Heart Medication, Good Place To Buy.

[Dave8237]

I have to take three types of medication each day, due to Mitral heart valve repair, open heart surgery, I had in the UK last August. I am currently living in Bangkok, Huay Khwang.

I have enough to last me until the end of May, no problem.

I know I can get these at Boots, in most malls, but was wondering if there are any other pharmacies which any one knows of, as will heading towards the North East to set up home in the next 6 months or so. Loeng Nok Tha, Yasothon.

The items are

1. Bisoprolo hemifumarate 2.5mg. I am on this one for life....

2. Ramipril 2.5mg. This item I will possibly stop taking soon, as I have never had high blood pressure, they just want to relieve pressure on the valve prior to op and the Edwards ring being put in place. I am just awaiting conformation to stop taking this one.

3. Aspirin 7.5mg, for life like most heart op and heart suffers

Never knew I had a problem until I got off a flight from a BKK last May, thought I had a chest infection!!! Still at least mine has been cause by my body not producing collagen, which the valves are made from, and not through anything else. Next life I am going to drink hard and smoke!!!!! No seriously I wouldn't.

Thanks for any help

David

[Sheryl]

That would be 75 mg on the aspirin not 7.5.

Any large pharmacy with air conditioning should be OK for these but if you need a specific rec then whichever of these is most convenient:

1.Sukhumvit Soi 2, sort of across the street from the freeway, that usually has a "real" pharmacist on the premises and large stocks. English spoken.

or

2. A number of pharmacies on Ratchawithi near Victory Monument (east of the Monument, opposite the hospital). No English spoken and not always very congenial to farang, but if you perservere with a smile you'll get what you need.

Note that while I am sure ramipril and low dose aspirin are sold in Thailand I am not 100% certain on the bisoprolol as the website (Mims) where I usually check these things is down at them oment.

[Dave8237]

Hi thanks for that.

Yes I do mean 75mg on the Aspirin, will visit a couple of those today, possible they are cheaper than Boots. Not that they overly expensive compared to buying on UK prescription, as you can only get 28 days in one shoot. Used. Prepayment card, and also Doctor was happy to give 3 month supply when I left the UK

Anyway thanks for the Information

[lopburi3]

Just don't make the mistake of calling those low strength aspirin "baby" aspirin or expect to be treated like you have three eyes. Thai took the warning about aspirin very seriously (taking it off the market for awhile) and drug stores do not seem to understand and if you call it baby aspirin they believe that is who you intend to give it and will say they do not have, rather than ask if for you and to thin your blood. Also believe 81mg may be more common here (1/4 of normal US adult dose of 325mg).

[asdecas]

Some of my medication is different from yours but I have used a couple of pharmacies that supply generics, and saved considerably. You may like to try one of these :

1. Roong Rote Pharmacy (รุ่งโรจน์เภสัช). If you walk up Soi On-Nut (Sukhumvit Soi 77), away from Sukhumvit Road, about 40m on right side.

2. On Rama 4, north side, I think between Lumphini and Klong Toey MRT stations, near the footbridge. Sorry, no name here but you can't mistake it, it'll be crowded with people.

[Plastic Brontosaurus]

If I were you would make sure that you buy anything other than aspirin from a well-known chain pharmacy such as Boots, Watsons, Pharma Choice etc. rather than a no-name local pharmacy, to avoid risk of fake meds... (unless you know the place/owner well and can trust).

[asdecas]

Try the generics pharmacy on Soi On Nut (Suk 77), about 40m in on the right. Roong Rote I think is the name - cheap and cheerful.

[kingstonkid]

Personally I was in that same position (not heart meds) and decided to go to a hospital for the first visit. The doctors I hae found are very good and will recommend where to get the meds unless they have a good price at the hospital. They will also tell you what to stay away from.

On the other side heaven forbid you should have a complication already having a specialist to contact is ot a bad thing to have.

Hospitals here are nothing like the UK or North America. They are just as thorough and knowledgeable at a lower price adn quicker service.

[jackflash]

I find the larger independent Pharmacies rather good, but the pharmacies in the big supermarkets worse than useless.

A good tip is to look for a pharmacy opposite a big hospital, they get frequent requests for the more obscure items.

In an emergency you can visit the Pharmacy inside the Hospital, but they will usually insist on a short appointment with a Doctor.

Or find a small Pharmacist near where you live (who seems capable and speaks good English) and ask him to stock what you need.

