Should We Be Hoarding Medication For Chronic Conditions?

[Jingthing]

Like many people, I take medications for chronic conditions. Also like many people, just stopping any of these meds would be very unwise. So we depend on a reliable, steady supply.

As is obvious, there are supply/distribution problems with many, many products in Thailand these days, with no clear sign when the situation will improve. Obviously, each product has it's own story, some products will come back quickly, some may be from ruined factories, etc.

I haven't been to a pharmacy lately to buy a supply of my usual meds. For those who have, are they finding it is easy to get what you need or not?

How about hoarding meds? Should we be hoarding now if we can find a supply? If so, how many months of supply?

[Lefty]

I live in Korat and take several medications per day. Today went to largest pharmacy in Korat to stock up for 2 months; got all medications but for 2 items they were the last in stock. I would recommend stocking a two months supply ASAP.

Lefty

[Jingthing]

Uh oh. Thanks for that. Wish I had thought of it sooner.

[chiang mai]

Uh oh. Thanks for that. Wish I had thought of it sooner.

I reckon it's unlikely there'll be the sort of crisis you're imagining JT, meds tend to be small and light and can easily be shipped by air, also, most hospitals will have stock, even if the local pharmacy's don't - I take meds also but frankly I'm not going to worry about running out, it simply will not happen in my book.

[harrry]

I also have a chronic condition and always stock at least 2 months shelf supply. Each time I refill on one of my medicines I get 3 months and keep two months. THis is on the advice CMU pharmacy as it normally takes them about a week to get supplies and do not keep large stocks so ask me to order in advance. I think you will always in Pattaya be able to get something to handle whatever condition you have but it may not be same as you always use. Change is not allways good.

Distribution problems may interfere with smooth deliveries.

Edited November 11, 2011 by harrry

[Jingthing]

I think it really depends on the medication. One med I take is only available locally at Fascino Pattaya. Haven't checked the hospitals but never found at another regular pharmacy. Fascino is Bangkok based I assume. So who knows about their supply channels. I don't think blanket assumptions make sense right now. I don't like to encourage hoarding, but given the uncertainty, I think we should, obviously within reason.

[harrry]

I think it really depends on the medication. One med I take is only available locally at Fascino Pattaya. Haven't checked the hospitals but never found at another regular pharmacy. Fascino is Bangkok based I assume. So who knows about their supply channels. I don't think blanket assumptions make sense right now. I don't like to encourage hoarding, but given the uncertainty, I think we should, obviously within reason.

I think the one you can only get from the one Pharmacy is the one to check on. I do not think 3 months supply is hoarding. It seems standard that the public hospitals supply three or four months at a time. Some of the meds they supply on the gold card are pretty expensive too. I am impressed. Of course I have to pay.

[dsfbrit]

I went two weeks ago to Fascino in North Pattaya to get my supply of beta blockers and aspirin for the next few months.

They did not have them and said to try again in the New Year. I asked them if they can order them for me and they could not.

I went in again yesterday and still they have no idea when they will arrive.

I have enough tablets for another 5 weeks so there may not be a problem. I went to several pharmacies around Pattaya, but with no success.

The pills I require are Metaprolol 100 Mg STADA (I split them into 4 doses of 25mg) and aspirin 300 Mg. I have to say the lack of aspirin was a bit of a surprise.

I dont want to change the medication I take at all - so I would like to still buy the same product from the same supplier. Even the aspirin.

So I guess the question I am asking is whether anyone on this forum has any updated news about the supply of pills, which factories have been flooded and how long they will be offline.

If its for more than 5 weeks, where could I get these tablets. I would be quite happy to drive to Bangkok to the Fascino main distribution centre or any other company if it would help me get the tablets.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

thanks for your help.

[Jingthing]

Sorry to hear about that. The med I was worried about was well stocked at Fascino Pattaya so I bought up four months (not to be too greedy).

Sometimes the small pharmacy at Foodland Pattaya Klang has things other places don't or might even be able to order. Maybe worth a try.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Jingthing

[dsfbrit]

Thanks for the reply jingthing. I am glad you were able to get your medicines. I should have been a bit quicker to realise there could be a shortage. I will try the pharmacy you suggested and if no luck then I will visit some hospitals over the next few weeks.

If that is not successful, I am not too sure what to do next, so heres hoping I can get them somewhere. I suppose I can also see if there any equivalent tablets I could take for a while. I do not really fancy that though as the tablets I have now work well, with no side affects - so would only change to another make if I really had to.

[Sheryl]

dsfbrit,

the meds you are on are very common and should not be hard to find, I suspect the shortages you have encountered are the result of panic buying/hoarding and that just trying a pharmacy further from BKK/Pattaya area would solve your problem.

Suggest maybe a trip to Chonburi town, if no luck there then onto Chachengsao.

