meds - alternatives to Bangkok Pattaya hospital.

[Don Mega]

just back from my monthly check with my doctor and also to get ext months supply of medication.

 

there was an issue with my health insurance so i asked how much for cash, I wish I was seated as I was gobsmacked at the price.

 

Where in Pattaya would be a cheaper source for my meds. ideally I only want to buy all at one place.

 

meds are;

 

Cardiprin 100mg

Galvusmet 50/1000mg

Madiplot 20mg

Edarbi 40mg

Controloc 40mg

Crestor 10mg

 

would my local "thai" pharmacy have all these ?

Edited August 20, 2016 by Don Mega

[Upnotover]

I use Fascino, normally the big branch on Pattaya Nua.  I just get the meds list from the doctor at BHP and Fascino normally have them all in stock.

[Sheryl]

Every single one of the drugs you mention are available over the counter in a pharmacy and furthermore, except for the  Galus Met,  Edarbi and Crestor they are available in locally made brands. (You have been prescribed all expensive imports).  Very similar, slightly older drugs in the same family/with same action as Edarbi and Crestor are avaialble in local brands as well - see below

 

Even for the same brand name, will cost much less in an outside pharmacy. Should never purchase drugs at a hospital pharmacy unless they are drugs that are not permitted to be sold OTC. Private hospital mark-ups on drugs can be as much as 200-500%.

 

Alternative locally made brands of the drugs you are on  are as follows:

 

Cardiprin (which is simply aspirin):

  Caparin 100

  Asatab (slightly lower dose, 81 mg vs 100mg in the Cardiprin - should ask your doctor if you can take an 81 mg prepartion instead, usually can)

 Aspilets  (ditto)

 B-Aspirin 81 (ditto)

 

Maniplot (Manidipine)

  Kerdica 20 (If you were on 10 mf Maniplot then would need to take 1/2 tab of Kerdica 20).

 

Controloc

   pantocid

   pantoprol

   pantoval

 

  While there are no locally made brands identical to Edarbi, there are locally made brands of drugs in the same family with the same action and I suggest you ask your doctor if there is any reason why you could not switch to them e.g. to Losartan. If your doctor agrees you can switch to Losartan, local brands inlcude Loranta and Losartan GPO.

 

Same story with the Crestor. Ask your doctor if there is any reason why you can't switch to  simvastatin or atorvastatin. Theer are more local brands of simvastatin than i can begin to list. Local brand of atorvastatin is Chlovas, may be a little hard to find.

 

Only in the case of the Galvus Met is there no locally made drug that is either the same exact thing or same drug family.

 

From your list of drugs you have been prescribed the newest/most expensive version of everything. Newer is not necessarily better, just always much more costly. In fact there can be disadvantages to newer forms in that there has been  less experience with their use and hence less info on adverse effects. What tends to happen is that as soon as a drug goes off patent, drug companies come outwith a "newer" version which is essentially a slightly tweaked version of the old, because they can then patent it. Occasionally there is a good reason for the change and it really is better than its predecessor but more often than not profit motive is the driving force. 

 

Private hospitals make a huge profit out of drug sales.  Some doctors also think their patients will want the "newest" drug.

 

[Don Mega]

outstanding, thanks Sheryl.

[KittenKong]

15 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Even for the same brand name, will cost much less in an outside pharmacy. Should never purchase drugs at a hospital pharmacy unless they are drugs that are not permitted to be sold OTC. Private hospital mark-ups on drugs can be as much as 200-500%.

 

I experienced mark-ups of 700% on some items here (for the identical item/brand). Anything over 30% is totally indefensible as far as I'm concerned.

 

The clinics/hospitals dont like it but it is vital to simply refuse to buy any drugs from them at all, unless they are the restricted ones you mention. I am very blunt with them about this as they deserve no better.

[KittenKong]

16 hours ago, Upnotover said:

I use Fascino, normally the big branch on Pattaya Nua.  I just get the meds list from the doctor at BHP and Fascino normally have them all in stock.

 

When I started needing BP medication I did an extensive price check on various pharmacies around Pattaya. Fascino were the cheapest, not least because they have a free discount card. I found references here to some places in Bangkok that were cheaper but for the common drugs I needed it was not worth the trouble of travelling that far, even for a year's supply. For anyone on unusual and expensive drugs it would probably be worth looking into.

[Oxx]

17 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Only in the case of the Galvus Met is there no locally made drug that is either the same exact thing or same drug family.

 

 

Sorry to question about that, but are you sure? MIMS lists it as available in Thailand.

 

http://mims.com/thailand/drug/info/galvus met/?type=brief

 

It also lists Galvus as available, so taking straight Galvus + local metformin might work out cheaper.

 

Linagliptin is also a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor and is readily available here under the brand name Trajenta.  (No generic at the moment, so fairly expensive.)

 

 

[Don Mega]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

I experienced mark-ups of 700% on some items here (for the identical item/brand). Anything over 30% is totally indefensible as far as I'm concerned.

 

The clinics/hospitals dont like it but it is vital to simply refuse to buy any drugs from them at all, unless they are the restricted ones you mention. I am very blunt with them about this as they deserve no better.

 

My doctor kept asking was I sure I wanted to buy my meds there or somewhere else outside of the hospital.

 

As insurance is paying it is more convenient to get them at the hospital and 3 hours after I made my OP yesterday the hospital called me and said insurance had approved, the purchase seems the issue was the hospital had not notified then earlier that I was due for an appointment with my doc and as such pre-approval had not been granted hence the wait this time round.

 

Thread is not useless though as an alternate supply is handy to know in case I have to pay cash one day.

[Oxx]

7 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

As insurance is paying it is more convenient to get them at the hospital

 

That just puts up the cost of insurance for everybody - and makes it unaffordable for some.

