Benadryl in Chiang Mai?

[dcnx]

Anyone know where to find benadryl (or generic version) here in Chiang Mai? Thanks.

[NancyL]

You may want to be more clear about what exactly you want. According to Wikidpedia "Benadryl is a brand name for a number of different medications. In the United States and Canada, it contains the antihistamine diphenhydramine. In the United Kingdom, it contains either the antihistamine acrivastine (marketed as Benadryl Allergy Relief) or the long acting antihistamine cetirizine (marketed as Benadryl One a Day Relief). Benadryl products are marketed in Australia and New Zealand as a cough medicine and do not contain any antihistamine."

Once you can determine the generic name of the active ingredient you seek, you will be able to locate it at any well-stocked pharmacy in Thailand.

[hml367]

Take a look at this thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/452446-benadryl-antihistamine/

[elektrified]

Take a look at this thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/452446-benadryl-antihistamine/

Since I posted in that thread a few years ago, it has become more difficult to find Diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Apparently kids were using it to get high - which is hard to imagine. Any way there are a couple of places that still stock it, and one is the Green Pharmacy in the basement of Kad Suan Kaew, right across from Tops Market. You'll need to catch the owner in (the friendly guy with glasses), as he keeps it locked up and only he can access it. He only stocks 50 mg. tablets but you can break it in half if you need to as the tablets are scored. I believe 10 tablets are 75 THB.

[Konini]

Mr K is very weary about getting used to taking allergy tablets in case they stop working so he tends to mix it up and over the course of a week can sometimes take 5 or 6 different kinds if he needs them every day, which he goes to great lengths (and a lot of discomfort) to avoid, as well as avoiding anything with steroids. Does anyone know if this seemingly sensible method of taking them is actually effective?

It's rather odd, but on some days one or maybe even two of them don't seem to work at all but then a third type later in the day will do the trick. A week later, perhaps that one won't work but one of the others will. I've never been subject to any allergy (apart from reactions to medications), but I know how much those who are affected suffer, and I really feel for them especially at this time of year.

[dcnx]

Take a look at this thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/452446-benadryl-antihistamine/

Since I posted in that thread a few years ago, it has become more difficult to find Diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Apparently kids were using it to get high - which is hard to imagine. Any way there are a couple of places that still stock it, and one is the Green Pharmacy in the basement of Kad Suan Kaew, right across from Tops Market. You'll need to catch the owner in (the friendly guy with glasses), as he keeps it locked up and only he can access it. He only stocks 50 mg. tablets but you can break it in half if you need to as the tablets are scored. I believe 10 tablets are 75 THB.

Thank you, I'll have a look there.

[elektrified]

You may want to be more clear about what exactly you want. According to Wikidpedia "Benadryl is a brand name for a number of different medications. In the United States and Canada, it contains the antihistamine diphenhydramine. In the United Kingdom, it contains either the antihistamine acrivastine (marketed as Benadryl Allergy Relief) or the long acting antihistamine cetirizine (marketed as Benadryl One a Day Relief). Benadryl products are marketed in Australia and New Zealand as a cough medicine and do not contain any antihistamine."

Once you can determine the generic name of the active ingredient you seek, you will be able to locate it at any well-stocked pharmacy in Thailand.

Benadryl is the brand name of Diphenhydramine patented by Parke Davis & Co. in 1946.

[NancyL]

You may want to be more clear about what exactly you want. According to Wikidpedia "Benadryl is a brand name for a number of different medications. In the United States and Canada, it contains the antihistamine diphenhydramine. In the United Kingdom, it contains either the antihistamine acrivastine (marketed as Benadryl Allergy Relief) or the long acting antihistamine cetirizine (marketed as Benadryl One a Day Relief). Benadryl products are marketed in Australia and New Zealand as a cough medicine and do not contain any antihistamine."

Once you can determine the generic name of the active ingredient you seek, you will be able to locate it at any well-stocked pharmacy in Thailand.

Benadryl is the brand name of Diphenhydramine patented by Parke Davis & Co. in 1946.

No -- as my post clearly showed, "Benadryl" DOESN'T always contain diphenhydramine all over the world. The OP didn't specify which version he was seeking. You really need to be careful with making assumptions about things like this.

