Many medicines cheaper in good old USA

[Trvlr]

This topic was sparked by a comment on another thread about the US ripoff on drugs. I thought it deserved a separate topic.

The US continues to maintain its position as the cheapest "developed" country in the world to live in. (There are different yardsticks for measuring this.) This has applied to many medicines also for the past few years.

Agreed, that many patented drugs are still horrendously expensive - the manufacturers justify it as cost of research, but that is another topic.

But most of us use medicines which are no longer under patent protection - most of the time any way. I, for instance, have never had to use a patented medicine in my entire life - generics were always available.

And the US is probably the cheapest country for them - cheaper than Thailand, and most other countries I have been to.

Walmart started the trend some five years or so ago, and many other pharmacies have had to follow suit.

Walmart provides a month's supply of generics for some 300 (not sure of number) drugs for $4. So, if a doctor prescribes Doxycycline three times a day for 20 days you pay just $4. Try getting that in Pattaya (sorry, I do not know about the smaller towns) as a tourist.

This is also true of many maintenance drugs, for hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. And a three month's supply is just $10. (They charge a little more for some drugs in California, because the state asks them to for some obscure reason. Has to do with competition I think.)

And no insurance is involved - you can just go with a prescription and buy the stuff.

[tom21]

I know in Thailand there can be a big difference in price depending on which pharmacy you go into

[9cisco999]

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Suggesting the USA is in so many areas cheaper than Thailand on many forums is tantamount to treason even though it's true.

[Gary]

I suffer from gout and forgot to take my drug supply to the US on a trip some time back. As would be expected, I suffered an attack and tried to buy colchicine from a US pharmacy. I needed a prescription. Try walking into a doctor's office in the US without being a regular patient. I ended up going to emergency at a hospital and explaining that the only thing I needed was a prescription. Most drugs in the US require a prescription and the prescription is normally only good for a 30 day supply. I don't buy a lot of drugs but what I do buy are MUCH cheaper here in Thailand. You can buy however much you want without a prescription. If you insist on a certain US brand name, you are likely to pay more but most drugs here are available in generic form and are very affordable.

 

I still say that the US drug companies have you by the balls and ripoff is the name of the game. Why do you think a lot of people buy their drugs mail order from Canada?

[bigdelta]

Costco has the best prices for many prescription drugs.Costco charges under $6 for a 90 day supply of 10mg amlodipine.I asked the Walmart pharmacist what their price was-nearly 6x! I asked if they would price match like some pharmacies-no way was the reply.As the OP stated,many states,including Florida,offer a large amount of generics for $4 for a 30 day supply.

[js007]

The generic drugs are surely cheap at places like Wal Mart. Still, if you need a drug that has no generic substitute and is still under patent protection, you're likely to pay dearly unless you have insurance.

 

At one point in my life I was on some medicine that would have cost about $1200 a month, but for my insurance. With my insurance, I paid about $15. And the poor guy without insurance? He was in trouble.

 

Thailand seems to get around the patent protection on some drugs by just manufacturing their own and selling them at a reasonable price. For instance, they may do this with some of the anti-viral AIDS drugs.

[Greg_B]

I take BP medicine, it is cheaper in Thailand, even with my insurance

 

I do stock up in case I get low

[bigdelta]

When in lived in Jomtien in '08-'09,I had to buy my 10mg amlodipine for hypertension and the price was several times higher than what I currently pay here at Costco.I was shocked.

I take BP medicine, it is cheaper in Thailand, even with my insurance

 

I do stock up in case I get low

Edited June 18, 2013 by bigdelta

[Nightrider]

The only thing that i have found difficult to get in Pattaya are the very strong painkillers that i use for my problematic back pain that flares up occasionally , every time i try to get them from a pharmacy they say they do not have them and i have to go to the hospital and get a prescription from the doctor and then get them from the in house pharmacy within the hospital and have to pay well over the top for them , also they will only give me a small amount of them so i can not stock up them for later use and this is the only way i can get them as there is no generic alternative on the market at the moment , just seems strange why the pharmacys don't have them.....!

[roorsoldja]

This topic was sparked by a comment on another thread about the US ripoff on drugs. I thought it deserved a separate topic.

The US continues to maintain its position as the cheapest "developed" country in the world to live in. (There are different yardsticks for measuring this.) This has applied to many medicines also for the past few years.

Agreed, that many patented drugs are still horrendously expensive - the manufacturers justify it as cost of research, but that is another topic.

But most of us use medicines which are no longer under patent protection - most of the time any way. I, for instance, have never had to use a patented medicine in my entire life - generics were always available.

