Migraine Prescriptions Available In Thailand?

[rwaaslance]

Hello all!

I'm planning a trip to Thailand (Phuket, Bangkok, Chang Mai, etc.), in May 2013. I'll be there for at least a year. I have chronic migraine headaches and take preventative prescription medications as well as painkillers. I'm concerned about finding the same medications I currently use, filling prescriptions from an American doctor, and/or having to go to an emergency room (when all the meds fail). I have no problem going to a Thai doctor to get these prescriptions... I just hope they are available in pharmacies in Thailand.

Does anyone know about pharmacies and filling prescriptions? I will need to refill my prescriptions for:

sumatriptan (injectable) 6ml

tramadol 50mg

venlafaxine 150mg

Also, my current insurance/pharmacy gives me a 60 day supply (which is great!) but most of the travel advice I read says you're only allowed to bring a 30 day supply of any prescription. Does anyone really check how much medicine you're bringing into the country? I'm not talking huge jars of narcotics... just 3 packs of sumatriptan and some large pharmacy bottles of the other drugs. The prescription and the label are all very clear that they're written for me, from my doctor, and are for 60 days.

Thanks for any info!

Robin

[JLCrab]

I don't know about those you mention but cafergot is readily available at the small pharmacies.

[Sheryl]

All three of these drugs are available in Thailand without prescription, but sumatriptan only in oral, not injectable, form.

Tramadol comes in many locally made generic brands and is easliy found at most pharmacies.

Venlaflaxine comes as the import Effexor (expensive) and as a locally made brand, Valosine. Not quite as easily found but really large pharmacies will carry it.

Sumatriptan as noted comes only in oral form and only in the imported brand Imigran (expensive). Likewise best found in a large pharmacy.

Re the inquery about customs, the law is aimed at preventing import for the purpose of sale. They do not usually count out the total number of tablets as long as they look consistent with personal use.

The injectable sumatriptan is what may raise eyebrows/lead to questions. Be sure you have a doctor's note explaining that you need to self-inject this medication. As to quantity, as this is taken only to abort an attack and presumably you don't have daily attacks the quantity would likely be not more than 30 anyhow.

[belg]

you don't need migraine medicine here... clean air, pure water, good atmosphere

wait, just kidding...

drink a red bull or two

[Plastic Brontosaurus]

Just make sure you buy from a reputable pharmacy (such as one of the chains: Boots, Watsons, Pharma Choice and similar) or other reliable pharmacy to avoid risk of counterfeit/dummy meds.

[simosiam]

I know only that injectable drugs ar allowed in hospital only, pharmacy can't sale it.

[Tatsujin]

When I first came here i brought 120 days supply of some meds I was taking, just needed a letter from my prescribing Doctor to say they "were" prescribed and that I needed them and all was fine at Immigration/Customs.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Tatsujin

[Plastic Brontosaurus]

I know only that injectable drugs ar allowed in hospital only, pharmacy can't sale it.

Insulin (Novorapid and others) is available over the counter at normal pharmacies (usually no stock so has to be ordered). That's an injectable, so I guess it depends on what type of injectable it is.

[Sheryl]

As noted, the injectable drug he uses is not avaialble in Thailand.

[oneday]

I know for a fact Tramadol is available here. It was what a specialist in Bangkok perscribed in place of my Butalbital which they do not have here. Tramadol works as well, but with undesirable side-effects for me...restless sleep and dry mouth.

My girl suggested Tramadol to her mother who has migraines, but came back and said Thailand now has that drug locked down meaning you can only get it as a prescription from a doctor, but I have not tested that at local pharmacies here in Pattaya. I bought it at a local pharmacy here about a year ago.

If you want an allergy medicine containing psuedoefedrine then forget it. You must go to a doctor for that. I tried in several pharmacies here and they all said the government has proscribed it for sale over the counter.

[atyclb]

sumatriptan injectable may very well be available for sale at hospital pharmacies unless someone here has already done the legwork and learned it is not. Dont know why it would not be as its quite a standard agent for migraine.

some hospitals may make you register and see a doctor first while others simply sell you what you need. typically controlled substances require seeing the hospital doctor.

another option is it may be available in cambodia.

[thatguy]

Tramadol is expensive in Pattaya, cheapest I found was 50B/10 in one of those little pharmacies across from Mike near Soi Honey.

[Ulic]

I travel to Thailand with a 9 month supply of blood pressure meds.<br />I have never been stopped or questioned by Thai customs.

[stoli]

I know for a fact Tramadol is available here. It was what a specialist in Bangkok perscribed in place of my Butalbital which they do not have here. Tramadol works as well, but with undesirable side-effects for me...restless sleep and dry mouth.

My girl suggested Tramadol to her mother who has migraines, but came back and said Thailand now has that drug locked down meaning you can only get it as a prescription from a doctor, but I have not tested that at local pharmacies here in Pattaya. I bought it at a local pharmacy here about a year ago.

