Hey everyone,

As those of us in the 50+ crowd settle into life here, I’ve been curious about what routine health maintenance looks like for folks. One of the great things about living in Thailand is how accessible and affordable basic healthcare and pharmacies are compared to back home.

I’m fortunate that I’m not on any daily maintenance medications at the moment—mostly just keeping a few acute things like anti-inflammatories (diclofenac pills (gel is worthless) - my miracle drug) on hand for the occasional joint flare-up or injury. But I know daily meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar become a reality for a lot of us as the miles add up.

If you’re open to sharing: What daily medications or supplements have made the biggest difference in keeping you healthy and active here? Anything you’ve found tricky to source locally or had to swap out?

No worries at all if you prefer to keep your medical info private—just thought it’d be an interesting and practical local. Cheers!

Avoid everything as long as you can, better diet to avoid statins etc, better fitness and diet to avoid the need for dick pills.

Only thing i take is PrEP to avoid you know what

Daily multi-vitamin.

But I only take it 3 days a week to save money and cycle off a bit.

It contains COQ10, which is good for heart.

Lutein for eye support.

Digestive enzymes - which we need as we get older. Everything in the body degrades, including the ability to digest food.

Vitamins are expensive in Thailand but gyms are cheap.

Multi vitamin ... fills in a few gaps, probably piss the rest out

Vit C ... visual skin benefits

Magnesium ... excellent sleep aid, no longer wake to P

Just now, KhunLA said:

Multi vitamin ... fills in a few gaps, probably piss the rest out

Vit C ... visual skin benefits

Magnesium ... excellent sleep aid, no longer wake to P

Almost matches my nutrients regimen. Figure the Multivitamin cover the gaps but doubt I have many. I eat pumpkin seeds for magnesium and like you waking up to pee has been reduced drastically. Pumpkin seeds also have zinc which improves urinary function.

34 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Daily multi-vitamin.

But I only take it 3 days a week to save money and cycle off a bit.

It contains COQ10, which is good for heart.

Lutein for eye support.

Digestive enzymes - which we need as we get older. Everything in the body degrades, including the ability to digest food.

Hopefully not from Lazada and Shopee

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Avoid everything as long as you can, better diet to avoid statins etc, better fitness and diet to avoid the need for dick pills.

Only thing i take is PrEP to avoid you know what

I didn't know what PrEP was until looking it up. That is a game changer for those that are with new partners or have many. It reduces the risk by 99%. The wife might be upset if she saw in my drug cabinet :) No need - I'm happy with my current situation but 10 years ago, I would have taken the pills.

Get enough vitamins and minerals from my daily diet. I add probiotics, turmeric, slippery elm powder to continue to supplement my gastro system. Sometimes Simethicone when gas gets a little much. Will start with Saw Palmetto and other supplements for Prostate when we return home.

35 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Vitamins are expensive in Thailand but gyms are cheap.

They are cheap. Basically 4 baht a day for "Doctors Best 50+ multi vitamin". Probably don't need but is a conservative vitamin that seems safe so why not.

3 minutes ago, atpeace said:

They are cheap. Basically 4 baht a day for "Doctors Best 50+ multi vitamin". Probably don't need but is a conservative vitamin that seems safe so why not.

You rarely see a benefit with taking vitamins, even bigger risk here with Lazada and Shopee flooded with fakes. A good diet should cover everything

5 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Get enough vitamins and minerals from my daily diet. I add probiotics, turmeric, slippery elm powder to continue to supplement my gastro system. Sometimes Simethicone when gas gets a little much. Will start with Saw Palmetto and other supplements for Prostate when we return home.

I had little luck with the above but psyllium husk powder for three months now and haven't missed a morning poop since day one. I actually get excited looking into the bowl at the mass and width. It is gross but I swallow it down in 3 seconds and no major after taste.

2 minutes ago, atpeace said:

They are cheap. Basically 4 baht a day for "Doctors Best 50+ multi vitamin". Probably don't need but is a conservative vitamin that seems safe so why not.

Cheap enough via iHerb, and worth it for the obvious noticeable benefits, and piece of mind, even if piss some out.

Gyms are fine, if you go. I had an inexpensive membership at public olympic size pool (w/ boards) that included a nice gym. Peeked, but never used to the gym, and slowly stopped going to the pool.

Now I get my daily walks with the dog, at the park & surfside. Find it more beneficial, for physical & mental health, since I actually do.

