What meds/personal care items are hard to find in India?

I seem to have seen a list like this before, if so then point me to it, otherwise I am wondering what OTC medicines and personal care items are hard to find in India. I have spent a lot of time in Nepal(5 trips) and in my experience it was very difficult finding these things, even in shops catering to foreigners in tourist areas:

Antiperspirant
Ladies' shave gel and shavers
Tampons
Simethicone(anti-gas tablets)
Pseudoephedrine(decongestant) - I could only find it combined with diphenhydramine, which puts me to sleep, so had to deal with clogged sinuses.
Hydrocortisone cream(anti-itch)

I am packing all of the above although the last 3 are on a just-in-case basis. If they are readily available in India unlike Nepal then maybe I won't bring them - hopefully I won't need them. I was told by a pharmacist that it is illegal to sell pure pseudoephedrine, so will probably be bringing some. Are there any other things which people have found difficult to buy in India? Flashlights? I was never able to find a decent quality flashlight in Nepal, despite daily load-shedding. My Petzl E-light is now my best friend - I even used it to find my bag in the lost luggage room at KTM airport during a blackout once.

Comparing Nepal with India. It seems U are not update with your GK about India

Havent Used flash lights for how many years I dont even remember.

India is cool, U will find everything all medicines and personal care items without any hinderance. U name it and U will get the same brand which U must be using in your country. U even wont need a prescription for any medicine. U should just know the proper name of the medicine. May be U will not get the sedative medicines if U ask for it on the counter but theres a way to get that too - send in the ward boy of the hotel, he will get it for you.

For any particular medicine just note down the salts and U will get it over any proper counter.

can you get ssri's over counter in India? Is it safe? cheap?

Antiperspirant: easy, any big general store/supermarket/chemist
Ladies' shave gel and shavers: easy, ditto
Tampons: no comment, since some say brand is the issue
Simethicone(anti-gas tablets): dunno this one, but gelusil and other antacids are easily available in liquid or tablet form at any chemist
Pseudoephedrine(decongestant) - I could only find it combined with diphenhydramine, which puts me to sleep, so had to deal with clogged sinuses. dunno
Hydrocortisone cream(anti-itch) easy, chemist.

All that said, I would try to stock up at big cities, since that will avoid your having to waste time and energy searching in smaller ones.

And taprico, please try to be useful without being abrasive, as in another thread too. (We reserve our poor manners for non travel related threads as far as possible out here )

Not quite helpful... I havent really seen flashlights in many stores, best to bring one you know is reliable - it will come in handy, especially during power cuts. Batteries are easy to come by but often not long-lasting.

Tampons. Bring Tampons. You will NOT find the same brand as in your country, in fact I didn't see one box of tampons (even off-or-no brands)! Bring as many as you are attached to using. Sanitary napkins readily available of course, but friends I met there (other female travelers) passed on tampons to each other when one of us left as if they were gold.
Bring them. But yes, India is cool.

capt_mahajan

And taprico, please try to be useful without being abrasive, as in another thread too. (We reserve our poor manners for non travel related threads as far as possible out here )

I am really sorry if I wrote anything hurting or stupid. My english is a bit poor so I couldnt get the exact meaning of the word abrasive. And as I have a habit of leg pulling which I cannot give up and wouldnt give up, I better dont post in the forum it seems good for all.

This being my last post as I started answering in this one. I would like to inform GIRIPRIYA that Torches are easily available in all stores as they are not in use now a days so the shopkeepers keep them hidden in the back of the store - Ask for EVEREDY brand of torches, they are good.

TAMPOONS are not at all common in India so U wont find them in big or small stores, but if U look for them near the girls hostel then U will surely find it there.

Simethicone(anti-gas tablets) - U can get the brands like DIGENE, GELUSIL MPS, and other tablets for gas are -- gasex, charcoal tablets, domperidome tablets, U ask your doctor for the brand and the salt --- U can get these in big and small medical stores without any prescription slip --- But U should know what U want.

