Answered3 years ago
Can I use a European doctor's prescription to buy medicines at a pharmacy in Thailand?
Can I buy medicines from Pharmacy in Thailand with a doctor’s prescription from Europe?
Answer summary
Using a prescription from Europe to purchase medication at Thai pharmacies can be complex. Generally, many pharmacies do not accept foreign prescriptions, particularly for controlled substances that require a local doctor's approval. However, some expats report successfully obtaining prescribed medications with foreign prescriptions, especially for non-controlled drugs. It is often advised to consult a local doctor in Thailand who can issue a valid prescription in either English or Thai, which can be used at the pharmacy. Availability may vary based on the medication's classification in Thailand and the pharmacy's policy.
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เต๋อ *****
As long as not narcotics, don't need script, just need to know name and does
Marcos **********
Be careful with depression medications or sleeping pills. They are considered narcotics and you can be arrested for possessing them. Its only provided in hospitals or on the black exchange.
Greg *********
They do anything for money
Marco *******
No😆🤣😆
Marco *******
Also keep in mind most countries only allow 30 days worth of prescribed meds
T ****************
You can buy medicines in Thailand WITHOUT ANY prescription !
Richard ******
You can buy what ever u need in Thailand
Andre *********
Up to know I’ve got all kind of medicine without prescription. Heart tablets, blood pressure tablets, beta blocker, antibiotics. The only medicine I haven’t bought yet were psycho treatment and pain killer on drug base such as morphine.
Tom *********
Unless it's an opiate, an abused drug, or requires a doctor to monitor for side effects it's gennerally available OTC, but small pharmacies may not stock all drugs. Across the river from Thammasat University, over in Bangkok Noi there are lots of full service pharmacies near Siriraj Hospital and Wang Lang pier,. Check out Wang Lang market while you're there. It's a cool local market.
Mike *******
You more than likely won’t need a prescription here!
Robert *****
Usually no prescription needed.
Naravadee **************
Pharmax
Victor *******
Only things you cant get without prescription from pharmacies are opium, heroin, amphetamine, cocaine..
Gordon *********
Go to clinic cost more but no questions
Mark ***********
Only certain sleeping pills, barbiturates and some other classes of medicine are highly regulated here, and usually those cannot even be acquired at a pharmacy but rather at a private hospital.
Just about anything else you can get at a pharmacy without a prescription.
Just about anything else you can get at a pharmacy without a prescription.
Rick *********
I have been in Thailand over two years. Show em a photo of your med and they will sell it! If they don’t have the exact named med they will find a generic or comparable med.
Thierry *********
A Google picture is most of the time enough
Russell **********
Worth checking if you need a prescription here before going to a doctor
Gillian ******
My experience in Samui when running out of prescription medication.
Told the pharmacist what medication and dose required, she checked if they had it. They didn’t have it so they ordered it. Called me to say it had arrived 👍
Told the pharmacist what medication and dose required, she checked if they had it. They didn’t have it so they ordered it. Called me to say it had arrived 👍
Benyathip **********
No
Phu***
OPThank you all for your time and valuable comments. I am learning a lot, and I also appreciate the negative comments as they help me improve. I previously resided in Thailand and was on medication. However, since moving to Switzerland, medical costs have skyrocketed. Last February, I visited at least two pharmacies in Bangkok and presented my medication. They informed me that they require doctor's prescription. Unfortunately, I forgot to inquire whether a prescription from Switzerland, written in French, would suffice.
Vera **************
@Phu***
prescription from any other place other than Thailand is not accepted, let alone not in English . Prescription must be given out by a registered doctor , Swiss doctors are not registered in Thailand. It would be accepted on the airplane or if sending by post but can not use it to buy from local pharmacy . Local pharmacy normally says need prescription , what they mean is they can not sell it. Even if you had one from a local doctor, then they will tel you to visit hospital. Highly controlled medication is not sold to pharmacies and law has tightened a lot about 2 years ago. Before only pharmacies were punished for selling such meds, now suppliers are also punished. Also be advised depending on what meds you need, it may not be available at all if it is not Thai FDA approved , but doctors can often find similar meds. Unfortunately if it is prescribed only , generic will not be available so the cost would be fairly highStan ***********
@Phu***
you’re welcome. if you have any issue with a regular pharmacy (outside of the hospital) just go see a Thai doctor in the hospital (which will normally cost around $20-30 USD) and explain the situation and you should get the prescription. Go downstairs and grab your meds from the pharmacy. That is my experience and I tried numerous pharmacies. It could be that my meds are not as common etc. There are also some meds that the doctor is required to ask you some questions before prescribing.Bart **************
@Phu***
if all the crucial info is on the prescription, at it is on mine, you should normally be able to use it. That is substance, dosage, prescribed amount. Example (from an over the counter med):Paracetamol 500 mg, 4 per day
I suspect that if they read "4 par jour", with "jour" reading closer to "hour" than "day", it could make them a little more cautious because they may be missing something. I would hope they then know the substance and that of those two options only "day" can be meant, and that they give you the required number of units.