@Rockyroad

Edited July 30Jul 30 by KhunLA

4 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I had little luck with the above but psyllium husk powder for three months now and haven't missed a morning poop since day one. I actually get excited looking into the bowl at the mass and width. It is gross but I swallow it down in 3 seconds and no major after taste.

Psyllium is a good fiber choice. I've never added extra fiber as I get enough from the pasta, veggies, fruits, whole grain cereals, rice, popcorn and whole grain breads I eat. Being regular is one of the most important things a person can do, so I strive for that all the time.

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

You rarely see a benefit with taking vitamins, even bigger risk here with Lazada and Shopee flooded with fakes. A good diet should cover everything

I'm not sure at this point if there is a benefit. I order from the Mall and 99% sure it is legit. I have a well designed diet because I eat much less now than 10 years ago and struggle with exceeding the daily suggested intake for a few nutrients. I struggle with calcium but adding 30g of dry children's milk covered that need.
My diet ( not perfect but getting closer):

Edited July 30Jul 30 by atpeace

2 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I'm not sure at this point if there is a benefit. I order from the Mall and 99% sure it is legit. I have a well designed diet because I eat much less now than 10 years ago and struggle with exceeding the daily suggested intake for a few nutrients. I struggle with calcium but adding 30g of dry children's milk covered that need.
My diet ( not perfect but getting closer):

Many extra vitamins and minerals you will pee out, especially if you're eating a balanced diet that carries them already. Water solubles like B and C are in most everything, so there isn't a need to add them.

Fat solubles like D, K, E and A can also be had with a decent diet, and they stay in your body longer.

If you're D deficient you'll need a supplement, but that's only after a check confirms it. It's mostly those with dark skin who are possibly deficient, along with those living in northern areas from a lack of sun exposure. Some obese might also be because their fat levels will have them storing it without it being absorbed correctly in the body. Calcium is easy to supplement by diet also, along with most other minerals.

24 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Cheap enough, and worth it for the obvious benefits, and piece of mind, even if piss some out.

Gyms are fine, if you go. I had an inexpensive membership at public olympic size pool (w/ boards) that included a nice gym. Peeked, but never used to the gym, and slowly stopped going to the pool.

Now I get my daily walks with the dog, at the park & surfside. Find it more beneficial, for physical & mental health, since I actually do.

Walks are great if done regularly and over 30 minutes. Adding air squats (3x10 but probably 3x3 to start) and pushups with knees down to start a few times a week, covers most of the major muscles that get smaller with age. Pullups are too hard for 99% of people but the back muscles are important so figuring that out is also important.

I enjoy gyms but never been back since the Covid shutdowns.

I love Thai gyms cause they are cheap. Gym yesterday was 10 baht.

2 hours ago, atpeace said:

Hey everyone,

As those of us in the 50+ crowd settle into life here, I’ve been curious about what routine health maintenance looks like for folks. One of the great things about living in Thailand is how accessible and affordable basic healthcare and pharmacies are compared to back home.

I’m fortunate that I’m not on any daily maintenance medications at the moment—mostly just keeping a few acute things like anti-inflammatories (diclofenac pills (gel is worthless) - my miracle drug) on hand for the occasional joint flare-up or injury. But I know daily meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar become a reality for a lot of us as the miles add up.

If you’re open to sharing: What daily medications or supplements have made the biggest difference in keeping you healthy and active here? Anything you’ve found tricky to source locally or had to swap out?

Discover more

Thailand travel guides

Beaches & Islands

Social media integration

No worries at all if you prefer to keep your medical info private—just thought it’d be an interesting and practical local. Cheers!

Turning 80 years of age in a couple of months later this year - zero medicines. No headaches nor colds over 20 years. Exercise daily (twice a week weights, core daily and walk aerobics with TV program daily. No aches nor pains as I have kept up the exercise routine for years. I read Dr. William Li's two healthy foods books published in 2023 and available locally, this was over two years ago, changed my diet to get rid of bad foods, lost a few kilos, several inches off of waist and have maintained the same weight for over two years. Daily I do take a D3 as I avoid sunlight, garlic (40 years plus has kept in my opinion my BP to remain in the healthy range with a resting heartrate of mid to low 50's, lutein (20+ years) can still read newspapers without glasses. I eat a lot of fruits, nuts, seeds in my diet and eat one Thai meal daily. Have never been hospitalized. Just saying as exercise since HS with lots of long distance running over the years. BTW I do wear a mask whenever the pollution is over 35 and have done so for many years as I lived in many capital cities of the world and ran in polluted streets.

2 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

I love Thai gyms cause they are cheap. Gym yesterday was 10 baht.

They are but I struggle with perspiring all over the equipment. It is quite embarrassing and also not acceptable IMO to the gym owners or users.

I would need a mobile mop bucket that I would pull along during my workout. As for the treadmill, it would be an impossibility other than walking briskly on it. I had a gym owner politely tell me in his own way that the treadmill was off limits a decade ago and since have not used them in the non-ac gyms or even gyms with AC that don't have good air flow.

Just now, atpeace said:

They are but I struggle with perspiring all over the equipment. It is quite embarrassing and also not acceptable IMO to the gym owners or users.

I would need a mobile mop bucket that I would pull along during my workout. As for the treadmill, it would be an impossibility other than walking briskly on it. I had a gym owner politely tell me in his own way that the treadmill was off limits a decade ago and since have not used them in the non-ac gyms or even gyms with AC that don't have good air flow.

You could always hire GG to follow you around when he makes it back to Thailand.

39 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I'm not sure at this point if there is a benefit. I order from the Mall and 99% sure it is legit. I have a well designed diet because I eat much less now than 10 years ago and struggle with exceeding the daily suggested intake for a few nutrients. I struggle with calcium but adding 30g of dry children's milk covered that need.
My diet ( not perfect but getting closer):

If you mean Lazada mall, i almost ordered a couple days ago when Gemini stopped me

I don't like running and walking is only fun if something to see.

3 minutes ago, Presnock said:

Turning 80 years of age in a couple of months later this year - zero medicines. No headaches nor colds over 20 years. Exercise daily (twice a week weights, core daily and walk aerobics with TV program daily. No aches nor pains as I have kept up the exercise routine for years. I read Dr. William Li's two healthy foods books published in 2023 and available locally, this was over two years ago, changed my diet to get rid of bad foods, lost a few kilos, several inches off of waist and have maintained the same weight for over two years. Daily I do take a D3 as I avoid sunlight, garlic (40 years plus has kept in my opinion my BP to remain in the healthy range with a resting heartrate of mid to low 50's, lutein (20+ years) can still read newspapers without glasses. I eat a lot of fruits, nuts, seeds in my diet and eat one Thai meal daily. Have never been hospitalized. Just saying as exercise since HS with lots of long distance running over the years. BTW I do wear a mask whenever the pollution is over 35 and have done so for many years as I lived in many capital cities of the world and ran in polluted streets.

That is incredible. 20 years since being sick? I find that hard to even imagine. I was chronically sick from bacteria infections until I resolved that 2 years ago and haven't been sick since. The constant fear of infections is hard to deal with and those that get very sick many times a year will understand. I no longer even fear getting sick which would have been beyond my wildest dreams just 2 years ago.

I too have always been fit and never overweight so I hope I'm on a path to match your health in my later years.

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

If you mean Lazada mall, i almost ordered a couple days ago when Gemini stopped me

Do you have the link? Probably not being you were just looking. Maybe I should only order from the actual brand mall stores whenever possible for supplements and vitamins. I seriously doubt vitamins bought from the Brand's store could be fake? Maybe....

As for magnesium. You can buy baked pumpkin seeds in bulk on lazada that are loaded with magnesium and other nutrients.

17 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

You could always hire GG to follow you around when he makes it back to Thailand.

I think I met him about 4 months ago. I was out on lava rocks on the Mekong meditating before sunset and I noticed somebody out the corner of my eyes strutting up and down the old lava flow just how I imagined GG looked doing it years ago late night on the platform of Skytrain in BK. Remember his Skytrain thread? It was the look at me strut.

Anyhow he stopped me when I was leaving and we had a brief conversation. I was thinking this has to be GG. He was bizarre but very funny. Told him my wife and I were having dinner and pointed to where. He showed up and had us both in tears for hours with his weird sense of humor. We both said little and he just kept rambling. I still think it was him and if so - thanks GG for a wonderful night.

None of it, supplements are a huge expensive scam.

NMN, Creatine, Multivits, Omega 3, Arcerola Cherry, Zinc, Micardis, Aspirin mini dose...of course I have days I just don't feel like taking all that. I just have a sardine sandwich then.

Daily walk of at least 30 mins wearing a 5kg weight vest.

Squats and inclined push ups 2 or 3 days a week.

Qigong exercises twice a day, morning and evening.

No supplements, no medications.

I've made to 80 years, so I must be doing something right!

Its about time the FDA got a grip on what's being sold on Lazada, including in the Mall, I don't trust any of it. TikTok shop also