hospital and 1 million in a government hospital (worst case scenarios i.e. prolonged ICU stay, specialized surgery etc-- but worst case is what you should plan for).

[Sheryl]

13 hours ago, Puccini said:

How do the prices of generic equivalents of Plavix in Thailand compare to the price of Plavix in the UK?

Even if he gets the meds free in UK shipping costs will likely exceed cost of buying locally made generic equivalent in Thailand.

 

I suspect he has not priced local generics.

[Eff1n2ret]

9 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Using a courier guarantees problems, delays and demand for FDA license).

Yes, happened to me, I ordered a surgical boot (very silly, I know, but it was before the time when I knew about Lazada). It all became too difficult in the end and I had to tell DHL to get Customs to "dispose" of it.

Don't try to import any medical items.

[shedend]

On 10/10/2021 at 6:26 AM, Sheryl said:

Importing through DHL will be prohibitively expensive and difficult -- if possible at all. Please see pinned topic on this. You will have to get an FDA import license and while a few (very, very few) people have managed to do this, all the cases I know of involved drugs not available in Thailand.  It is questionable whether you could do this for a drug that is available here and even if you did, by the time the courier costs ,(inclusive of processing the license application etc) are factored in, cost would likely exceed buying the medication in Thailand.

 

While it is technically illegal to bring in medication by mail without an FDA license, in practice customs usually (not always, but usually) will let through small quantities if sent by regular mail rather than a courier. (Using a courier guarantees problems, delays and demand for FDA license).

 

There is certainly no reason at all to do this for Plavix since there are locally made generic equivalents that can be inexpensively bought at a pharmacy without a prescription. Apolets is one common brand name.

 

For the rest of your medications, please list what they are and I will tell you if there are local brands.

 

In thinking about moving to Thailand,  please do not think of the cost of your current medications as the only consideration in terms of health care. Even if you retain a UK address and  registration with a GP under NHS, you need to consider how you would pay for medical care in case of emergency hospitalization. With pre-existing  heart condition you will not be able to get health insurance so unless you already have a policy that will cover you in Thailand, you will have to self pay. A major accident, stroke, heart attack etc can easily cost 3-5 million baht in a private hospital and 1 million in a government hospital (worst case scenarios i.e. prolonged ICU stay, specialized surgery etc-- but worst case is what you should plan for).

Thanks very much for your comments.

 

As asked I am also taking:

Pantoprazole 40 mg

Atorvastatin 80 mg

Ezetimibe 10 mg

 

 

 

 

[shedend]

On 10/9/2021 at 5:20 PM, Puccini said:

How do the prices of generic equivalents of Plavix in Thailand compare to the price of Plavix in the UK?

I am exempt in the UK.

[davidhen]

I am prescribed by my UK GP,  Simvastatin (cholesterol lowering drug) and Betamethasone nasal drops, for a chronic nasal congestion problem which I have. I can buy simvastatin tabs here for 400 baht per 100 tabs from Boots (much more expensive elsewhere). However, I cannot find the drops, which have a steroid ingredient in them, anywhere. I've tried lots of different sprays, but none of them are as good as my prescription drops. 

 

I've been here since January 2020, but I didn't think I would be staying so long --- Covid, travel complications etc. I've been ordering my drugs online from my GP every few weeks and my daughter has been collecting them for me and holding them, my not being sure of my return date.

 

She has recently sent all the stock to me (about a year's supply) via Royal Mail international tracked mail. The package weighed a little under half a kilo (I think there is a 2 kilo max limit) and took just 7 days in total to arrive. It cost 17.35GBP but they do a 2 week service for only 12GBP.

 

Whilst I realise that I may have been lucky, my daughter did label the customs form as containing "prescription drugs" as per my recommendation, to show that we were not trying to hide anything. And, whilst the tracking system showed the package as "not moving" in a customs area at Heathrow, and again in Bangkok for a couple of days each time, when I examined the package, there was no evidence that it had been opened or tampered with in any way.

Good luck. 

David.

[Sheryl]

On 10/18/2021 at 6:58 PM, davidhen said:

I am prescribed by my UK GP,  Simvastatin (cholesterol lowering drug) and Betamethasone nasal drops, for a chronic nasal congestion problem which I have. I can buy simvastatin tabs here for 400 baht per 100 tabs from Boots (much more expensive elsewhere). However, I cannot find the drops, which have a steroid ingredient in them, anywhere. I've tried lots of different sprays, but none of them are as good as my prescription drops. 

 

 

You should be able to  get Thai brands of simvastatin at  lower price than that at a normal Thai pharmacy. Boots and Watsons are seldom best in price. Ask specifically for "Bestatin" and "Simvastatin GPO" brands.

 

Betameclomatazone  is essentially same as betamethasone.  Betameclomatazone nasal spray is available here is brand names:

 

Beclomet Nasal Aqua (local brand)

Beconase Aqueous  (imported, expensive)

Rino Clenil

 

 

[Sheryl]

On 10/18/2021 at 6:14 PM, shedend said:

Thanks very much for your comments.

 

As asked I am also taking:

Pantoprazole 40 mg

Atorvastatin 80 mg

Ezetimibe 10 mg

 

 

 

 

 

There are local brands of Atrovastatin  and Exetimbe. (Though if youcan take simvastatin instead of Atorvastatin, will be cheaper).

 

Atorvastatin: Atorvin, Clovas, Lipostat, Tovastatin

Ezetimibe: Mibeaz. also an Indian brand called Ezentia

 

No local brand of oral Pantoprazole.  You might ask your doctor if you can take omeprazole instead, as it is readily available in cheap local brands.

[SheungWan]

Re heart meds, I do not think there is a local equivalent of Eliquis Apixaban. Available in Thailand but expensive so worth shipping over, yes?

[RichardColeman]

On 10/9/2021 at 6:04 PM, The Hammer2021 said:

Presumably he's getting 'free' NHS medicine. If he wasn't it would be cheaper here. You can only get NHS medicine by being in the UK or returning every 6 months otherwise you lose you NHS rights.

That is not true. I travel back to the UK every 9 months and get NHS tablets. There are certain conditions that the NHS by law has to provide medication to its citizens. I get full tests every 9 months on NHS and free 9 months tablets before returning to Thailand. I suggest that the poster talk to his consultant, they are usually OK about adjusting. If the flight is cheaper than the tablets, then go back for a holiday every 9 months for a week !