Pharmacy Question

alpine · Mar 11th, 2008, 22:27

Does anyone know if the following medications are available without prescription in Indian pharmacies?

Berberine Hydrochloride
Quinacrine

These are the generic names, not brand names.

If someone here is about to visit a pharmacy in India, could you please inquire about the availability of these medications?

Thank you!

the opoponax · Mar 11th, 2008, 23:14

My understanding with regard to prescription vs. without prescription is that the only things that will require a written scrip from a doctor are drugs that are commonly abused. And of course I have no idea how consistent that is. I just remember seeing signs in certain areas to that effect -- "We will not dispense addictive drugs without a doctor's prescription", or the equivalent in Very Important Official Indian English and a few other languages for good measure.

Regarding those specific drugs, no idea, sorry. Though when I got sick with a typical traveler's ailment I had no problem getting what I needed*.

*which I then never used because it blew over the next day and never came back. Which is a lesson to everyone not to overreact and assume you have dysentery when you probably have that same 48 hour stomach bug that was going around back home before you left.

SFtoBLR · Mar 21st, 2008, 11:35

We are moving to Bangelore for a year, and between us there are several prescriptions we'll need to bring. Would bringing a year's worth be possible or make sense? I assume most, if nuot all meds can be bought there if need be, would Rx's from US MD's be accepted? If not, can someone here refill them and ship?

The one I'm mainly worried about is vicodin, I take about 100/mo, would 1200 tabs, even w/a legit prescription, get me tossed in jail? (I read the post from the guy wanting to bring back to the US ritalin and vicodin - please don't think I'm asking for the same reasons!)

Thanks,
Lisa

Nick-H · Mar 21st, 2008, 13:23

You can get most common drugs here. You can also find doctors to prescribe them for you.

Even if the employer does not arrange health insurance, you will still be able to easily afford the best doctors in the best private hospitals.

SFtoBLR · Mar 21st, 2008, 14:18

Our son will be staying in the US, so it's looking like we'll keep our coverage here and have additional there. I know good care is available there, not worried about that at all. The main reasons we'd be bringing it all from home is 1. w/our coverage they'll cost just $1/mo each, and 2. avoiding any potential hassle involved in finding pharmacies or MD's.

Main concern is the legality issue.

Thanks,
Lisa

dzibead · Mar 21st, 2008, 14:39

I'm pretty sure berberine hydrochloride is available because I believe there are Indian manufacturers, but I don't know if a prescription is required. I think quinacrine is banned and you can't even import it because even though it is a malaria medicine, it was also used for female sterilization and it was considered unsafe.

dhans · Mar 21st, 2008, 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFtoBLR

We are moving to Bangelore for a year, and between us there are several prescriptions we'll need to bring. Would bringing a year's worth be possible or make sense?

Bangalore University Hospital has an excellent pharmacy (read our 2006 report) and given the number of expats in Bangalore, you'll have no problems. They understand and accept western supplied recipes, but you don't really need them.

Hans

Nick-H · Mar 21st, 2008, 16:58

If you were a visitor for a week or a month, I'd say, yes, fine, bring a heap of this kind of stuff.

As you are going to be be here a while:

SFtoBLR;

There is a pharmacy on just about every street. Doctors surgeries are only a little less common and private hospitals are easy to find.

What's more, as you you going to be having a home here, you will know your local shops within the first week.

This is the kind of worry that you need to get over if your life here is going to be bearable, let alone enjoyable! Try to think that you are moving home, even if just for a limited time.

A snippet from my past... There is a huge difference between living in a hotel or guest house and living in your own place. Before moving myself here permanently, I came for six months.

To break myself in, and because the landlady was decorating the flat I had arranged, I stayed in a guest house that I had spent five weeks in the previous year.

I absolutely expected that shopping would be my biggest challenge. How do you buy eggs if you have no idea what the local-language word is for eggs? Reality: There are supermarkets, albeit tiny compared to what we are used to, you just pick up what you want from the shelves and at least some of the staff will speak English.