And the US is probably the cheapest country for them - cheaper than Thailand, and most other countries I have been to.

Walmart started the trend some five years or so ago, and many other pharmacies have had to follow suit.

Walmart provides a month's supply of generics for some 300 (not sure of number) drugs for $4. So, if a doctor prescribes Doxycycline three times a day for 20 days you pay just $4. Try getting that in Pattaya (sorry, I do not know about the smaller towns) as a tourist.

This is also true of many maintenance drugs, for hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. And a three month's supply is just $10. (They charge a little more for some drugs in California, because the state asks them to for some obscure reason. Has to do with competition I think.)

And no insurance is involved - you can just go with a prescription and buy the stuff.

besides the point I know but a simple whole foods diet will cure all that no problem but I guess most would prefer to pop a pill then eat spinach.

I live in Canada and always found the prices in los way cheaper ( and I heat mexico is dirt cheap )

[jacko]

I suffer from gout and forgot to take my drug supply to the US on a trip some time back. As would be expected, I suffered an attack and tried to buy colchicine from a US pharmacy. I needed a prescription. Try walking into a doctor's office in the US without being a regular patient. I ended up going to emergency at a hospital and explaining that the only thing I needed was a prescription. Most drugs in the US require a prescription and the prescription is normally only good for a 30 day supply. I don't buy a lot of drugs but what I do buy are MUCH cheaper here in Thailand. You can buy however much you want without a prescription. If you insist on a certain US brand name, you are likely to pay more but most drugs here are available in generic form and are very affordable.

 

I still say that the US drug companies have you by the balls and ripoff is the name of the game. Why do you think a lot of people buy their drugs mail order from Canada?

Can't you order them by mail?

I recall doing that once when in the USA, I think I got on the internet and had some stuff sent to the apartment hotel I was staying at.

 

Mind you, you will get spammed for the rest of your life!

[jacko]

I take BP medicine, it is cheaper in Thailand, even with my insurance

 

I do stock up in case I get low

Well the price mentioned above at Costco is somewhat cheaper than the Thailand price (amlodipine), but if you can be clobbered by a price 6x higher by going to the shop next door, Walmart, which is being cited as the cheap place to go, you sure have to know where to go.

[9cisco999]

Can't you order them by mail?

I recall doing that once when in the USA, I think I got on the internet and had some stuff sent to the apartment hotel I was staying at.

 

Mind you, you will get spammed for the rest of your life!

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www.canadianpharmacy.com

[bigdelta]

I lived in Mexico for 3 years,as recently as 2 years ago this month.Prices have increased there and now a prescription is required for very many drugs that never required one previously.You can still find off the beaten path ones that will sell to you w/o a prescription but you will pay even more.

besides the point I know but a simple whole foods diet will cure all that no problem but I guess most would prefer to pop a pill then eat spinach.

I live in Canada and always found the prices in los way cheaper ( and I heat mexico is dirt cheap )

[bigdelta]

Walmart is 11 miles from home and Costco is 21,so I time my 90 day drug purchase with my monthly Costco shopping spree.Plus its 2 miles from the Guzzi dealer,so its win-win.And of course you can refill prescription over the automated order ine,so no wait whe you arrive.And you don't need to be a Costco member I was told but you will pay just a bit more though.

 

Well the price mentioned above at Costco is somewhat cheaper than the Thailand price (amlodipine), but if you can be clobbered by a price 6x higher by going to the shop next door, Walmart, which is being cited as the cheap place to go, you sure have to know where to go.

[Trvlr]

I suffer from gout and forgot to take my drug supply to the US on a trip some time back. As would be expected, I suffered an attack and tried to buy colchicine from a US pharmacy. I needed a prescription. Try walking into a doctor's office in the US without being a regular patient. I ended up going to emergency at a hospital and explaining that the only thing I needed was a prescription. Most drugs in the US require a prescription and the prescription is normally only good for a 30 day supply. I don't buy a lot of drugs but what I do buy are MUCH cheaper here in Thailand. You can buy however much you want without a prescription. If you insist on a certain US brand name, you are likely to pay more but most drugs here are available in generic form and are very affordable.

 

I still say that the US drug companies have you by the balls and ripoff is the name of the game. Why do you think a lot of people buy their drugs mail order from Canada?

 

I normally do not like going back and forth, but a few corrections are in order perhaps. About ordering from Canada, only someone very silly or ignorant is going to order from Canada if the equivalent is available at Walmart or other stores. I have mentioned US generic prices to my Canadian friends - including a doctor - and they drool at those prices.