If you want an allergy medicine containing psuedoefedrine then forget it. You must go to a doctor for that. I tried in several pharmacies here and they all said the government has proscribed it for sale over the counter.

You can walk into any pharmacy in Pattaya and get all the Tramadol that you would like to buy. Cheap also. Quantity 10 of the 100 mgs is 30 baht, about $1 US dollar. Never heard of it in the states.

[Sheryl]

Tramadol is, AFAIK, still over the counter.

The injectable form of sumatriptan has not been registered for use in Thailand. Which means it is not available unless some hospitals have gotten it in from abroad.

BTW I notice Tiffy etc to be back on the shelves. Did nto hear anything about the change but I have seen it in all the local pharmacies of late so perhaps this crazy idea has been dropped.

[infinity11]

Tramadol is, AFAIK, still over the counter.

The injectable form of sumatriptan has not been registered for use in Thailand. Which means it is not available unless some hospitals have gotten it in from abroad.

BTW I notice Tiffy etc to be back on the shelves. Did nto hear anything about the change but I have seen it in all the local pharmacies of late so perhaps this crazy idea has been dropped.

There WERE two differenent formulas for tiffy.

[Sheryl]

The psudoephedrine containing one seems to be back on the shelves now.

[Plastic Brontosaurus]

The psudoephedrine containing one seems to be back on the shelves now.

Guess the labs in Myanmar must have been complaining that they could not get a sufficient supply of raw materials for their yaba production

[Sheryl]

Or perhaps having caught the major perpetrators of selling-pseudoephedrine-in-bulk-to-meth-labs and finding them to be hospital pharmacies misappropriating hundreds of thousands of tabs, they decided that the Tiffy 4 packs aren't the problem after all..

[wpcoe]

Oddly, one OTC migraine remedy sold in Singapore and the USA is not available in Thailand: acetominaphen (or other analgesic) with caffeine. It works on my rare, but persistent-when-they-occur, headaches. And, no, drinking coffee or Coke for the caffeine for some reason isn't the same.

I know that usually when I ask for "acetominaphen with caffeine" the pharmacist hears "acetominaphen with codeine," but I've learned that the former simply is not available in Thailand, whereas the latter is, but only by prescription and only from a hospital pharmacy.

[sinbin]

All three of these drugs are available in Thailand without prescription

I could not get Venlafaxin from any pharmacy when I tried to get it, even a wholeseller. I was told it was only available on perscription. I was only allowed to get it by visiting a doctor at BKK Hospital in Korat. And yes it was expensive. So expensive that it prompted me to wean myself off it, never to take again.

[Tedly]

On 4/23/2013 at 9:43 PM, wpcoe said:

Oddly, one OTC migraine remedy sold in Singapore and the USA is not available in Thailand: acetominaphen (or other analgesic) with caffeine. It works on my rare, but persistent-when-they-occur, headaches. And, no, drinking coffee or Coke for the caffeine for some reason isn't the same.

I know that usually when I ask for "acetominaphen with caffeine" the pharmacist hears "acetominaphen with codeine," but I've learned that the former simply is not available in Thailand, whereas the latter is, but only by prescription and only from a hospital pharmacy.

  I found that some thing, I brought a supply of generic Excedrin with me from America, and found that it is unavailable in Thailand. Currently looking for a substitute. 

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Tedly said:

  I found that some thing, I brought a supply of generic Excedrin with me from America, and found that it is unavailable in Thailand. Currently looking for a substitute. 

Take paracetemol with 2 cups of coffee.

[impulse]

2 hours ago, Tedly said:

  I found that some thing, I brought a supply of generic Excedrin with me from America, and found that it is unavailable in Thailand. Currently looking for a substitute. 

I bought caffeine tablets on Lazada after trying for years to find them in local shops.  Sometimes they were available on Lazada, sometimes not. 

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/allmax-nutrition-caffeine-200-mg-100-tablet-i3417371389-s12640051585.html

 

Aspirin in the big boy size (not 82mg) was rare as hen's teeth in Thailand, too.  When I could find it, it was about 20x as expensive as Walmart generic brand in the USA.  (Word to the wise for anyone packing for their trip to Thailand)

Edited March 14, 2022 by impulse

[JimmerJJ]

Hello I live in Bangkok and I get debilitating migraines.  Does anyone know of a pharmacy that carries oral Sumitriptan or Eletriptan (Relpax®).  Thank you

[Sheryl]

13 hours ago, JimmerJJ said:

Hello I live in Bangkok and I get debilitating migraines.  Does anyone know of a pharmacy that carries oral Sumitriptan or Eletriptan (Relpax®).  Thank you

Relpax will be harder to source (and very expensive)  but Sumatriptan, in locally made brands Siagran and Sumigran, should be available at anyl arge pharmacy (by which I mean a real Thai pharmacy, not a Boots or  Watsons etc).

 

You can also easily order it online form either

 

https://medtide.com/

(have to create an account first to do a search)

https://medisafepharma.com/

(use the Messenger function to ask, online search& order  does not work)

https://bangkokdrugstore.com