It seems like there are pharmacies in any small street in Bangkok. It is very rare to see someone present a prescription in a pharmacy, most of the business seems to be done over the counter. While it is quite possible that it is legally required for a pharmacy to be operated by a qualified pharmacist, a pharmacist is certainly not always present. Various pharmacies employ different standards. |
Some are clearly run by pharmacists themselves, some are run by employees with a pharmacist somewhere in the background, some are run by people who do not have a clue about medicine. Interestingly, when visiting hospitals, one is just referred to the hospital pharmacy to get needed drugs. No prescriptions are given, the physician just writes what you need on some internal paper for the pharmacy on the premises. We do not even know whether one can ask specifically for a prescription to be used at an outside pharmacy or not. In any case, quite clearly the pharmacies at major hospitals charge more for drugs than the outside pharmacies. If you are on long-term treatment with a particular drug, it is maybe useful to just get it without prescription outside, and tell your physician you have a supply of drugs of your own.
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Generic drugs can be obtained at a fraction of the cost of 'brand name' drugs. However, only in pharmacies outside major hospitals. |
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Commonly used drugs are widely available throughout Bangkok. For sure, do not be surprised if a particular drug, just released in U.S.A. or Europe, is not yet available. Up to about 2003, it was possible to just get about anything without prescription, including antibiotics, sedatives, anti-depression medication, recreational drugs like Viagra etc. In many cases this may not have been strictly according to the law, but in practice there were no obstacles in obtaining what you wanted.
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At present, it seems to be rather difficult to get sedatives, so if you suffer from anxiety when going to the dentist and need some comfort, you will have to go to one of the hospitals and see a doctor there first. We do think that recreational drugs still can be obtained easily. [It is recommended you enter a pharmacy when there is nobody else inside, so the pharmacist does not have to take other customers into account, when dealing with you] |
One extra word of caution. Do not expect a lot of communication with the average pharmacist. Actually, one of the main functions of a pharmacist should be to explain how and when medicine needs to be taken, and to check for interactions with other drugs. Now, especially the latter hardly ever happens. I do not recall being ask by a pharmacist about other medication I am taking. What it means is that a lot of pharmacists simply perform the function of a salesperson, and nothing more. If you are familiar with your medication, this may be fine. Otherwise, you may be slightly better off at hospital pharmacies (the pharmacists there at least explain a bit more, and if asked, they will certainly check out any drug interactions). Another way, of course, is to check out possible drug interactions through a web search. [In our opinion the internet is very useful for finding this type of information, or information of a disease you have been properly diagnosed with already. However, our advice is to refrain from thinking you can diagnose your ailments yourself by doing a search.]
Pharmacies, continued : recommended pharmacies, regarding prescirption drugs
Add-On : Drug prices at Hospitals and local Pharmacies.
Add-on : Is the medication you require available in Bangkok (Thailand)?
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