Pharmacists here are not, I don't thin, trained like our pharmacists, but among the small-shop people, they are probably among the most educated, and I find they usually speak English. If I need directions, I'd choose the pharmacy, rather than the teashop to ask!

I bring my insect-bite creams from UK, prescription medicines I wouldn't bother about. In fact I once got my wife to post me some antibiotics to UK (probably illegal, but hey!).

Aishah · Mar 21st, 2008, 17:20

Quite right Nick - in fact I take my asthma medication, glucosamine tabs. for slight joint problems, from here to Oz or NZ. First they are perfectly effective and fine, and secondly they are much cheaper! I think bring a small supply with you, and then match it up with what's available here. I certainly wouldn't be bringing a year's supply.

Daydream Believer · Mar 21st, 2008, 17:42

I've always found I could buy anything I wanted (and a whole lot of stuff I didn't want) over the counter. This includes anything that would be controlled on prescription in the UK. English is usually spoken, although don't rely on the kind of medical advice you get in the UK or (I assume) the States.

I've had all manner of pills and potions recommended to me which were not the right ones for the job - a case of very friendly staff really wanting to help, but not really knowing what the solution to my ailment was. Kind of like asking directions in the street - you'll get given very clear confident directions, even if the person giving them has no idea where the place you want to get to is.

Best thing is to have what you want written down (including generic names) either from your own USA prescription, or from one of the (very good) private doctors in India.

Edit: Agree with Nick - The one thing I would bring is strong insect repellant & cream for if you do get bitten. The stuff I could usually find there was good enough for me (mossies don't like me much), but nowhere good enough to keep them away from Mr DB's tasty body.

______________

Slightly OT - back in London now, and was very sick for 3 weeks. Medicines and painkillers from the doctor weren't cutting it, so I ended up having to go to the hospital's walk in clinic. The doctor I saw was a middle aged Indian, who was absolutely delighted to know we'd been to India & also that we had bought valium over the counter.

He then wanted to know every single place me and the other half had ever been to (I've spent a total of 7 months there, and a my partner has spent a similar amount), what we thought of every place, how we travelled around, what we thought of the people etc etc et.

Bear in mind I had hardly slept for 3 weeks (despite the valium) and was in so much pain I could hardly keep in the chair. Never mind, we answered all his questions, and he was very sweet.

He then said "Well, if you've been to India [the land of being able to buy ANYTHING you want over the counter], we're going to do this a slightly different way".

He went to his medical cabinet & got me the most hard core painkillers I've ever had, so I could take one there and then. I got a prescription for heaps more of them, and various other things.

I went home, took the pills, slept for three days pretty much solid, and was completely better a couple of days afterwards. Hooray!

We also had to promise we'd visit him in his hospital in Bombay when he's back. Such typical Indian friendliness.

dhans · Mar 21st, 2008, 17:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydream Believer

.... The doctor I saw was a middle aged Indian ......

Serendipity is the ability to find things you were not looking for

.

Hans

Nick-H · Mar 21st, 2008, 17:56

I found myself a middle aged Indian

She isn't a doctor though

Daydream Believer · Mar 21st, 2008, 18:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhans

Serendipity is the ability to find things you were not looking for

.

Absolutely! And not only did he cure me completely, he also went part way to making Mr DB (who hates hospitals with a passion) slightly more comfortable at the thought of ever going back.

the opoponax · Mar 21st, 2008, 21:07

Quote:

but among the small-shop people, they are probably among the most educated, and I find they usually speak English. If I need directions, I'd choose the pharmacy, rather than the teashop to ask!

Yep! This was one of my first survival tactics, in terms of language issues. If you're in the middle of a small non-touristy city and need someone who speaks English, find the nearest pharmacy.

Regarding Daydream Believer's comment - that happened to me, too. I had a cough and sore throat (frickin' pollution!). I went to the pharmacist thinking I'd come back with cough syrup, losenges, something like that. The guy handed me some pills, which were ripped off the larger pack such that I couldn't clearly read the label at first. Turns out they were decongestants, totally unrelated to my needs of course. I think he thought I had a head cold or something.

