Pharmacies, Prescriptions and Bringing Medicine into Phuket

Using pharmacies in Phuket

• Pharmacies and supermarkets sell many everyday medicines, such as pain relief, allergy tablets and stomach remedies, without a prescription. Staff, often a pharmacist or nurse, can recommend products.
• Controlled narcotic and psychotropic medicines need a prescription from a licensed Thai doctor, and some pharmacies refuse to sell certain drugs without one.
• Use licensed pharmacies and well-known chains. Counterfeit and mislabelled medicines exist, especially from unlicensed sellers.
• Many medicines that need a prescription at home can be bought over the counter here, but do not self-medicate for serious or long-term problems.

Bringing your own medicine into Thailand

• Ordinary prescription medicines for personal use should be in the original packaging, with a prescription or doctor's letter, and for no more than about 30 days of use. Longer supplies may need extra paperwork, so check.
• Narcotics and psychotropic medicines are controlled. The Thai FDA says some are completely prohibited, and others, such as certain strong painkillers like codeine-based medicines, need a permit.
• For medicines that need a permit, the Thai FDA and Thai embassies advise applying online in advance, at least two weeks before you arrive, through the FDA's permit site for travellers. You carry the permit and a doctor's certificate that gives your name and address, the condition being treated and the doctor's details.
• You are generally told you do not need to declare ordinary prescription medicine at customs, but keep the documents with you in case you are stopped.

Penalties for bringing in prohibited or unpermitted controlled drugs can be severe, so do not guess. Read the official guidance and check each medicine by its active ingredient, not only the brand name.

Keeping a long-term prescription going

• Ask your home doctor for a letter with the diagnosis, the generic names and the dose.
• Many long-term medicines are available in Thailand, often under a different brand, and the cost can be low. Bring the box and the generic name to a pharmacy or a hospital pharmacy.
• For chronic conditions, a Thai doctor can write a local prescription and monitor you, and the health and insurance guide explains hospitals and insurers.
• Do not rely on posting medicine to Thailand. Parcels may be stopped at customs, and the online shopping guide covers the risks of ordering from abroad.

Some guides quote everyday medicines such as blood pressure tablets at a few hundred baht a month, and these depend on the brand and the hospital.

Travelling with medicine out of Thailand

The same controlled drug rules apply when you leave, and other countries have their own rules. Check the rules for the countries you will pass through and arrive in, and keep the prescription and letter with the medicine in your hand luggage.

Vaccines and travel health clinics are also available in Phuket, and a dentist can handle routine care, as in the dentists guide.

If something goes wrong

• For an overdose, a bad reaction or poisoning, call 1669 or go to an emergency department.
• The poison control line listed in the emergencies guide can give advice.
• If your medicine is seized or you are questioned by the police or customs, stay calm, show the paperwork and ask for your embassy. The legal help guide explains how to find a lawyer.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines.