Metoprolol , Rf Ablation, Availability?

[flying]

Hi,

Just curious but is Metoprolol readily available in Thailand & if so is it inexpensive & available over the counter?

I have had PSVT for 8 years & recently been told to take half a 25mg tab twice a day.

I have no idea if it works long term as I just started on them last Friday

We are moving full time to Thailand next month so I was curious about metoprolol availability & also RF Ablation

I have been offered RF Ablation here in the US but it would be 10 days before my departure.

I am hesitant to accept because although usually successful I know there are also risks.

I deal well with the PSVT & usually ride out bouts of 180BPM that lasts 2+ hours with no other symptoms.

A few times ...(4) after lasting 5 to 13 hours I will go to the hospital & get a shot of adenocine

which converts me back to normal HR but I don't much like it & usually will try to just ride it out.

So to that end I also wondered if they have RF Ablation in Chiang Mai or better yet Cryo-Ablation

Just in case in the future I decide to go that route

Thanks for any info

[Sheryl]

Metoprolol is readily available here with no prescription, many locally made brands and quite inexpensive.

Re RF, some of the very largest hospitals can do it but you'd be best advised only to consider the major university hospitals in Bangkok (Siriraj, Chulalonghorn) as they will have had the most experience. Even so, as you know, results are variable and hard to predict.

An important issue for you to consider is how you are going to pay for health care here, as your pre-existing condition may make it impossible to get insurance. Out patient consultations are affordable but hospitalization, even in a government hospital, can easily run to the tens of thousands of dollars +.

[flying]

Metoprolol is readily available here with no prescription, many locally made brands and quite inexpensive.

Re RF, some of the very largest hospitals can do it but you'd be best advised only to consider the major university hospitals in Bangkok (Siriraj, Chulalonghorn) as they will have had the most experience. Even so, as you know, results are variable and hard to predict.

An important issue for you to consider is how you are going to pay for health care here, as your pre-existing condition may make it impossible to get insurance. Out patient consultations are affordable but hospitalization, even in a government hospital, can easily run to the tens of thousands of dollars +.

Thanks Sheryl,

Yes I have also thought about the pre-existing exclusion. I will be getting insurance once there but did not expect this would be covered.

I am leaning more towards just doing it before I leave because of that & also, just not knowing the success rate there.

Thanks

[oslooskar]

On 4/20/2012 at 2:18 AM, Sheryl said:

Metoprolol is readily available here with no prescription, many locally made brands and quite inexpensive.

 

I checked with a couple of pharmacies in Rayong today but they only had Metoprolol in 100 mg tablets. So being that I take the very same dosage as "flying" I'd have to cut each pill four times. Therefore, my question is....does anyone know where I might find Metoprolol sold in .25 mg tablets? Also, how reliable are the local brands?

[Sheryl]

Local brands are fine. But AFAIK all brands of this drug here come in 100mg tabs. Usually scored once so that easy to get 50mg but indeed hard to get an exact 25mg dose.

 

It is unusual for this to he given to an adult in dose under 50mg. If you are taking 25mg twice a day suggest asking your foctor if can switch to 50mg once a day.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

[NancyL]

One brand of metoprolol is scored so that it's very easy to break the tabs into 4-25 mg dose.  Also, it's possible to get medical insurance with an exclusion for cardiac conditions as a pre-existing condition, but other conditions covered.  The OP should look into this since it's likely he could have an accident, develop an infection, etc, have other medical problems eventually unrelated to his heart.

 

In Chiang Mai Bangkok Hospital and CM Ram could do ablation.  I don't know the specific type, but do know people who have had successful ablations at those hospitals.  Also at Maharaj (Suan Dok) University hospital, but that hospital can be very difficult to navigate and there are long waits for elective procedures.

[oslooskar]

On 2/28/2019 at 3:18 AM, Sheryl said:

Local brands are fine. But AFAIK all brands of this drug here come in 100mg tabs. Usually scored once so that easy to get 50mg but indeed hard to get an exact 25mg dose.

 

It is unusual for this to he given to an adult in dose under 50mg. If you are taking 25mg twice a day suggest asking your foctor if can switch to 50mg once a day.

 

I take a total of .25mg of Metoprolol a day. I have a pill cutter and cut each of my .25mg pills in half and take a 12.50mg half at 9:00 A.M. and the remaining 12.50mg half at 9:00 P.M.  However, if I buy the 100mg tablets I'm going to have to cut each pill into eight pieces-------which might not be a problem if I was a Swiss Watch maker.

[Sheryl]

17 hours ago, oslooskar said:

I take a total of .25mg of Metoprolol a day. I have a pill cutter and cut each of my .25mg pills in half and take a 12.50mg half at 9:00 A.M. and the remaining 12.50mg half at 9:00 P.M.  However, if I buy the 100mg tablets I'm going to have to cut each pill into eight pieces-------which might not be a problem if I was a Swiss Watch maker.

 

I think you mean 25 mg not (0).25mg.

 

Per Nancy L above there is a brand that comes pre-scored into fourths which gives you equal pieces of 25mg. You would then have to try to cut that further in half. That the halves won't be exact is not a big issue as you'll take both halves in the same day, slight difference between the two doses won't have a significant effect.  Bigger concern is that you will likely lose a small amount of the drug in the process of this splitting since it is nto pre-scored at that point.

 

Alternative would be to take the 25 mg once a day.

 

I suggest you contact your doctor and explain the situation and see what s/he advises.

 

You can buy pill cutters from lazada  or Amazon. Also in many pharmacies

https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=pill+cutter&_keyori=ss&from=input&spm=a2o4m.home.search.go.1125719cpmsstI

 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pill+cutter+for+small+pills&crid=217BMD68F8H0H&sprefix=pill+cutter%2Caps%2C400&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_11

 

 

@NancyL 

can you tell us what the brand name is that comes scored in fourths?