Medication Requirements For My Folks.

[jambco984]

My Mum and Dad will be coming to live in Thailand at the end of this month they will need medication and you guys and gals are all knowing in this area.

Firstly my Mum takes Levothyroxine in the UK and I believe there is an OTC equivalent here as I checked a different thread, I just want to check all is good and nothing has changed. Brand names please as I forgot the name of it.

My Dad takes Omeprazole or more commonly known as Losec I believe. Is this available OTC in pharmacies?

Thank you very much ladies and gents. I look forward to all of your replies.

Darren

[Satcommlee]

Pretty much anything that is not addictive or open to abuse is available over the counter in the larger pharmacies here.

In Thailand you can buy anti-biotics as easily as you could buy a mars bar, where as in UK they need prescriptions for example.

There are pharmacies on every street in Thailand, but not all have qualified and competent staff..

If you tell us where your parents are going to stay then someone can recommend the best pharmacy to go to for professional assistance.

[Sheryl]

Both of these are very common drugs and readily available in local brands in any pharmacy. There are many, many local brand names. You will have no problem at all getting omeprazole just by asking for it by that name, and all pharmacies will have it.

Levothyroxine you may need to go to a "proper" pharmacy for i.e. one with an actual pharmacist on the premises, but it too is not at all hard to find and will be recognized by the generic name (if it is not, just say "ya thyroid".) Euthyrox is a common brand but there are many others.

A greater concern is what you will do about their health care i.e. doctor visits and hospitalizations when/if the need arises. If they are over 60 it will be hard if not impossible to get local insurance for them, and even sticking to government hospitals costs can be quite high.

[gmac]

Both of these are very common drugs and readily available in local brands in any pharmacy. There are many, many local brand names. You will have no problem at all getting omeprazole just by asking for it by that name, and all pharmacies will have it.

Levothyroxine you may need to go to a "proper" pharmacy for i.e. one with an actual pharmacist on the premises, but it too is not at all hard to find and will be recognized by the generic name (if it is not, just say "ya thyroid".) Euthyrox is a common brand but there are many others.

A greater concern is what you will do about their health care i.e. doctor visits and hospitalizations when/if the need arises. If they are over 60 it will be hard if not impossible to get local insurance for them, and even sticking to government hospitals costs can be quite high.

If the possible alternative is one or both needing to go into a nursing home in the UK in the future then the hospital costs in Thailand don't sound so bad. I am considering the same course of action with my parents, if they will agree to it, as I believe the quality of life they could have here for their final years would be far superior to what they would experience back in the UK.

[jambco984]

Pretty much anything that is not addictive or open to abuse is available over the counter in the larger pharmacies here.

In Thailand you can buy anti-biotics as easily as you could buy a mars bar, where as in UK they need prescriptions for example.

There are pharmacies on every street in Thailand, but not all have qualified and competent staff..

If you tell us where your parents are going to stay then someone can recommend the best pharmacy to go to for professional assistance.

When they arrive they will stay where I am in Ubon Ratchathani for a while and then look around after they are settled, they have been before so know the script. Thanks for your reply.

[jambco984]

Both of these are very common drugs and readily available in local brands in any pharmacy. There are many, many local brand names. You will have no problem at all getting omeprazole just by asking for it by that name, and all pharmacies will have it.

Levothyroxine you may need to go to a "proper" pharmacy for i.e. one with an actual pharmacist on the premises, but it too is not at all hard to find and will be recognized by the generic name (if it is not, just say "ya thyroid".) Euthyrox is a common brand but there are many others.

A greater concern is what you will do about their health care i.e. doctor visits and hospitalizations when/if the need arises. If they are over 60 it will be hard if not impossible to get local insurance for them, and even sticking to government hospitals costs can be quite high.

Hello Sheryl,

Thank you for taking the time to reply, I am glad you replied as I have read your posts in the past and find them informative and to the point.

