Morphine In Thailand?

[MRaina]

Is it okay to carry personal short-term supply (1 month) of morphine from US doctor prescription into Thailand?

Or, is it available in Thailand at the international hospitals, or pharmacies?

Do they readily prescribe it, or can a US prescription also be filled directly at the international hospital pharmacy?

[FBN]

Please search the forum on this subject; it has been discussed time and time again and many have posted personal experiences with this. None of it reassuring.

Morphine is regarded just at about the same level of any of the major illegal drugs in this part of the world which would carry extreme penalties. Even getting a prescription or being given morphine in a hospital situation here in Thailand is extremely rare.

It is not kept by pharmacies by law outside of hospitals.

You will be taking a really very big risk in carrying morphine; especially a month's supply irrespective of what documentation you carry.

You did not say which form of the drug you will be carrying but please make sure that you get all the info possible; perhaps even clearing it with the Thai Embassy in your country.

[jackoneilone]

What FBN said.

Though morphine is prescribed and can be had from Hospital pharmacies in Thailand unlike say US OZ etc its extremely rare for that doctor to actually prescribe it for a patient to take home. Also morphine does come in different methods of delivery eg injection, tablet and this could have another effect with customs etc. Im presuming since you actually have it prescribed even by Western standards its most likely the tablet form so if you do have a legitimate reason that actual calls for it and have a proper letter and prescription from your doctor then on the ofchance of Thai customs questioning what those pills are you could present them with all the evidence etc. Thai is very.....disapproving... of strong pain relievers especially opioid eg morphine and unless you went through major surgery and would endure a lot of pain or are dying of say cancer would most likely not even be prescribed in the first place.

You can forget about buying it here etc and even if you went to a specialist at a hospital they would most likely avoid prescribing it.

Please search the forum on this subject; it has been discussed time and time again and many have posted personal experiences with this. None of it reassuring.

Morphine is regarded just at about the same level of any of the major illegal drugs in this part of the world which would carry extreme penalties. Even getting a prescription or being given morphine in a hospital situation here in Thailand is extremely rare.

It is not kept by pharmacies by law outside of hospitals.

You will be taking a really very big risk in carrying morphine; especially a month's supply irrespective of what documentation you carry.

You did not say which form of the drug you will be carrying but please make sure that you get all the info possible; perhaps even clearing it with the Thai Embassy in your country.

[MRaina]

It was actually quite easy to get morphine from the hospital here. When the case is calls for it, the doctors will prescribe it.

It is also legal to import morphine or carry a 1-month supply, with documentation of the original prescription.

.

[MRaina]

P.S. Have seen this 'search the previous posts' instead of post a new topic for many threads,

but this is not effective when the search function is so unclear, and information and cases are updated, etc. No two posts even on the same topic will be the same.

And please improve the search function if you expect members to use it

[Moonrakers]

It was actually quite easy to get morphine from the hospital here. When the case is calls for it, the doctors will prescribe it.

It is also legal to import morphine or carry a 1-month supply, with documentation of the original prescription.

.

I am no doctor but I suspect that you are confusing morphine with another drug.

Morphine is a controlled substance that is basically a legalised narcotic, legalised purely for medical purposes that is. It is a very addictive narcotic and there is no way that a registered organisation will give it away easily unless your contact is corrupt and quite stupid.

I don't like to shout troll, but mods I suspect that one has found his way into the health forum. Of course I could be wrong though.

[Sheryl]

Nothing in the posts suggests troll to me and neither does the member's posting history.

MRaina is correct that it is legal to bring in with you up to a one month supply provided one also carruies approrpiate documentation, i.e. medication should be in a prescription bottle cleary labeled and you should also have with you a doctor's note certifying that it was presecribed to you and for what reason. That is bring with you; if by "import" it is meant have it shipped in to you,that might be unwise.

Poster's experience of easily getting a prescription from a lcoal hospital is, in my experience, the exception rather than the rule. Even in such clear-cut cases as terminal cancer, many people find it hard to get a Thai doctor to prescribe a narcotic especially for out patient use.

Obviously will depend upon the circumstances and also the doctor, but I would hardly call it easy nor can I agree that Thai doctors always prescribe it when warranted. I've seen too many cases to the contrary.

Although not the only factor, as I have seen Thais have similiar problems, farang do have something of a reputation for drug-seeking and drug abuse here and that may make a doctor particularly suspicous and less likely to believe a patient's claim that non-narcotics aren't sufficient. This is unfortunate and even more unfortunate is they are sometimes right, i.e. a minority of farangs do this, feeding into the negative sterotype.

[nputman]

Morphine is a last resort when other pain killers are ineffective.

Not recomended unless absolutley needed.

Thai Doctors will prescribe it if and when justifded in capsual form.

I know this for fact as I have been prescribed it by my attending physician here in Thailand.

Reluctantly on both our parts.

To the original OP try Tramadol and see if it helps when you get here.

[MRaina]

It is morphine, the brand is imported, MST Continus, manufactured by Napp Pharmaceuticals in Europe.

It was prescribed by one of the international hospitals in Bangkok.

Again, IF the case calls for it, in cases of severe pain, and a pre-exsting prescription from a US doctor, they can prescribe it.

And again, a personal short-term supply is legal to import, with an existing prescription.

For short-term use and a proper dosage, about 1 month, it can be tolerated.

Would not recommend it for long term use though. There are other and better methods for pain relief for most cases.

And if any hippie farangs read this, recreational drugs are terrible. There are better and true and natural ways for happiness and euphoria. Drugs are not one of them. And please don't go to the hospitals asking for it, because that ruins it for those who actually need it at any time for medical reasons.

Edited November 29, 2009 by MRaina

[Sheryl]

please don't go to the hospitals asking for it, because that ruins it for those who actually need it at any time for medical reasons.

Amen to that. Sad but true, Thai doctors do tend to be especially wary of farang requests for pain-killers and while this is often unjustified with respect to a particular patient, it is not altogether without reason.