Looking at the prescription that I've used, this 3rd part is actually missing. It's only substance and strength. Also I don't really need that as I know myself how much I need.
So maybe that has then put me in a better spot? 🤷 Don't know.
If it doesn't work in your case though, you may as well just get the prescription from a doctor. Why not. If cost is a concern, look for a cheap hospital or even a clinic.
Vera **************
@Bart *************
idiot stop spreading utter drivelBart **************
@Vera *************
maybe stop it yourself.
Chris *********
A few things like opiates and benzos can only get from clinic, but medical things you just ask for generic at pharmacy. I get all my cardiac meds for example by just bringing the list I make myself based on what I would normally get in the west.
Larry ******
@Chris ********
You can most definitely get benzos at ***
of the pharmacies. The only opiate you can get is codeine mixed with either paracetamol or something else that i forget. The smaller the pharmacy, the better the odds.Chris *********
@Larry *****
maybe, but I'm not lookingLarry ******
ok. just setting the record straight so there is no confusion.
John **********
Previous prescription meds. Sample given and pay a bit more!
Surprise in what can be obtained here.
Got antibiotics for 'silk worms' previously...🤪
Surprise in what can be obtained here.
Got antibiotics for 'silk worms' previously...🤪
Gianni **********
The name of medicine coumd be differente so better you come with the box or with the active ingredient of medicine.
Fatih ********
Is there any website to check the Thai prices of the medicines?
Robert **********
Medconsult clinic. They have doctors and a pharmacy so can provide most meds, and work with your prescription.
Thanyanan *****************
Absolutely yes
Bob **********
Don’t need a prescription for almost all drugs
Bob *********
Mostly you can just walk in and ask to what you want including antibiotics
Lyndon ************
Depends on the pharmacy....
Dawn **********
Depends on what the prescription is for. Pharmacies don’t carry the controlled substances. You take your prescription to the hospital. They usually make you see a doctor to get it refilled.
Jayne *******
Bring your medicine with you and see a doctor who can give you the same. Also some larger pharmacies carry medications that in England need a prescription. Pharmacies in Thailand carry most medications. Completely different from England.
Stan ***********
A regular pharmacy on the street doesn’t have all medicine and if they do have what you need, you can show a foreign prescription or no foreign prescription - You will still get it. If you go to a hospital pharmacy where they have everything, you will have to see a doctor. I’ve been to about 7 hospitals in my travels through Thailand and they absolutely will not give me a refill until a doctor checks me out. I have a few conditions that require numerous meds. I’ve gone through all of this so many times. If the street pharmacy doesn’t have what you need then pay the $20 for the doctor visit and get your meds downstairs.
Todd *********
Don’t be ridiculous
Alain ***************
Some meds you only get in hospitals. I got everything else without any prescription. I brought mine from Europe, too but only needed it once to prove that I require 2 insulin pens on a flight
Markus **********
No
Bonus ***********
You can, if they have the same medicine
If they don’t have it, they will find the similar ones for you
but should go to a big pharmacy
Normally, you don’t need prescription in Thailand except it’s a controlled substance
If they don’t have it, they will find the similar ones for you
but should go to a big pharmacy
Normally, you don’t need prescription in Thailand except it’s a controlled substance
Stan ***********
@Bonus **********
yes you’re right but you don’t need to bring the foreign prescription. If they have it they will give it to you.Bonus ***********
@Stan **********
i know, just in case they don’t understand you can show pictures of medicine too
that’s why I said, normally you don’t need prescription
ดิตติ้ *****************
Yes you can find some pharmacy accept it.
Nguyễn *********************
Việt Nam is possible though ít is illegal
Galenus ******
Can you buy medicine in Europe with a Thai prescription???? Think please before posting😂
Giorgio ******
@Galenus *****
think before posting is the right answer . considering people can thinkBart **************
@Galenus *****
almost certainly yes. Because the other way also works.By the way, wouldn't you agree the question is very good? Considering many think that this isn't possible?
Agree that people should think before posting (and answering ;) ).
Dlonra ********
Visit a hospital here and ask them if they can issue prescription to you a Same medicine
Bart **************
Absolutely YES. I used a prescription that I took from Europe many times and it has always worked.