I have painted a rather bleak picture of my folks which wasn't my intention.

My Dad turned 60 on Friday and my Mum is 53, although the age is showing they are both very active and have no other problems. They walk a good few miles everyday and are for there ages fit as fiddles (put me to shame).

My Dad has arthiritis in a few areas and the stomach issues but not massive problems as of yet.

My Mum has the Thyroid problem but was only diagnosed about 12 months ago. The Docs say she is fine but will need to take a low amount of this medication I stated above with occasional blood work which is approx 500 baht to see how her levels are.

I understand and appreciate your concern on health insurance and I have them looking into it now. I am also trying to find good rates and as I explained they wont be cheap but the cheaper the better or worse as it could be. The thinking is if you don't use it you lose it but it's nice to have. I told them they need to find a balance of cost effectiveness with the coverage being as extensive as possible. By no means they are rich and also they are not counting the pennies so a nice balance would be great. Do you know of companies or could you point me in the right direction to help them out and make an informed decision.

Recomendations please.

[jambco984]

Both of these are very common drugs and readily available in local brands in any pharmacy. There are many, many local brand names. You will have no problem at all getting omeprazole just by asking for it by that name, and all pharmacies will have it.

Levothyroxine you may need to go to a "proper" pharmacy for i.e. one with an actual pharmacist on the premises, but it too is not at all hard to find and will be recognized by the generic name (if it is not, just say "ya thyroid".) Euthyrox is a common brand but there are many others.

A greater concern is what you will do about their health care i.e. doctor visits and hospitalizations when/if the need arises. If they are over 60 it will be hard if not impossible to get local insurance for them, and even sticking to government hospitals costs can be quite high.

If the possible alternative is one or both needing to go into a nursing home in the UK in the future then the hospital costs in Thailand don't sound so bad. I am considering the same course of action with my parents, if they will agree to it, as I believe the quality of life they could have here for their final years would be far superior to what they would experience back in the UK.

Agreed. We are a fairly traditional family when it comes to looking after the elders, my Mum and Gran looked after my Great Grandmother when she was old. Then my Mum looked after my Gran. I have a supportive and amazing wife who would help me with my folks as putting them in a home in the UK is worse than being in prison.

I think not only would the lifestyle and mood improve but could add years rather than struggling through 3 months of snow per year.

Thank you all so far.

Priceless help and insight.

[Sheryl]

Have a look through the Insurance in Thailand forum and you'll see mention of a number of insurance options. BUPA seems to be the largest/best known local insurer but I am not sure if they will issue a new policy to someone already aged 60. Your Mom should be OK but it may take some searching to find a policy for your Dad. You may need to self-insure for him, in which case I advise not less than 5 million baht put aside. I also advise going for high level cover (i.e. 5 mill or so) for your Mom from the start, but you can make it hospitalization only as outpatient costs are generally affordable and the increased cost of OPD + hospitalization isn't usually worth it. It's catastrophic hospitalizations you need to worry most about.

If there is any way to, try to maintain their eligibility under the UK NHS as it would be very useful should they ever need high cost elective surgery (hip or knee replacement, for example). Even if you find a policy that will insure your 60 year old dad they are not going to cover anything arthritis related.

Make sure they consider the distance to the nearest decent hospital in their choice of where to live. It is easy to overlook that when one's health is good, but as people age the likelihood of a sudden emergency does increase significantly.

[jambco984]

Have a look through the Insurance in Thailand forum and you'll see mention of a number of insurance options. BUPA seems to be the largest/best known local insurer but I am not sure if they will issue a new policy to someone already aged 60. Your Mom should be OK but it may take some searching to find a policy for your Dad. You may need to self-insure for him, in which case I advise not less than 5 million baht put aside. I also advise going for high level cover (i.e. 5 mill or so) for your Mom from the start, but you can make it hospitalization only as outpatient costs are generally affordable and the increased cost of OPD + hospitalization isn't usually worth it. It's catastrophic hospitalizations you need to worry most about.

