Thread: Trustworthy pharmacists?

^ I'm not interested in what the price is back home...
What does a Thai pay for the same product?

You might well be surprised.

Never had a problem at the clinic I use on Rama 4. In 8-years have been about 5 times and diagnosis always correct, medication cheap and service speedy.

I guess it just depends where you go...

Originally Posted by bkkandrew

I guess it just depends where you go...

Yup, they try to rip you off in one place then another will tell you to buy something else as it's cheaper. I've experienced both but i suppose people trying to scam you is more common.

I suffer from arthritis and my staple diet is indomethacin. The best-known brand of this is Indocid which I used to pay around 45 baht for a 10-capsule blister pack. At the local pharmacy in Bangsaen I used to buy 100 capsules of locally-made indomethacin for 70 baht. A major saving and it was just as effective as the real thing.

A major saving and it was just as effective as the real thing.

just to comment. slightly different to most of us here but there are a few studies around looking at the use and misuse of medicines in developing countries,

for many poor people an instant fix is needed, rather than concern about long term effects,

as a result many cheap, poor quality medicines or dangerous medicines are being eaten with abandon, including things like quartozone

Originally Posted by Smeg

a product called "Counterpain"

I do believe i been been through this same situation when i crashed the dirtbike and pulled a muscle in my back. Pharmacy tried to sell me imported stuff for 300 baht plus and i ended up buying "Counterpain" "Cool" which is a rather nice blue gel product that works very well and cost me 30 baht.

Smeg, have you considered that the pharmacist may have past experiences with expats demanding imported drugs, believing that all locally produced stuff is sub-standard?

Just a thought......

My experience is that they offer the imported brand name product first on the basis that foreigners trust their own etc and the profit margin.
If you ask for MIMS(TIMS) the book and search through the Thai generics you will be offered a cheaper alternative or they will even order it for you.

Originally Posted by good2bhappy

My experience is that they offer the imported brand name product first on the basis that foreigners trust their own etc and the profit margin.
If you ask for MIMS(TIMS) the book and search through the Thai generics you will be offered a cheaper alternative or they will even order it for you.

Hmm. Interesting thread. OK. The missing piece: generics, especially those made in Thailand are simply substandard. Normally you want to work on 30 to 50% efficacy as compared to a reputable imported product (I am not talking "made in India"). Again, reputable overseas generic, no problem (talking "western made generics here).

All this means you get a veritable mismash of prices. Brand imports, western generics, Indian generics, Thai made generics, fakes.

I've always used the same chemist and he's spot on every time. Speaks great English and charges the usual low prices.

I guess even Thais know a kunt when they see one.

Originally Posted by good2bhappy

^ you some evidence for Thai generics being 50% less effective?

Fair question, but difficult to give a satisfactory answer. Anecdotal evidence (the worst sort I know) comes from working with Thai academic pharmacologists. I know thats not satisfactory. You will find the same answer if you talk to pretty much any Thai pharmacist.

Pubished evidence is hard to come by (no Thai scientist is gonna publish a study saying the local generics are crap!). However, the one story that was too big to keep quiet was the GPO-Vir story (anti HIV retroviral) - basically the drug was simply substandard and ended up causing a significant amount of resistance.

You can do a search on that.

Sorry, know not a convincing standard of proof, but best I can do for now.

Thanks, you had me worried.
I buy my generics from SIAM Pharmaceuticals and am concerned as I have a heart condition and type 2 Diabetes

Sure they're taking the piss...so what else is new?

Picked up what I thought was scabbies out here in the jungle, visited Bkk-Pty on our next trip home, doc didn't even look at the symptoms, asked what I wanted for what I thought I had, I said Derbac-M if it's scabbies, she checked the computer and said got none try Onox, prescribed one tube, I mistakenly asked for an extra, she smiled and changed the prescription to two, and off I went to the pharmacy.

Checked the receipt at home...the first tube was charged at 200, the second at 150...in Pitchit couple of weeks back I saw Onox in a pharmacy, asked how much...35 baht!

Best advice - in the Land of Smirks if you visit a a farang hospital, pay for doc's advice (sic) but take the prescription to an outside pharmacy.