Galenus ******
@Bart *************
depends what it is. If it's an OTC product, you wouldn't have needed any prescription.In general, a prescription is only valid in the country the prescribing doctor got his license from. (Except EU)
Bart **************
@Galenus *****
the med I get requires a prescription. Sometimes it not asked, sometimes it is. The Dutch one I still have from long ago is still good to get what I need.Bart **************
@Galenus *****
yes I think so. I never used it in other EU countries but I used it in The Netherlands and in Thailand.Galenus ******
@Bart *************
The Dutch prescription is valid in all EU countries
Keng ************
Go to your nearesr hospital and consult with doctor, doctor here in Thailand will give you the same prescription ( in English) or if you want it in Thai.
Then take it to the pharmacy.
Then take it to the pharmacy.
Vera **************
Thai system is different . Anything and everything sold at pharmacy does not require any prescription. If pharmacy do not sell what you need because it’s highly controlled then only option is seeing a doctor at a hospital who will prescribe and hospital pharmacy will issue it
John **********
@Vera *************
correct answer!Bart **************
@Vera *************
this is not correct. Whether or not a med requires a prescription depends on the med. Heavy stuff will require prescriptions. However, no issue using one from abroad.
Charlie ******
@Bart *************
Just love when a foreigner is fighting a local in what's correct. Just give up and stop spreading BS Bart.Bart **************
@Charlie *****
but you CAN use foreign prescriptions here in Thailand. I have plenty experience.Charlie ******
@Bart *************
Just accept the fail and move on. Don't argue with a local, her info was the correct info. Based on experience her info matches, yours dont. Even if it is basically the same.Bart **************
@Charlie *****
why do you do this dude? It's not BS I'm spreading!! Is that really so hard to understand?Vera **************
@Bart *************
what I said is 100% correct , get a clue before correcting people
Connor *******
@Bart *************
Stop spreading bs BartVera **************
@Bart *************
idiot , stop spreading utter drivelBart **************
@Vera *************
Not only are you spreading false information here, you also claim others who correctly correct you, to be false instead. You do that now several times. You even ask the corrector to stop.This is very bad. Suppose the poster believes you now? Then he'll have wrong information. Instead of insisting so heavily on the correctness of the incorrect info you provided, I think you should gather the true facts first. And then apologize.
Vera **************
@Bart *************
once again since you clearly struggling , what I said is 100% stop spreading utter nonsenseBart **************
@Vera *************
what you say is not correct, miss. There certainly are medicines that pharmacies sell, but which they require a prescription for. In that case, a Thai as well as a European prescription can be used to get what you need.Like you said get a clue before correcting others. Especially when you've just been rightfully corrected by somebody because YOU do not know the facts.
Peter *********
You can almost buy any medication from a pharmacy here. Which medication are you after?
Carlos *********
Probably don't need the prescription, but they don't have every medicine.
John **********
when you needed special medicine what you can not get normaly at the pharmacy in Thailand you have to go to the hospital, the doktor will give you what you needed ...when possible bring papers from your country from your doktor why you needed it..helps a lot for make it more easy for get
Bart **************
@John *********
or skip the local doctor and use the prescription from home doctor at the pharmacy.John **********
@Bart *************
you can not do that way..they will not accept...if he get it from the pharmacy it will be a medicine what you normaly also can get...others they will not accept without a prescription from the doktor from a hospital inside Thailand...
Giøvanni **********
@John *********
exactlyJohn **********
@Bart *************
i wonder now how many prescription you have or let you send them by your doktor from abroad to you?..my experience and that of many here are a lot different then yours so we can discuss how long we want , it will not change our oppinion...Bart **************
@John *********
I've been getting meds in Bangkok as well as Chiang Mai all from the prescription I took from home. Also sometimes pharmacies do not care to see it and just sell, but the more professional ones I've been to always asked for it.John **********
@Bart *************
strange...i think you are the only one who can get this way your medicine without seeing the doktor into the hospital in Thailand first because this is the normal step..then you can get the medicine at the pharmacy inside the hospitalBart **************
@John *********
no they do not give without.John **********
@Bart *************
then you get a medicine what you normaly also can get without a prescribe....Bart **************
@John *********
sorry to hear that. Could be that they wanted to sling the hospital some money per some agreement. That unfortunately happens in this country.So far I've always gotten what I had been prescribed by my home doctor.
John **********
@Bart *************
..i try to do that with my medicine by myself..they not accepted this and i first have to go to see the doktor in the hospital for get it...show the doktor why i needed it also with papers from my own doctor and hospital..all to do with money ..😉Bart **************
@John *********
that is not correct sir. Medicines that require prescriptions can not be obtained without any prescription, but one from Europe will suffice to get it.
Kai *********
Vitoon pharmacy on Pradipat road Sapan Kwai, with or without prescriptions, is our go-to. They do speak English.
Andrew ***********
No they won't recognise them, if you can't get them from the pharmacy, you will need to see a Doctor and get him to prescribe for you.
