Unavailable Medications in Thailand

[wilinusa]

I would like to move to Thailand from America, but have some concerns about medications that have no equivalent in Thailand. How difficult is it to have medications shipped into Thailand? Any customs issues? Or other concerns?

Thanks in advance

[tonray]

What specific medications are you worried about ?

[lopburi3]

And you might also want to consider how you will pay for medical costs if you do not have current insurance that will cover you in Thailand - as time goes by that can become an even greater concern.

[gamini]

You can get all medicine in Thailand much cheaper than America and most without prescription. Just check the generic name of the drug and it will be the same as Thailand

[Suradit69]

What specific medications are you worried about ?

Yes, knowing what "medications" you're (the O/P) concerned about would be useful. Although every pharmacy won't have less common medicines, all the major international hospitals have well stocked pharmacies and chain pharmacies like Fascino or Boots have a pretty good range of drugs.

Shipping in prescription drugs would probably present some issues with Customs and for some things there are probably post office and courier restrictions.

DHL, as an example, requires additional documentation if you want to ship meds to Thailand.

[DogNo1]

Yes, every once in a while there's a thread about how older people can pay for their medical care and it usually gets very long. The conclusion is always that we have to self-insure (pay out-of-pocket) since locally available insurance isn't cost-effective for people over 65. It's something to keep in mind. If you like, you can Google the previous threads on TV.

[AyG]

Create an account on www.mims.com and you can easily check on the availability of any medicine in Thailand using the trade or generic name.

[impulse]

Yes, every once in a while there's a thread about how older people can pay for their medical care and it usually gets very long. The conclusion is always that we have to self-insure (pay out-of-pocket) since locally available insurance isn't cost-effective for people over 65. It's something to keep in mind. If you like, you can Google the previous threads on TV.

Good summary, but I'd add that "self insured" means you have $250K-$500K or more (dollars- not baht) available that you can spend on an emergency without derailing your retirement.

Having 800,000 baht in the bank is more like crossing your fingers and hoping nothing bad happens.

800K baht (or even 2 million baht in my case) can evaporate in a health care emergency. Ask me how I know that and I'll show you the receipts from the insurance claims. And I was only in hospital for a few days.

Edit: And I'm very cognizant of the fact that was just round 1. God knows what the next 20 years will bring...

Edited January 21, 2016 by impulse

[chiang mai]

It's OK to self insure, up to a limit but not forever, simply, the odds are stacked against you. I self insured from age 50 to age 65 and it paid off really well, I now have medical insurance with a 100k deductible, something that will hopefully stop me going broke in really old age.