[Don Mega]

2 minutes ago, Oxx said:

 

That just puts up the cost of insurance for everybody - and makes it unaffordable for some.

 

meh. My health insurance is free.

[bubba1]

7 minutes ago, Oxx said:

 

That just puts up the cost of insurance for everybody - and makes it unaffordable for some.

I doubt the insurance company is paying the retail prices the OP was quoted. 

[Don Mega]

10 minutes ago, bubba1 said:

I doubt the insurance company is paying the retail prices the OP was quoted. 

 

 

when I asked how much I was shown the invoice for the insurance company.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Don Mega

[bubba1]

Just now, Don Mega said:

 

 

when I asked how much I was shown the invoice for the insurance company, total was Bt.38,000

Yesterday you said 26,000? Which is it?

Be sure the insurance company gets a discount or they would be sending you somewhere else. 

[Don Mega]

9 minutes ago, bubba1 said:

Yesterday you said 26,000? Which is it?

Be sure the insurance company gets a discount or they would be sending you somewhere else. 

 

 

obviously you read my post on another forum.

 

you will note that 26k was for a 1 month supply.

 

as i will be out of the country for my visit to the doc next month that has been delayed until I return. 38k is for the meds to cover the month plus the extra 13 days.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2016 by Don Mega

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

 

Sorry to question about that, but are you sure? MIMS lists it as available in Thailand.

 

http://mims.com/thailand/drug/info/galvus met/?type=brief

 

It also lists Galvus as available, so taking straight Galvus + local metformin might work out cheaper.

 

Linagliptin is also a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor and is readily available here under the brand name Trajenta.  (No generic at the moment, so fairly expensive.)

 

 

 

I said there was no locally made form of it  It is available, but only as Galvus Met, the import. There is no locally made form of this drug. There are locally made forms of one of the two components (metformin) but then one would still have to take the imported Glavus  and would cost about the same so no advantage.

[KhunBENQ]

This "Galvus Met" from Novartis has been withdrawn from German distribution as the health insurances refused to pay the (seemingly inflated) price even after Novartis offered a 30% discount.

Also there seems to be doubt about the necessity of this ingredient combination.

 

Another helpful thread for the disbelievers about the overly inflated prices at BPH. That happens if health care is subdued to unlimited profit making.

 

Edited August 21, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[balo]

26k for a month supply of some pills ? Wow.  

Would probably be 5k from an outside pharmacy.  

 

 

 

[KittenKong]

12 hours ago, Don Mega said:

My doctor kept asking was I sure I wanted to buy my meds there or somewhere else outside of the hospital.

 

That's not an attitude I have ever come across here from doctors in clinics/hospitals.

[Pdaz]

Better to go buy them outside. The exercise would be beneficial.........  

[wpcoe]

On 8/20/2016 at 3:22 PM, Upnotover said:

I use Fascino, normally the big branch on Pattaya Nua.  I just get the meds list from the doctor at BHP and Fascino normally have them all in stock.

 

There's a medium-sized Fascino directly in front of Bangkok Hospital-Pattaya streetside (on Sukhumvit,) too.

[Don Mega]

4 hours ago, Pdaz said:

Better to go buy them outside. The exercise would be beneficial.........  

 

Walk from carpark to pharmacy on level 3 main building BPH = approx 250 metres.

Walk from carpark into Fascino on pattaya Nua = approx 5 metres.

More exercise to be had buying the more expensive drugs !!

 

[NE1]

Is there a comparison list somewhere ?

I am paying 6,000 baht a month for

Lipitor 20mg ½ Tablet a day

Dilatrend (L) 6.25 mg 1 a day

ASA 81mg 1 a day

Plavix (R) 75mg 1 a day.

 

I asked the Dr. for alternatives , but he was reluctant to suggest any.

 

[lopburi3]

14 minutes ago, NE1 said:

Is there a comparison list somewhere ?

I am paying 6,000 baht a month for

Lipitor 20mg ½ Tablet a day

Dilatrend (L) 6.25 mg 1 a day

ASA 81mg 1 a day

Plavix (R) 75mg 1 a day.

 

I asked the Dr. for alternatives , but he was reluctant to suggest any.

 

Dilatrend 19 baht per day

Lipitor 60 baht per day

Plavix 86 baht per day

Aspent-M 1 baht per day

 

Total 166 per day or 5146 per 31 day month

http://drugstorebangkok.com/store-location/

 

There are several alternatives for Lipitor but they are hard to find and are still quite expensive so an alternative Simvastatin type is often prescribed if a financial concern.  I am using the same less the aspirin.

[NE1]

Thanks Lopburi3 , I thought there might have been a cheaper alternative ,

We have a Boots chemist about 60 klms away , ( sticks dweller ) I suppose I could try there.

[lopburi3]

Actually a small Thai drug store is often the best choice - those name stores are interested in high markup cosmetics more than drugs.  Any store can order if they do not have in stock so for medications you take often you can order a few days ahead and they can get them for you.

 

I take Carvedilol rather than Dilatrend but the cost per pill is about the same.

[Speedo1968]

Aspent 81mg - my local pharmacy I pay 30 baht for 60 tablets - in Khon Kaen it can be up to 15 baht for 10 tablets.

I used to use Lipitor 20mg ( stopped some time ago ) - the alternative I used to Lipitor was  Bestatin 25 baht per strip.

You will need to check if these alternatives are suitable for you.

[lopburi3]

Bestatin is not the same medication as Lipitor so make sure doctor approves of change.  Locally the most common non-name brands of atorvastatin are Chlovas and Atorvastatin Sandoz but they can both be hard to find and are not much cheaper than lipitor.