I know that the main pharmacy in Prachinburi isn't having any stock problems but that's a bit further onward.

[diabeticsurvivor]

We live in BKK. During the mega floods, I stocked up med supplies for three months. Haven't seen any shortage of imported meds yet. However, the pharmacist told me that the local company 'SIAM', their factory was inundated so there are shortage of meds manufactured by SIAM at the moment.

[dsfbrit]

I have got my Beta Blockers - so no problem there. However, I have been looking everywhere for some 300 Mg aspirins. I cannot get them anywhere. I have not tried all the hospitals yet, so maybe they will have them. I can get 500 Mg tablets and 100Mg tablets (with Glycine). However the 500 Mg tablets cannot be cut in half I am told, so they are too strong. The Siam factory that Diabeticsurvivor mentions may well be the problem, as Fascino say its due to the floods.

If the hospitals in Pattaya dont have them then would it be worth driving to Bangkok, to the Siam factory to get them direct do you think??? I have to have them and it would be a day out - maybe do some shopping while we are there. Any thoughts gratefully appreciated.

[ignis]

No idea about hoarding.....

I buy from a Thai Pharmacy and where possible buy the big tubs 500 tablets, he always has in stock....

I went on Sunday Morning no problem all in stock, have been there for years so know them well, in the floods inside the shop was just above the knee deep in water the Mother was telling me...

So at this moment I have about 7 - 8 months supply, as go to buy when get down to about a month left, new tubs last around 6+ months.

[1x tub last over 2 years of 1 med]

Just this moment looked, expiry date on all are between March and June 2014

Out of interest bought the big tubs for 7 years now, eg: 1 tablet I take I looked on Sunday, strip of 10 = 35 baht or like I buy 1x tub of 500 tablets cost 290 baht..

So to me hoarding.is having something that will not be used before expiry date..

[lopburi3]

Have you looked for the coated 81mg version 'Apsent-M' made by OLIC Thailand? Note the factory is in Ayutthaya so likely did have flooding. They are sold in 1k containers and very small so could take what you need.

[dsfbrit]

Ignis, after this shortage I will certainly be buying a 'big tub' of Aspirins thats for sure.

Lopburi3 - thanks for the advice - I am going 'everywhere' I can think of tomorrow and will certainly look out for these tablets. In fact the tablets are an odd amount though 81 Mg - I guess they were originally made for another market and the conversion just happens to be 81 Mg????

Thanks again for the feedback

[Jingthing]

I bought a huge bottle of low dose aspirin from the U.S. a while back and had to throw most of it out. The pills stuck together.

[lopburi3]

81mg is a normal dosage to prevent heart attacks and is found around the world (295,000 Google hits).

[meatboy]

I live in Korat and take several medications per day. Today went to largest pharmacy in Korat to stock up for 2 months; got all medications but for 2 items they were the last in stock. I would recommend stocking a two months supply ASAP.

Lefty

i to live in korat and always buy 3months at a time not any any problem with any of them,just one question i have always kept my medication in the fridge,because on every packet it always states should be stored below 25deg.c.do everybody do this?

[Jingthing]

Storage temperature IS an issue. Probably even worth a new thread.

[dsfbrit]

I store my pills in the fridge - so I guess that is Ok.

Sheryl, sorry I missed your reply. I could certainly try heading towards Bangkok and stop as the major towns on the way. Is there a major large chemist I could go to in Bangkok though??? I suppose the Siam factory m=would be a good place to go if I turn up personally??

Lopburi3, I am sure the 81 mg pills are fine - I have just not seen them anywhere before - then I am new to this sort of medication (beta blockers etc...) so I guess its just a part of my 'learning curve'.

Oh well, tomorrow I will try all the local places and hope that solves the problem before heading further afield!!

[Sheryl]

No, forget the Siam factory. That is but one of many manufacturers and specifically one that was flood affected. ANd, they do not make the brand you are looking for.

You should contact

Stada Asiatic Co Ltd

3 Soi Lasalle 29

Sukumvit 105 Rd

Bangna

Bangkok 10260

Tel: 0 2399 4668, 0 81408 2072 (Mobile)

Fax: 0 2399 4672

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.stada.com

They may be able to tell you of a pharmacy near you to which they have recently sent a supply, or suggest pharmacies in Bkk.

If they can't help, there are many other brands of the drug available but AFAIK all are 100mg tabs scored only in half, fine for splitting into 2 doses but inexact for splitting into 4.

Aspirin you can easily find anywhere in Bkk, in fact I can't believe it's not available in Pattaya. May help to ask by the brand name Aspent. There are literally dozens of brands, from different companies, on the market .