Most are delighted to have a regular customer. They can get special deliveries if you let them know in advance.

Edited April 6, 2013 by jackflash

[captainhornblower]

The best pharmacy is Fascino that is next door to Siriraj Hospital. It is very large and has professional staff who speak good English. As I understand it, they supply the hospitals and other pharmacies around Thailand and Bangkok. If they don't have the exact medication you need they will recommend alternatives. They are also a lot more reasonable than other pharmacies.

[Dave8237]

Excellent, thanks for all the info. Never thought of pharmacy near a hospital, didn't cross my mind!!!!!

Regards aspirin, I have noted that appears to be 81mg, suppose that wont make much of a difference, but I will check.

I think my main concern is, fake medication.

I will check these places out

Thanks

[Arkady]

I have looked around Sukhumvit and Ramkhamhaeng areas for the best prices on medicines and my conclusion is a pharmacy in Onnut has the best prices on everything. The shop is located in Sukhumvit Soi 77 (Onnut) a few yards from Sukhumvit Road on the Eastern side of Onnut. If you come from Big C Onnut it is about 100 yards walk towards Sukhumvit Road and you will find a non-descript Chinese pharmacy just before you get to Sukhumvit that you could easily walk past without noticing it. The shop is always bustling with customers and you usually have to wait for a few minutes to get served by one the many assistants. It is a very traditional Chinese business with the elderly matriach sitting in the middle watching everyone and handling all the cash. Some of the younger female family members are pharmacists and can speak enough English, although I speak Thai with them all. They will look up information for you in the pharmocopia to find different brand names for the drugs you need, if you ask them. Even the assistants are quite good at recommending cheaper, locally made or imported generics etc. There are also a couple in Ramkhamhaeng near Soi 24, more or less opposite Big C there where prices are higher and knowledge levels much less but still cheaper than Boots and pharmacies in fancy shopping malls. The business model of the Onnut family (sorry I don't know its name) is high volume and low margins and keep just about everything that sells in stock. Further into town in the lower numbered Sukhumvit sois the Boots business model is taking over where you concentrate on nice decorations and aircon and focus on selling bullshit products to make rich ladies' skin more white and porcelain like - lower volume, higher margin. Often Boots or Foodland etc are as much as 50% more expensive on medicines. Take your pick.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Arkady

[asdecas]

I have looked around Sukhumvit and Ramkhamhaeng areas for the best prices on medicines and my conclusion is a pharmacy in Onnut has the best prices on everything. The shop is located in Sukhumvit Soi 77 (Onnut) a few yards from Sukhumvit Road on the Eastern side of Onnut. If you come from Big C Onnut it is about 100 yards walk towards Sukhumvit Road and you will find a non-descript Chinese pharmacy just before you get to Sukhumvit that you could easily walk past without noticing it. The shop is always bustling with customers and you usually have to wait for a few minutes to get served by one the many assistants. It is a very traditional Chinese business with the elderly matriach sitting in the middle watching everyone and handling all the cash. Some of the younger female family members are pharmacists and can speak enough English, although I speak Thai with them all. They will look up information for you in the pharmocopia to find different brand names for the drugs you need, if you ask them. Even the assistants are quite good at recommending cheaper, locally made or imported generics etc. There are also a couple in Ramkhamhaeng near Soi 24, more or less opposite Big C there where prices are higher and knowledge levels much less but still cheaper than Boots and pharmacies in fancy shopping malls. The business model of the Onnut family (sorry I don't know its name) is high volume and low margins and keep just about everything that sells in stock. Further into town in the lower numbered Sukhumvit sois the Boots business model is taking over where you concentrate on nice decorations and aircon and focus on selling bullshit products to make rich ladies' skin more white and porcelain like - lower volume, higher margin. Often Boots or Foodland etc are as much as 50% more expensive on medicines. Take your pick.

This is Roong Rote that I mentioned in my earlier post (see above). I have used this place for several years, name brands or generics, your choice, but considerable savings if you can use the latter.

[lopburi3]

Actually it is a bit more than air conditioning (which I would insist on) and white skin ladies (which I would not) but more about suspect drugs in both the making and storage and that these places are not issuing receipts and paying tax as the mall places do. 'I can sell 12k gold a lot cheaper than 22k and maybe nobody will know if there is no autopsy'.