US physicians will give prescriptions for as long as one year if it is a maintenance drug. It can be renewed after that by phone if the doctor has seen you in the meantime. If he has not seen you for a year then he probably will want to - and that is a good thing.

Next time you are in the predicament of being in the US without enough drugs, try one of the Urgent Care centers. But please do have some evidence that you take the drug. No ethical doctor is going to write you a prescription for a restricted drug simply on your say so - again I think it is a good thing. (Some drug stores like CVS now have nurse practitioners who can write some prescriptions. Try those also.)

As for buying drugs without a prescription, do you really think it is a good idea? Dont forget that much of antibiotic resistance starts in Asia, where these are sold even in your local ice cream parlor (a euphemism!). I agree that it can be relaxed a bit for some medicines, but I dont think all controls should be removed.

 

Someone here mentioned a BP medicine that is cheaper in Thailand. If it is branded it may be. But if a generic is available then post the name, strength and frequency on here and I will research it for you.

 

No, Walmart is not the only store that has this pricing - they started it. Target does it too, and there are so many of those in urban areas that they classify as neighnorhood stores almost. And they will price match. CVS - again a bunch of them - also has the pricing, but you have to sign on with them. I am sure there are a whole lot of others that do it too. As with everything these days, you meed to be somewhat knowledgable.

 

Depending on the quantity you need to take, they are not somewhat cheaper, but MUCH cheaper. That is a good thing. If you are prescribed Doxycyline 3 times a day for 30 days, you will pay 450 baht here - $15. In the US you will pay $4. The Pattaya price is from a pharmacy on 2nd Road.

 

As I mentioned in my original post, if a generic is not available, then the drug is going to be expensive. Is it a rip off? Maybe. That is another argument. But consider that if a company had not created and tested the drug over some 10 years it probably would not exist.

[gerry53]

If you want to compare the USA to Canadian drugs maybe you should look into ordering out of India. I know many will claim it's unreliable and poor quality but the USA pharmaceutical industry says the same about Canadian and Mexican products. It is all about protectionism and these corporations want you to buy these products from them. The generic drugs have the same ingredients and are less expensive - new drugs coming online are an exception. In my case I can buy a 1 year supply of all my drugs for about $650 delivered in Thailand, my experience was the Thai prices were much higher and trips to the doctor were needed. Many Thai doctors do not like giving 3 or 6 month meds even though it is a long term non changing condition. I know some only do 1 month so you keep returning and pay for their services - your results may vary!

My 1 year supply costs about 25% of what I paid for generic drugs in my own country. If I insure myself for drug costs in my country it costs me twice as much as I pay for all the drugs in India? I then have to pay a 20% deductible on the drugs I buy also. For me it is a win - win situation.

Now I self insure and it costs me far less and I get my blood tested when I return to my country to see if the Indian drugs are working properly. I have been doing this for 3 years and there is no difference.

[Gary]

I have never bought drugs from Canada mail order, Walmart or Costco. My co-payment from my US insurance company was $20 regardless of what the drugs cost.

 

I have never needed a prescription for any drug in Thailand nor have I been limited to a certain quantity. Once the doctor told me what to buy, I went to the drug store and bought them. My last purchase of my blood pressure medicine, Anapril, cost me 280 baht for 100 foil wrapped tablets. That's a hundred day supply.

[boxhead]

I suffer from gout and forgot to take my drug supply to the US on a trip some time back. As would be expected, I suffered an attack and tried to buy colchicine from a US pharmacy. I needed a prescription. Try walking into a doctor's office in the US without being a regular patient. I ended up going to emergency at a hospital and explaining that the only thing I needed was a prescription. Most drugs in the US require a prescription and the prescription is normally only good for a 30 day supply. I don't buy a lot of drugs but what I do buy are MUCH cheaper here in Thailand. You can buy however much you want without a prescription. If you insist on a certain US brand name, you are likely to pay more but most drugs here are available in generic form and are very affordable.

 

I still say that the US drug companies have you by the balls and ripoff is the name of the game. Why do you think a lot of people buy their drugs mail order from Canada?

Gary I concur hole heartedly with the costs of drugs for gout compared to the easiest system in Asia.

 

Over the counter can get colchicine,voltaren I have even had a 1/4 zone shot with no questions asked

[The Mook]

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www.canadianpharmacy.com

 

 

watch out fellow BMs

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/06/13/canadian-online-pharmacy-ordered-to-close-ontario-operations-amid-revelations-its-actually-based-in-belize/