Decongestants -- there are many which are free of diphenhydramine, also there are many ayurvedic decongestants availeble from cos like dabur, himalaya, charak pharma. which are as good as any other elopathic medicine.

Anti itch there are many ointments for the same U can have for both post and pre itch.

Keep this link on ur system will help U find the brand names in India - http://www.mims.com/Page.aspx?menuid...name=A&CTRY=IN

AND ONCE AGAIN I APPOLOGISE FOR MY BEHAVIOUR

BEST WISHES AND REGARDS TO ONE AND ALL
U can google my ID on the net -- I am not that bad by heart

Taprico... my only problem with your post is that U is spelt y-o-u . We generally don't like SMS abbreviations here. Please don't be put off. Misunderstandings happen on forums: nobody can see your expression when you hit "submit". It happens to all of us sometimes; we just take it in our stride.

So you might get an answer like this... If I buy pre-itch cream, how do I know where the mosquito will bite me?

That's just my attempt at humour: do not take offence!

The forum has a certain nature. Compared to many internet places, it is quite easygoing! Do please stick around

On the practical issue... It is a very comforting thing to have the familiar smells of soaps and deodorants, etc, when travelling, and, for that reason, it is a good idea to bring some with you --- even though they are available here.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I only gave my experience in Nepal to go on because so much is imported from India north of the border(medicines, hygiene items, etc.) that I thought maybe what is available in Nepal is the same as in India.

Another thing - last year during the H1N1 epidemic we went to every medical supply shop in KTM it seemed looking for N95 masks - DH was petrified of catching the flu on the flight back to JFK - no luck finding any sort of mask that would be effective against viruses. Those little fabric masks which may help somewhat against pollution were THE dominant fashion statement for Summer '09 in Kathmandu though - got a few in different colors to match my SKs

It's good I like Dabur Red toothpaste, Chandrika soap etc. - I always stock up on that in Nepal. I also stock up on Flomist allergy nasal spray - it goes by the name Flonase in the US and is available by prescription only here. It's the only thing that works for my chronic, all-season allergies. If I buy it in the US I pay a $10 copay per 6-week dose(without insurance it is $$$) but in Nepal IIRC it was under 350 NRs so about 5 bucks. It is imported from India so I imagine it will be even cheaper there.

My first post here and it's about tampons, of all things: you can get OB tampons in India but I haven't seen Tampax (or any other tampons with applicator). They're not available absolutely everywhere but try supermarkets in big cities (such as the Nilgiri's chain in South India, they stock OB). Most other meds, personal care items etc. you can get over the counter from pharmacies.

Welcome to IndiaMike.

I haven't seen applicator tampons either, but really I don't see what all the fuss is about. Instead of fighting India and going to all the hassle of humping six months worth of tampons around with them, why on earth don't women buy some non-applicator tampons back home and simply get used to using them before they go to India.

Despite not having made any personal research into this matter, I would nevertheless put very good money on the fact that Indian women are physically identical to westerners in these bits. If they can use non-applicator tampons, so can westerners, and lets face it, it's not exactly rocket science!

It's not as if it's hard to find somewhere to wash your hands, Indian have clean habits, and even roadside dhabas have running water for washing.

I never even once saw OB non-applicator tampons in 6 months. And trust me I looked. Rare to find anywhere except for big cities I think, I was living in more suburban areas. (outside Cochin and in Mysore)

I am also curious about this. Anyone know?

I brought 4 months supply of OB's with me thinking I wouldn't be able to find tampons in India during my 3 month stay.I ended up staying an additional 2 months during which time I was able to find supplies of OB's in a quite a few areas frequented by Westerners. Often they are kept at the front counter and you have to ask for them, but they are definitely available.

It's helpful to carry a packet of moist towelettes as a cleanliness backup and a days supply of TP in the pocket or backpack.

I try to carry "travel sizes" of my favorite deodorant and toothpaste; I can discard the empty containers as I go along and lighten my bag a bit. You can buy these at Target in the US (and many other stores) for a dollar or so.