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[Robert101]

I guess this must have been asked before - but does anyone have current info regarding where to buy legitimate Viagra in Bangkok, rather than the (possibly) fake stuff that is sold on stalls in Sukhumvit  Rd?

[FBN]

You would require a prescription and can then buy it from most Boots pharmacies.
Many pharmacies may sell without a prescription but this is not the legitimate option and you will again risk being given "fake" medication.

[Robert101]

FBN, on 2012-01-27 12:42:06, said:

You would require a prescription and can then buy it from most Boots pharmacies.
Many pharmacies may sell without a prescription but this is not the legitimate option and you will again risk being given "fake" medication.

Thanks for this..Apart from Hospitals are there any doctors clinics in the Sukhumvit area where such a prescription might be easily and inexpensively obtained?

[Sheryl]

It is not customary in Thailand, as  it is in the West, for doctors to write scripts for prescription-only drugs which are then filled at a pharmacy.

Usually prescription-only drugs are obtained at a hospital pharmacy, the same hospital where you consult the doctor.

Suggest you go to a medium sized private hospital - someplace like Phayathai 2 (near Victory monument) would be fine, see any doctor, and get the med there. You can also do this at Bumrungrad on Sukhumvit but would cost more both for the doc and the drug.

there are some exceptions especially among pharmacies located close to major hospitals but this is the norm.
In terms of cost, there is a locally made generic equivalent to Viagra called Elonza. When you see th doctor specifically ask for it.

[dsfbrit]

I thought you might find it useful to know the price I have paid for Viagra from the hospital pharmacy . I have to take Viagra to 'compensate' for the side effects of the daily medication I must take to control atrial fibrilation - an irregular heart beat.

My medication is Betaloc (metaprolol) and I take two 25mg tablets per day. Two heart specialists in separate hospitals have agreed this is the correct medication for me - so I have to take it.  They have willingly provided prescriptions for Viagra to compensate for the known side effect.

Price for 4 tablets when I last bought them at the hospital pharmacy was 3200 baht. Yes a mere 800 baht a tablet

If you think I am making this up - hey I could not believe it myself - i will willingly show you the receipt that I still have.

Needless to say, I have found other sources to acquire my medication.

As an aside, could someone please tell me if I can simply get a prescription from the doctor at the hospital, in this case it would be the International Hospital in Pattaya Soi 4 that I have never used before, and just walk out of the hospital with the prescription and use the prescription at a pharmacy outside. This would make it all completely legal if I were stopped by the police.

By the way I always keep a copy of the original receipt with me, in the same place as the Viagra tablets so I can show it to the police if asked, even though I have since (reluctantly) bought my Viagra from other sources - so maybe it was 3600 baht well spent after all???

Edited by dsfbrit, Yesterday, 07:44 .

[Sheryl]

dsfbrit, on Yesterday, 07:28 , said:

could someone please tell me if I can simply get a prescription from the doctor at the hospital, in this case it would be the International Hospital in Pattaya Soi 4 that I have never used before, and just walk out of the hospital with the prescription and use the prescription at a pharmacy outside. This would make it all completely legal if I were stopped by the police.

It is perfectly legit to do this but many pharmacies in Thailand do not have a system in place for filling prescriptions, odd as that may sound. The norm is people buy drugs that require no script at pharmacies and get prescription only drugs at hospital pharmacies. HOWEVER there are exceptions,  especially among  pharmacies located close to large government hospitals.  So by all means try. (Note: this does not apply in case of opiates, benzos etc -- they are in a more restricted class than Viagra and only hospital pharmacies can sell them, full stop).

Also, next time specifically request a script for Elonza (locally made, same stuff) rather than Viagra.

[dsfbrit]

Sheryl, thanks for the reply.

I have to see a doctor again soon for a regular check-up and I will discuss all this with him then. Just one question, I dont think I have ever actually had a prescription as such. After seeing the doctor, I was just taken to the hospital pharmacy where I bought the tablets.

If I get a prescription, can it be 'open' so that I can get Elonza  (yes I will ask for Elonza - thanks for that good advice!!), or is it just for one pack or whatever???

By the way, after reading your reply, I went into Pattaya to check out the price of Viagra and Elonza in Boots and a couple of other clinics/pharmacies that require prescriptions. (or say they do anyway!!).. The price of Viagra in Boots for 100 mg pack of 4 tablets was 2000 baht..

In the clinics the price for 100mg Viagra ranged from 2000-2200 baht and for Elonza around 1200 baht.

It may be cheaper in other pharrmacies, but I get the feeling that these prices are pretty common in the legal outlets in Pattaya.

I know ThaiVisa cannot discuss illegal purchases of Viagra (Elonza etc...), but at these prices you can see why people risk buying from  other sources that offer what is purported to be equivalent drugs at a fraction of the cost of the legal outlets.

Thanks again for the advice