The pharmacy in my neighborhood at home is run by a Bengali family, and they run it as close to the Indian model as is possible here. It's one of my favorite things about living in this area.

Oh, and one more thing -- while insect repellant is widely available at any pharmacy (ask for Odomos), things like hydrocortisone might be harder to find. I happened to bring it from home, so I didn't get the opportunity to find out when I had my little 'ants in the pants' problem.

Nick-H · Mar 21st, 2008, 22:11

Antihystamine cream is what I find tough to find!

Tablets are easy, and I take one when I have enough bites to itch all over.

As well as antihystamine, I use a local-anaesthetic cream from UK called Lanacane. The nearest I can get here is the stuff dentists use to numb the gum. Anyway, I was trying to find this at a pharmacist one day; he got his big book out, flipped through it, showed me an entry and said, is this what you want? It was a [i]general[i] anaesthetic!

Mar 11th, 2008, 22:27	#1
alpine Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: California Posts: 20	Pharmacy Question Does anyone know if the following medications are available without prescription in Indian pharmacies? Berberine Hydrochloride Quinacrine These are the generic names, not brand names. If someone here is about to visit a pharmacy in India, could you please inquire about the availability of these medications? Thank you!

Mar 21st, 2008, 11:35	#3
SFtoBLR Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 47	another question.... We are moving to Bangelore for a year, and between us there are several prescriptions we'll need to bring. Would bringing a year's worth be possible or make sense? I assume most, if nuot all meds can be bought there if need be, would Rx's from US MD's be accepted? If not, can someone here refill them and ship? The one I'm mainly worried about is vicodin, I take about 100/mo, would 1200 tabs, even w/a legit prescription, get me tossed in jail? (I read the post from the guy wanting to bring back to the US ritalin and vicodin - please don't think I'm asking for the same reasons!) Thanks, Lisa

Mar 21st, 2008, 13:23	#4
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	You can get most common drugs here. You can also find doctors to prescribe them for you. Even if the employer does not arrange health insurance, you will still be able to easily afford the best doctors in the best private hospitals. __________________ . IndiaMike Mod Team (The Grumpy One)

Mar 21st, 2008, 17:20	#9
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 3,652	Quite right Nick - in fact I take my asthma medication, glucosamine tabs. for slight joint problems, from here to Oz or NZ. First they are perfectly effective and fine, and secondly they are much cheaper! I think bring a small supply with you, and then match it up with what's available here. I certainly wouldn't be bringing a year's supply. __________________ "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

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Mar 11th, 2008, 23:14	#2
the opoponax Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brooklyn, via New Orleans Posts: 1,054	My understanding with regard to prescription vs. without prescription is that the only things that will require a written scrip from a doctor are drugs that are commonly abused. And of course I have no idea how consistent that is. I just remember seeing signs in certain areas to that effect -- "We will not dispense addictive drugs without a doctor's prescription", or the equivalent in Very Important Official Indian English and a few other languages for good measure. Regarding those specific drugs, no idea, sorry. Though when I got sick with a typical traveler's ailment I had no problem getting what I needed. which I then never used because it blew over the next day and never came back. Which is a lesson to everyone not to overreact and assume you have dysentery when you probably have that same 48 hour stomach bug that was going around back home before you left.

Mar 21st, 2008, 14:18	#5
SFtoBLR Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 47	Our son will be staying in the US, so it's looking like we'll keep our coverage here and have additional there. I know good care is available there, not worried about that at all. The main reasons we'd be bringing it all from home is 1. w/our coverage they'll cost just $1/mo each, and 2. avoiding any potential hassle involved in finding pharmacies or MD's. Main concern is the legality issue. Thanks, Lisa

Mar 21st, 2008, 14:39	#6
dzibead Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,884	I'm pretty sure berberine hydrochloride is available because I believe there are Indian manufacturers, but I don't know if a prescription is required. I think quinacrine is banned and you can't even import it because even though it is a malaria medicine, it was also used for female sterilization and it was considered unsafe.

Mar 21st, 2008, 16:58	#8
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	If you were a visitor for a week or a month, I'd say, yes, fine, bring a heap of this kind of stuff. As you are going to be be here a while: SFtoBLR; There is a pharmacy on just about every street. Doctors surgeries are only a little less common and private hospitals are easy to find. What's more, as you you going to be having a home here, you will know your local shops within the first week. This is the kind of worry that you need to get over if your life here is going to be bearable, let alone enjoyable! Try to think that you are moving home, even if just for a limited time. A snippet from my past... There is a huge difference between living in a hotel or guest house and living in your own place. Before moving myself here permanently, I came for six months. To break myself in, and because the landlady was decorating the flat I had arranged, I stayed in a guest house that I had spent five weeks in the previous year. I absolutely expected that shopping would be my biggest challenge. How do you buy eggs if you have no idea what the local-language word is for eggs? Reality: There are supermarkets, albeit tiny compared to what we are used to, you just pick up what you want from the shelves and at least some of the staff will speak English. Pharmacists here are not, I don't thin, trained like our pharmacists, but among the small-shop people, they are probably among the most educated, and I find they usually speak English. If I need directions, I'd choose the pharmacy, rather than the teashop to ask! I bring my insect-bite creams from UK, prescription medicines I wouldn't bother about. In fact I once got my wife to post me some antibiotics to UK (probably illegal, but hey!).

Mar 21st, 2008, 17:42	#10
Daydream Believer Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London Posts: 90	I've always found I could buy anything I wanted (and a whole lot of stuff I didn't want) over the counter. This includes anything that would be controlled on prescription in the UK. English is usually spoken, although don't rely on the kind of medical advice you get in the UK or (I assume) the States. I've had all manner of pills and potions recommended to me which were not the right ones for the job - a case of very friendly staff really wanting to help, but not really knowing what the solution to my ailment was. Kind of like asking directions in the street - you'll get given very clear confident directions, even if the person giving them has no idea where the place you want to get to is. Best thing is to have what you want written down (including generic names) either from your own USA prescription, or from one of the (very good) private doctors in India. Edit: Agree with Nick - The one thing I would bring is strong insect repellant & cream for if you do get bitten. The stuff I could usually find there was good enough for me (mossies don't like me much), but nowhere good enough to keep them away from Mr DB's tasty body. ______________ Slightly OT - back in London now, and was very sick for 3 weeks. Medicines and painkillers from the doctor weren't cutting it, so I ended up having to go to the hospital's walk in clinic. The doctor I saw was a middle aged Indian, who was absolutely delighted to know we'd been to India & also that we had bought valium over the counter. He then wanted to know every single place me and the other half had ever been to (I've spent a total of 7 months there, and a my partner has spent a similar amount), what we thought of every place, how we travelled around, what we thought of the people etc etc et. Bear in mind I had hardly slept for 3 weeks (despite the valium) and was in so much pain I could hardly keep in the chair. Never mind, we answered all his questions, and he was very sweet. He then said "Well, if you've been to India [the land of being able to buy ANYTHING you want over the counter], we're going to do this a slightly different way". He went to his medical cabinet & got me the most hard core painkillers I've ever had, so I could take one there and then. I got a prescription for heaps more of them, and various other things. I went home, took the pills, slept for three days pretty much solid, and was completely better a couple of days afterwards. Hooray! We also had to promise we'd visit him in his hospital in Bombay when he's back. Such typical Indian friendliness.

Mar 21st, 2008, 17:56	#12
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	I found myself a middle aged Indian She isn't a doctor though

Mar 21st, 2008, 22:11	#15
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	Antihystamine cream is what I find tough to find! Tablets are easy, and I take one when I have enough bites to itch all over. As well as antihystamine, I use a local-anaesthetic cream from UK called Lanacane. The nearest I can get here is the stuff dentists use to numb the gum. Anyway, I was trying to find this at a pharmacist one day; he got his big book out, flipped through it, showed me an entry and said, is this what you want? It was a [i]general[i] anaesthetic!

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