Paxil

[suzannegoh]

Is Paxil (or the generic version, Paroxetine) sold in Thailand?  And if so, is it classified as a controlled medicine (only hence only available from hospital pharmacies) or would I be able to walk into any pharmacy and buy it?

[Sheryl]

It is available and sold without pre4scription. However it is going to be extremely costly as the only form available in imported brand name Seroxat. It may also be hard to find, since other drugs in the same class are much more widely used here e.g. sertraline and escitalopram, both of which have locally made generic equivalents.

 

I suggest you contact your doctor and ask if a switch to sertraline or escitalopram is feasible for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[suzannegoh]

6 hours ago, Sheryl said:

It is available and sold without pre4scription. However it is going to be extremely costly as the only form available in imported brand name Seroxat. It may also be hard to find, since other drugs in the same class are much more widely used here e.g. sertraline and escitalopram, both of which have locally made generic equivalents.

 

I suggest you contact your doctor and ask if a switch to sertraline or escitalopram is feasible for you.

 

Do yiou know the general magnitude of how costly the Seroxat would be?  Paying a Shrink to experiment with cheaper alternatives could be expensive too.  I've been down that road before at a private hospital in Thailand.  It seem like all the Thai shrink was doing was trying drugs at random (none of them worked; some made me worse) and, between the doctor's fee and the hospital's inflated prices for drugs, that was also very costly. 

Edited October 10, 2021 by suzannegoh

[Sheryl]

8 hours ago, suzannegoh said:

Do yiou know the general magnitude of how costly the Seroxat would be?  Paying a Shrink to experiment with cheaper alternatives could be expensive too.  I've been down that road before at a private hospital in Thailand.  It seem like all the Thai shrink was doing was trying drugs at random (none of them worked; some made me worse) and, between the doctor's fee and the hospital's inflated prices for drugs, that was also very costly. 

It will be a little more than the full retail cost of the drug in Europe, whatever that is.  And it will be less than what you have been paying if getting it from a private hoispital, if that is what you have been doing.

 

I cannot give you an exact amount, but you can price it at pharmacies. I would start by emailing this place, which has an online service

[email protected]

 

Or just visit some large pharmacies in your area (actual pharmacies, not a Boots or Watsons).

 

You could also directly contact the distributor and ask (1) if you can buy say a 1 yerar supply directly from them; (2) if not, at least find out what pharmacies in your area they have supplied to.

 

GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Limited
12^th Floor, Wave Place
55 Wireless Road
Lumpini
Patumwan
Bangkok
10330

Tel. + 66 (0) 2659 3000

 

With psychiatrists as with any type of specialist in Thailand you need to choose the doctor  carefully. There are some good, Western-trained ones to be found but they are not the majority and have to be specifically requested by name.  

 

For mood disorders (depression, panic etc) I highly recommend this US-trained doctor

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Suttiporn-Janenawasin

She is worth travelling for, if you are not in Bangkok

Besides being very good, she is extremely nice and kind

Bring all records with you. It is especially important that she know what drugs have been tried in the past.

 

 

 

 

 

[suzannegoh]

On 10/11/2021 at 10:23 AM, Sheryl said:

It will be a little more than the full retail cost of the drug in Europe, whatever that is.  And it will be less than what you have been paying if getting it from a private hoispital, if that is what you have been doing.

 

I cannot give you an exact amount, but you can price it at pharmacies. I would start by emailing this place, which has an online service

[email protected]

 

Or just visit some large pharmacies in your area (actual pharmacies, not a Boots or Watsons).

 

You could also directly contact the distributor and ask (1) if you can buy say a 1 yerar supply directly from them; (2) if not, at least find out what pharmacies in your area they have supplied to.

 

GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Limited
12^th Floor, Wave Place
55 Wireless Road
Lumpini
Patumwan
Bangkok
10330

Tel. + 66 (0) 2659 3000

 

With psychiatrists as with any type of specialist in Thailand you need to choose the doctor  carefully. There are some good, Western-trained ones to be found but they are not the majority and have to be specifically requested by name.  

 

For mood disorders (depression, panic etc) I highly recommend this US-trained doctor

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Suttiporn-Janenawasin

She is worth travelling for, if you are not in Bangkok

Besides being very good, she is extremely nice and kind

Bring all records with you. It is especially important that she know what drugs have been tried in the past.

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like the price at independent pharmacies in Thailand is about 1900 Baht for 30 20mg pills.  That compares to $41 (1365 baht) that I last paid in the US for 90 10mg pills.  That works out to roughly 2X the price per mg, and keeps alive my streak of every medicine that I've ever been prescribed being more in expensive in Thailand than in the US despite pharmaceutical prices in the US supposedly being the highest in the world.

Edited November 2, 2021 by suzannegoh