Pharmacies
What you can buy here that you cannot at home
Thai pharmacies do far more than hand over boxes. The pharmacist will listen to your symptoms, recommend something, and sell it to you directly — no appointment, no prescription, no wait. For minor problems it is the sensible first stop.
What is different
- Much more is available over the counter than in Europe or North America, including many antibiotics and medicines that would need a prescription at home.
- It is cheap — often a fraction of what the same drug costs elsewhere.
- Pharmacists are well trained and usually speak enough English for the conversation.
- Generics are the norm, and are the same drug under a different name.
Easy access is not the same as good advice. Buying antibiotics over the counter for something viral does nothing for you and contributes to a serious global problem. If you would have seen a doctor at home, see one here — it is quick and inexpensive. Use a pharmacy for the things you would have self-treated anyway.
Worth having in the villa
- Rehydration sachets — for heat, for a stomach upset, and for a hangover. The single most useful thing on this list.
- Paracetamol, and an anti-inflammatory if you take them
- Antihistamine — for bites, heat rash and unfamiliar plants
- Antiseptic cream and plasters — small cuts infect quickly in this humidity, so clean and cover them properly
- Anti-diarrhoeal, and something for indigestion
- Aloe vera gel, kept in the fridge — see Sun & UV Protection
- Mosquito repellent with DEET or picaridin — see Mosquitoes & Dengue
Bringing your own medication
- Bring enough for the trip, in the original labelled packaging, with a copy of the prescription or a doctor's letter.
- Check before you travel if you take anything controlled — some medicines that are routine elsewhere, including certain strong painkillers and ADHD medications, are restricted or prohibited in Thailand, and the consequences are serious rather than administrative.
- Know the generic name, not just the brand. Brand names differ by country and the generic is what a pharmacist here will recognise.
- Do not leave anything in a hot car. Heat destroys a lot of medication, insulin especially.
Finding one
Pharmacies are everywhere in Hua Hin, including inside the malls, and the international chains keep long hours. For anything at three in the morning, the private hospitals dispense around the clock — see Hospitals & Emergencies.