If there is any way to, try to maintain their eligibility under the UK NHS as it would be very useful should they ever need high cost elective surgery (hip or knee replacement, for example). Even if you find a policy that will insure your 60 year old dad they are not going to cover anything arthritis related.

Make sure they consider the distance to the nearest decent hospital in their choice of where to live. It is easy to overlook that when one's health is good, but as people age the likelihood of a sudden emergency does increase significantly.

Thanks a lot. I understand where you are coming from regards the

level of care for the future being more important than now but getting a

policy while they are still relatively healthy is priority I imagine.

At my folks age is a local health insurance any good? I have had a quote

from LMG through a broker and quoted as approx 15k baht per year per

person? It seems like a good deal with the package that is involved but I

will admit I am clueless. I know I got a quick quote from Bupa and it was 2000 GBP (100k baht) per year, that is a lot, especially coming from not having to pay for it with the NHS and then going full throttle into 100k baht.

With this policy for 15k baht it requires a medical for anyone over 60, what would that entail as I'm sure these policies are for nationwide coverage and not a few hospitals? Would the medical be able to be taken at a provincial clinic or hospital?

I don't think they could use the NHS after leaving, ridiculous after paying tax all their lives.

Thanks for any help given and going to be given.

[Sheryl]

15K baht is so ridiculously low for a local policy that I would have real doubts as to what it covers.

As a point of reference I pay about 56K baht in age bracket 55-59 years for the highest package at BUPA Thailand (Platinum) hospitalization only. It'll go up at 60 but not sure to what. Doubt 100K though.

As Thais have free universal coverage the market for insurance here is limited and it is thus comparatively costly. For hospitalization only, any policy worth having is unlikely to be under 50K a year for people in your parent's age range. And you will be hard pressed to find ones that will newly enrol at age 60. an get.

I think the BUPA quote you got was either inclusive of OPD (unnecessary) or else BUPA international rather than BUPA Thailand as 100K does sound too high. Although you may have y go to that for your dad due to lack of options for new enrolment at his age. For your Mom, you can do better.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Have a look through the Insurance in Thailand forum and you'll see mention of a number of insurance options. BUPA seems to be the largest/best known local insurer but I am not sure if they will issue a new policy to someone already aged 60. Your Mom should be OK but it may take some searching to find a policy for your Dad. You may need to self-insure for him, in which case I advise not less than 5 million baht put aside. I also advise going for high level cover (i.e. 5 mill or so) for your Mom from the start, but you can make it hospitalization only as outpatient costs are generally affordable and the increased cost of OPD + hospitalization isn't usually worth it. It's catastrophic hospitalizations you need to worry most about.

If there is any way to, try to maintain their eligibility under the UK NHS as it would be very useful should they ever need high cost elective surgery (hip or knee replacement, for example). Even if you find a policy that will insure your 60 year old dad they are not going to cover anything arthritis related.

Make sure they consider the distance to the nearest decent hospital in their choice of where to live. It is easy to overlook that when one's health is good, but as people age the likelihood of a sudden emergency does increase significantly.

Thanks a lot. I understand where you are coming from regards the

level of care for the future being more important than now but getting a

policy while they are still relatively healthy is priority I imagine.

At my folks age is a local health insurance any good? I have had a quote

from LMG through a broker and quoted as approx 15k baht per year per

person? It seems like a good deal with the package that is involved but I

will admit I am clueless. I know I got a quick quote from Bupa and it was 2000 GBP (100k baht) per year, that is a lot, especially coming from not having to pay for it with the NHS and then going full throttle into 100k baht.

With this policy for 15k baht it requires a medical for anyone over 60, what would that entail as I'm sure these policies are for nationwide coverage and not a few hospitals? Would the medical be able to be taken at a provincial clinic or hospital?

I don't think they could use the NHS after leaving, ridiculous after paying tax all their lives.