[RxDan]

If you need any advice on a drug you can

Message me. I was a clinical pharmacist for over 30 years in USA. IN general there is no

Problem with tolerance to anti histamine

But be concerned with the manufacturer of the generic which can effect efficacy due to

Quality of the drug, involving excipients etc

[Konini]

Thank you so much for that - it really is appreciated. As I say, I've never suffered but Mr K has had problems with tonsils and adenoids and sinuses his whole life, although only really allergy nowadays. We are from UK but lived in Australia for 20 years, so have a real assortment of different 'nose' medications. He really doesn't like to take them at all, but has been cycling through the 4 or 5 different kinds we have until he finds whichever one is going to work this time. I imagine it depends on what the allergen is, it was easy when we were in Melbourne in spring with the wattle trees flowering or mid winter the eucalyptus tree doing something that used to set him off, presurised cabin - I knew what to give him as it was predicable but now it seems to be man made and apart from the obvious smoke which just makes him sniffley and chesty coughing, it can be anything, anytime, anywhere. Even at home, all of a sudden he can't breath, they must be doing something out in the common area's or next door, but not knowing what is causing it means medicating is really hit and miss.

I'm pleased to know that there is no tolerance with anti histamines though. Thanks again.

[dcnx]

Diphenhydramine is what I'm looking for.

Have not had a chance to try the pharmacy in the basement of the mall yet.

[whiterussian]

Diphenhydramine is what I'm looking for.

Have not had a chance to try the pharmacy in the basement of the mall yet.

Went looking myself a while back, got as far as the wholesale pharmacy somewhere along this road (can't pinpoint it!) - but they seem to be the main dealers in town.

I can't remember if they had it or not (but they were aware of the drug, and I seem to recall they had a Thai version.

Ended up getting pills from the UK brought over in case the little one got stung.

https://goo.gl/maps/Up6MyRBXW5k

You do find Diphenhydramine in the standard calamine lotion in most Yaa shops... eg Cadramir (green bottle)... but obviously not to chug, unless I guess your life depended on it!

Edited February 29, 2016 by whiterussian

[sunnyjim5]

Ask a Pharmacist (not a shop girl) to check MIMS which lists all available medications in Thailand.

Benadryl is available under a number of different trade names.

[Konini]

Living in several different countries over the last 30 years has trained my brain never to look at or for brand names - a prime example is the blocked nose medication Sudafed where the active ingredient is no longer pseudoephedrine in either UK or Australia (I forget which one) as it is now banned, but going by brand the uninitiated would assume it to be the same thing for two reasons; the brand, it's not unreasonable to assume that the Snickers bar on the shelf here tastes exactly as it does back home, and the name itself - the Suda part of the name is very similar to pseudo which would lead to most who were looking for it that it were pseudoephedrine.

This is probably the best example I can give of how what you see isn't always what you get; nobody is trying to trick you, it's just that in different countries there are regional taste, marketing and legal variations. Weetbix/Weetabix are not the same in UK as down under, they taste totally different. I think the ingredients will be about the same, they look the same but it's the texture and mouthfeel that isn't the same. Most Brits I've come across prefer Weetabix, Aussies and Kiwi's prefer Weetbix. They aren't the same brand, but it's a great example of what is basically the same product in the same kind of packaging which at a glance might be picked up under the assumption that it was the same product, but it's made in a slightly different way to suit local taste. Cough and cold remedies are the same, a few years ago there were 3 or 4 different combinations commonly available over the counter in Australia but only 2 in UK (the one that works for me isn't available in UK so I now make sure I have an emergency supply when I go).

ALWAYS look at the active ingredient of medications and the strength of it, which has in my experience varied widely from country to country on some things. I'm not talking about third world countries here, I've lived in UK, New Zealand and Australia where the only real differences are taste, what is expected by the consumer and legal regulation.

[eaglesflight]

Pseudoephedrine is not banned in the UK or Australia. The sale of drugs in which it is an active ingredient are subject to certain restrictions in both countries.

Edited March 1, 2016 by eaglesflight

[Konini]

Ah, I assumed it was banned, now I can see (from a bit of googling and getting off my backside and going to the first aid kit) that it isn't. Thank you.

I have 2 strips of Sudafed in front of me, one from UK which has psuedoefedrine as the active ingredient and one from Australia which has phenylephrie as the active ingredient. It appears from their website that in Australia, all Sudafed products (called Sudafed PE, which is only a very slight difference in name and is the only product available there) has Phenylephrine as the active ingredient. When they changed it a few years ago, I assumed that the long debated ban on psuedoefedrine - I remember hearing about it on the radio several times in the 1990's - had gone ahead and the company had altered it's products accordingly. Shouldn't make assumptions, but there you have it; Sudafed from 2 different countries, same brand in marginally different packaging which most people wouldn't notice, with different active ingredients.

We have both because some days the psuedoefedrine works and some days the pheylephrine works, exactly the same as the antihistamines. There is no rhyme or reason to it, this is based on many years of keeping very good lists to see if we can shut a problem down without having to try this one then try that one. Mr K's nasal and respiratory system are a very complex affair which has baffled and confounded many specialists over the years.