Bart **************
@Andrew **********
they will recognize them and give the meds as prescribed. Prescriptions can be in other languages but the medically relevant info is always in universal medical language. Thai pharmacies can read them.Andrew ***********
@Bart *************
no worries good to know, tried that at a few pharmacies myself and they either wouldn't except it or said dont have and need go to Doctor and get medication from them. I then tried a few pharmacy and just showed them a picture and they said they have haha. I also found that if they did have have what I needed it was more Expensive that from home, so ended up going to see doctor and getting him to issues the medication at a ***
if the price from the pharmacy. Joys of living in Thailand.Bart **************
@Rene *****
multiple pharmacies accepted it. I'm not entirely sure why they would deviate from standard policy if it's controlled by law, but fair enough, let's not rule out that it could be an exceptional amount of luck.
Rene ******
@Bart *************
maybe you were lucky all the times and/or got something "innocent"...Bart **************
@Andrew **********
from a government hospital you could be right.Andrew ***********
@Bart *************
100 % agree with that, but like I said was just easier for me to go to the government hospital, see a english speaking Doctor and get him to prescribe the medication I need. Cost wise was some much better even after the Doctor consult.Bart **************
@Andrew **********
ah that is always good :)There's also the matter that insurances may cover medicine from hospital but not medicine from a separate pharmacy. It's the absolute worst way to get the incentives right; an insurer should be interested in avoiding unnecessary costs. Requiring clients to go to hospitals to get prescriptions really does everything wrong; they pay an unnecessary consult, the doctor has a financial interest and prescribes 3 unnecessary (sometimes harmful) meds alongside perhaps the one you actually need, and the pricing is horrendous compared to local pharmacies. I haven't yet figured out how local insurers have a successful business model.
In my home country, it is forbidden to both prescribe the medicine and also sell it to avoid wrong incentives.
Andrew ***********
@Bart *************
I have no idea haha and I had a Thai person with me as well. Anyway have it all sorted now and in the end was cheaper than pharmacy anyway.Bart **************
@Andrew **********
I don't know why they didn't accept it; maybe they missed crucial info or didn't want to risk that the info in the language they cannot read is potentially medically relevant. I took prescriptions to Thai pharmacies several times and always got what I needed.
Mick *******
Yes
Aake **********
@Mick ******
noBart **************
@Mick ******
finally someone knowing the facts ;)
Graeme **********
Don’t think so. Go to a hospital and get the same prescriptions in Thai
Shaun *********
@Graeme *********
I can get all my prescribed medication from any pharmacy I've been in, in Thailand.Graeme **********
@Shaun ********
true..so can I. But the cost is through the roofBart **************
@Graeme *********
it's possible.
Jerry *******
Go to hospital
Frank **********
Clinics and hospitals are easy to find, and cheap in most cases to speak with a doctor to get an updated local prescription.
Prashant **********
Except for meds related to insomnia or adhd , best you try medisafe they are on facebook
Danny *******
No, but some prescription medicines are sold without any prescription.
Bart **************
@Danny ******
can use prescription from Europe.Danny *******
@Bart *************
No, but if you take it to a doctor they can probably give you one for the pharmacies here.Stan ***********
@Bart *************
thanks!!! I will check it out and let you know.Bart **************
Stan ***********
@Bart *************
how interesting, are you willing to share the location? I want to check them out. We all have to keep in mind that each one of us requires different meds. Most of my medicine the Pharmacies outside of the hospital cannot or will not carry them.Stan ***********
@Bunny ****
😂 you actually running into the numerous locations that I’ve been to would be like winning the lottery. There’s a pharmacy or 3 on every corner. It’s not the pharmacy and remember that it depends on the meds.
Bunny *****
@Stan **********
maybe you should tell us which outlet rejected you and we will just avoid that.Bart **************
@Stan **********
one is somewhat larger (and better priced). I think they operate as combined wholesaler/retailer. I always see many customers buy truck loads of things, even more than Thai doctors prescribe for a cough. They have a "fast lane" for customers needing at most 10 items. This pharmacy does stick with standing policy quite well, in my experience. It is on the street.Others were indeed the ones I think you meant: small ones on the street, i.e. not in malls and not in hospitals.
Stan ***********
@Bart *************
the ones on the street right?Bart **************
@Stan **********
multipleStan ***********
@Bart *************
hey Bart. Did you just go to one pharmacy or multiple?Bart **************
@Danny ******
it should contain all the medically relevant info: substance, dosage, prescribed amount. The prescriptions I took didn't really contain any other info than that and might as well have been from here. I don't see how the prescriptions wouldn't be legal.Either way, they were accepted every time I went.
Danny *******
@Bart *************
If the pharmacy requires a prescription is must be a legal one and a foreign one isn’t.Bart **************
@Danny ******
why do you keep saying no? You CAN use prescriptions from other countries in pharmacies here. Period.I did it many times.
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