[how241]

If I were you would make sure that you buy anything other than aspirin from a well-known chain pharmacy such as Boots, Watsons, Pharma Choice etc. rather than a no-name local pharmacy, to avoid risk of fake meds... (unless you know the place/owner well and can trust).

+1

[asdecas]

If I were you would make sure that you buy anything other than aspirin from a well-known chain pharmacy such as Boots, Watsons, Pharma Choice etc. rather than a no-name local pharmacy, to avoid risk of fake meds... (unless you know the place/owner well and can trust).

Each to his own of course, but in twenty-five years of using local pharmacies in Bangkok and elsewhere in Thailand I have never encountered fake medications in these places. In my view it would be counter productive for these small shops, many of which are family businesses established for decades, to stock fake medication. Their continued viability depends on their reputation among local people.

Now the Internet, that's another matter.

[Sheryl]

If I were you would make sure that you buy anything other than aspirin from a well-known chain pharmacy such as Boots, Watsons, Pharma Choice etc. rather than a no-name local pharmacy, to avoid risk of fake meds... (unless you know the place/owner well and can trust).

+1

Boots, Watsons etc would usually not carry the meds he refers to. They usually do nto have a grade 1 pharmacist on duty and are limited in what they are allowed to carry, also for financial reasons they tend towards a small stock of only very common items. For the type of thing this poster needs, a large pharamcy is best.

Fake medicataion is not common in Thailand except for things like Viagra etc in tourist areas. However heat inactivation due to improper storage is a real concern. Stick to large air conditioned pharmacies, preferrably one actually staffed by a pharmacist (rather than one might think).

Fascinos is definitely good as is another large place right near it (same side of the street) but the location in Bangkok is not convenient for most people.

There are a good number of quite reliable large pharmacies to be found, this thread has mentioned a number of them. What you are looking for is a large air-conditioned place stocking mainly pharmaecuticals (as opposed to cosmetics) with a knowldegable person behind the counter....someone who readily recognizes medications (other than paracetemol and antibiotics) by their generic name.

Upcpuntry there is often just one or 2 such places in the provinical capital town and none in outlying districts, but in Bkk there are many to choose from. But do need to be selective along the lines I described.

[XINLOI]

Where will you be moving to next? I would recommend going to a heart institute and setting up services with them, especially if you have your medical records with you. I too have had similar operations but mine went considerably deeper. I have found the institute at Khon Kaen to be very helpful. They are heart specific and should carry all the meds you need. Relatively inexpensive I might add. For example, a pacer download in the USA costs $4500. I get the same thing done at Khon Kaen, for 600 BHT. I take 6 meds and the monthly cost is about 1500 bht.

[Sheryl]

Good point re the need to consider available medical resources where he will be settling.

The KK University Hospital is indeed the best in Issaan, but where he will be settling is a good 3 1/2 hour drive from it.

Even Yasothorn Hospital will be more than an hour away. Something to consider. (That said, Yasothorn Hosp is probably the best bet for intial care ror anyhting major/serious. It is a provincial hospital, a level below KK U Hospital which is a regional medical hub and university affiliated.)

[Dave8237]

Very good points...........posts 18 18 19

What I have is Mitral Valve repaired, a 36mm Annuloplasty ring was used.

Due to fact that this had deteriorated over a 10 year period, it had also damaged the Tricuspid Valve, which he managed to repair, with ring.

As my heart had been working over time for years, it had enlarged, and I was told my heart had not been in sinus rhythm for quite some time, a procedure called Cox Maze was carried out to bring everything back to normal. The operation was 9 hours in total, and I was kept on a respirator for a further 8 hours as my lungs wouldn't start after coming off by pass. Ex smoker of 6 years passed.

I had an Angiogram carried out, when I was first admitted to NGH, and my arteries to my heart are clear, no other problems found, also no heart condition history in my family, this has been caused by my body not producing enough or now no cologen.

I have discussed with my Surgeon, at the Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry, and consultant at Northampton General, UK, about coming to live in Thailand. There advice was do it, as everything had gone extremely well, and my recovery excellent. I am 52, so had a lot going for me, drink sensibly, stopped smoking, and walk a lot. Advised to have a blood test every six months, to check on kidney functions, (fasting test) and keep an check fluid build up on lower limbs, ect.

My wife's Aunt is nurse in the local Hospital in Loeng NoK Tha, and runs a little clinic in her village of San Ming, and she has shown me two heart clinics in Mukdahan. So I hope, that all I will need is the blood test every 6 months and so long as it shows all normal levels all will be fine.