[ignis]

Have you been to a Thai Pharmacy ? they speak English, also far better to have the Thai brand as normally always in stock,+ a fraction of the price, if they are not sure they have a Book,

If you can take your old pack/bottle..... or if like me in 2003 I came to Thailand with a copy of the Dr Prescription.....

Eg: 1 type I have to take every day cost 980 baht for a blister pack of 14, imported from Switzerland, Thai version cost 140 baht, when I 1st arrived many of my Meds were so hard to find, converting to the Thai Brand = much easier to get and a whole lot cheaper

Find a good Thai Pharmacy [shop will have many different tubs and mostly sell tablets loose] and buy the big bottles or if only in blister packs buy a box, you should get a discount..

Here Pharmacist are trained, so many visit the Pharmacy instead of doing to a Dr.

Edit: I think by Law here even places in Supermarkets that sell Med must have a trained Pharmacist, but they hold very low stock and the fast selling items, so not the place to be looking

Edited February 9, 2012 by ignis

[a99az]

I need to get Cleversal 500mg I was able to get 400 mg in Chiang Mai but now can't. Can I get some sent from home (Europe)? How many days supply can I get sent at a time? How much am I likely to have to pay? Many Thanks.

[lopburi3]

Edit: I think by Law here even places in Supermarkets that sell Med must have a trained Pharmacist, but they hold very low stock and the fast selling items, so not the place to be looking

Actually all drug stores have a Pharmacist name but often they only arrive until after there day job so unless you are sure it may not be anyone knowledgeable at all; and often not even able to look up medications. As for your above quote the turnover is a huge plus here as drugs held without airconditioned storage (as in most Thai drug stores) will have much shorter shelf life; and add the fact they buy in huge bottles that may take years to sell and you have no guarantee of even getting drugs that are not expired if not buying blister packs (which will still suffer from high temps).

[Suradit69]

... and add the fact they buy in huge bottles that may take years to sell and you have no guarantee of even getting drugs that are not expired if not buying blister packs (which will still suffer from high temps).

What drugs of any significance are dispensed from "huge bottles" these days? Even the low-dose aspirin I take comes in a blister pack, as do all my regular meds and those have expiry dates clearly indicated. I doubt any reputable pharmacy, and most I've used can be described as such, would stock "huge bottles" of any medicine that was likely to take years to sell. If that were a concern, just ask the person dispensing the medicine to let you look at the dates on the "huge bottles."

[dsfbrit]

Sheryl and Ignis, thanks for the feedback.

You are right it should be easy to get 300 mg aspirin, but due to the floods and simply not stocking 300 mg aspirin, I could not find them anywhere. I will certainly try that stockist in Bangna if I have any more troubles. The reason I dont buy in local pharmacy outlets is that I am not confident that have genuine tablets. I suspect they are OK, but I wont risk it when it is quite simply so important that I take this daily aspirin to avoid a blood clot.

Anyway, I went to Banglamung hospital in Pattaya. They had them and like my current tablets, they were also coated - which is better for the digestive system. I had quite a battle with them to sell me any though, as they wanted me to have an examination with the doctor who examined my heart before. I speak Thai, but she used a few unfriendly words that I had not heard before - well not used at ME anyway

She basically maintained she could not sell me aspirin without an examination and I pointed out they were only aspirin - and a low dosage at that. We 'compromised' on just 30 tablets and her telling me that I would get no more from her until I visited the cardiologist again. So I have another month to source a larger supply. They were 3 times the price of Fascino, but even at 3 baht a tablet I was not worried about the price.

Oh and to get back on topic. I certainly WILL be hoarding enough tablets to get me through the next 6 months and will top up each month so I always have a 6 month supply. Like many people on this forum, the tablets I need are pretty cheap and not very sophisticated, in my case just a 25 mg betablocker and an 300mg aspirin a day - but without them I could suffer a blood clot and die - so I think its better to hoard than risk running out.

Thanks again for the feedback

[dsfbrit]

Here is some 'interesting' news I heard today when I went to Fascino in North Pattaya to see if they had any 300 Mg aspirin. I was told by the assistant that the reason they do not have 300Mg aspirin is because a new law was passed recently that says only hospitals can sell them. Like anyone reading this I am sceptical that this is the case, has anyone else heard this???

[lopburi3]

I would not be too suprised if true as believe they were taken completly off the market for an extended period years ago when the link to Reyes disease was made public and you still get dirty looks when asking for 'baby asprin' at most drug stores.

[Backwoods]

Here is some 'interesting' news I heard today when I went to Fascino in North Pattaya to see if they had any 300 Mg aspirin. I was told by the assistant that the reason they do not have 300Mg aspirin is because a new law was passed recently that says only hospitals can sell them. Like anyone reading this I am sceptical that this is the case, has anyone else heard this???

I just bought 300mg Asperent from pharmacy this week and they have plenty, same with metopolol, brand names Bet Loc Zok 100 MG.