Thanks for any help given and going to be given.

UK Pensioners (65+) have the right to use the NHS even if living abroad.

If they have other children in the UK and are giving up their own home, just tell them to register at their other kids address.

It's generally a very bad move to give up your address in your home country.

Causes endless problems (some banks close accounts in the UK without notice).

UK holiday insurance (and some life insurance) is invalidated when you move abroad.

I'm sure your dad could put off a permanent move abroad for another 5 years, think 'extended holiday'.

Edited June 5, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Satcommlee]

I am 37, my wife 27 and my son nearly 3, we have a fully comprehensive policy with Bupa international costing almost $9000 a year. I'm sure there's cheaper around but it just may help put things into perspective before someone sells you a cheap policy.

Don't mistake these 15K THB policies as being anything other than accident insurance.

You wouldn't last a 2 days in hospital before the coverage runs out..

Edited June 5, 2013 by Satcommlee

[jambco984]

15K baht is so ridiculously low for a local policy that I would have real doubts as to what it covers.

As a point of reference I pay about 56K baht in age bracket 55-59 years for the highest package at BUPA Thailand (Platinum) hospitalization only. It'll go up at 60 but not sure to what. Doubt 100K though.

As Thais have free universal coverage the market for insurance here is limited and it is thus comparatively costly. For hospitalization only, any policy worth having is unlikely to be under 50K a year for people in your parent's age range. And you will be hard pressed to find ones that will newly enrol at age 60. an get.

I think the BUPA quote you got was either inclusive of OPD (unnecessary) or else BUPA international rather than BUPA Thailand as 100K does sound too high. Although you may have y go to that for your dad due to lack of options for new enrolment at his age. For your Mom, you can do better.

I have sent you a PM to look at what it reckons it covers, if you have the time to give me a message back I would appreciate it, thanks.

It was Bupa International, how do I get to the Bupa Thailand webpage as I couldn't see it?

Thank you.

[jambco984]

Thanks for the input,

Satcommlee & AnotherOneAmerican

I passed the message along about keeping some sort of UK address.

I understand that the cheap insurance ain't going to be great, thank you.

[jambco984]

Found the Bupa Thailand page now.

[Mike45]

I would recommend getting a quote from AA insurance.

I got a quote recently for early 50 male.

"For the basic please see the Thai Health plans which vary from 11,326 Baht to 60,276 Baht depending on the plan one choses.

For the Premium (full payment) to compare I have attached the ACS/Allianz plans which are fully underwritten by Allianz (as they are, by far, the best value). This Premium product with a benefit of USD500,000 (approx. 15m Baht) would be USD1,474 (approx. 45,000 Baht) this policy year."

I'm especially interested in the Allianz plan but I'm concerned that its only a teaser rate to get me in and then will have substantial rate increases later on.

[Sheryl]

With any insurance plan, rates will go up as you age. Typically at 5 year intervals. No avoiding this.

[Potosi]

Omeprazole for gastritis, heat burns etc? A simple antacid should do the same job for a tiny fraction of the costs. One's called Antacil, 10 tablets 6 Baht. Mag and Alu hydroxide that neutralise surplus stomach acid.

[Potosi]

My Dad turned 60 on Friday and my Mum is 53, although the age is showing they are both very active and have no other problems. They walk a good few miles everyday and are for there ages fit as fiddles (put me to shame).

My Dad has arthiritis in a few areas and the stomach issues but not massive problems as of yet.

My Mum has the Thyroid problem but was only diagnosed about 12 months ago.

Hadn't seen this before. Salt isn't iodized in Thailand, so your Mum could eat some seafood, seaweeds, or Sushi.

Good against arthritis is Diclofenac (Voltaren), the generica named Bufenac sells for 20 Baht for 10 tablets.

[jambco984]

Thank you all for the tips and advice. Absolutely priceless.

As I said I will pass all the information on and let them make the decisions.

Cheers