But I will be speaking to one of the mention hospitals in the next few months.

Once again thanks to all for taking time to read and give some very useful information.

[sangfroid]

That would be 75 mg on the aspirin not 7.5.

Any large pharmacy with air conditioning should be OK for these but if you need a specific rec then whichever of these is most convenient:

1.Sukhumvit Soi 2, sort of across the street from the freeway, that usually has a "real" pharmacist on the premises and large stocks. English spoken.

or

2. A number of pharmacies on Ratchawithi near Victory Monument (east of the Monument, opposite the hospital). No English spoken and not always very congenial to farang, but if you perservere with a smile you'll get what you need.

Note that while I am sure ramipril and low dose aspirin are sold in Thailand I am not 100% certain on the bisoprolol as the website (Mims) where I usually check these things is down at them oment.

Bisoprolol is readily available in Bangkok It is called Concor

[abq2020]

There is a great 'wholesale' pharmacy on Pradiprat Road, just a short distance from Huay Kwang BTS, and on the Pradiprat portion opposite of Big C. Walking from the main intersection, the pharmacy is located about 60 meters on the left. They are open daily except Sunday from 0800 - 1700. I have bought there often, and their prices are the lowest I have seen anywhere. They have a very large inventory/formulary so should have what you need. Probably will have only 81mg aspirin, though.

[PBob]

Ramipril is known locally as Tritace.

Found most chain pharmacies to be useless except for expensive aspirin. Fascino can sometimes order things that they do not stock.

I use Witoon in Saphan Kwai (opposite Pradipt soi 19) always busy, some English spoken and they stock generics.

[Sheryl]

81 mg aspirin is fine.

[wilgoster]

I suggest doing a google search foe the med in Thailand. It will turn up the drug, its generic and brand names, the manufacturer(s) (Thailand or other) the distributer, the web page of the manufacturer (most are in BKK), and phone numbers of manufacturer and distributer. Careful, you may be dealing with dated info. Regards aspirin, usual doses are 81, 100, 300, and 325mg. Some are coated for intestinal release.

[hhfarang]

By far the best pharmacy is South East Pharmacy on Sukhumvit road just west of Soi 15. They are the biggest wholesale pharmacy in the country and they supply most of the other pharmacies, but they also sell at the same prices to the public. Just go in with a list of what you need and they will fill it.

I take expensive blood pressure meds, cholesterol meds, and asthma meds and my monthly pill bill was 3500 baht in Hua Hin. At South East the same meds cost me about 2000 per month. I've been in Thailand 9 years and checked everywhere and talked to everyone and this is by far the best place to get your meds..

[ableguy]

I take heart medication , I do not buy from a hospital highway robbery, your main concern is not buying fakes from your friendly pharmasist, I will only by from a doctor who has a pharmacy attatched to his clinic you can find one just ask around I have a great one here in Hua Hin..

[Dave8237]

81 mg aspirin is fine.

Thanks for that, thought it would be....but must admit forgot to ask my DR when I left

[ableguy]

Some of my medication is different from yours but I have used a couple of pharmacies that supply generics, and saved considerably. You may like to try one of these :

1. Roong Rote Pharmacy (รุ่งโรจน์เภสัช). If you walk up Soi On-Nut (Sukhumvit Soi 77), away from Sukhumvit Road, about 40m on right side.

2. On Rama 4, north side, I think between Lumphini and Klong Toey MRT stations, near the footbridge. Sorry, no name here but you can't mistake it, it'll be crowded with people.

I took note of this post and went to this pharmacy today, its 200 yards down from Big C heading to Sukhumvit and you can park in Big C, very impressed and the store has a huge well educated staff who all speak English. I take three meds for hypertension and the savings from my local pharmacy here in Hua Hin were a 1000 baht per month, Not fakes as they whole sale and this seemed to be the bulk of their business, Many thanks for the post and info.

[Kalbo]

If I were you would make sure that you buy anything other than aspirin from a well-known chain pharmacy such as Boots, Watsons, Pharma Choice etc. rather than a no-name local pharmacy, to avoid risk of fake meds... (unless you know the place/owner well and can trust).

In my experience, Boots, Watsons etc only carry the more well-known medications,are quite pricey, are are pretty much useless when it comes to trying to get hold of more obscure generic drugs, such as Ramipril etc