Pharmacy with a Prescription

One of my compatriots has been coughing a little bit since I arrived. Nothing too extreme, but you can tell that it has been nagging at her a bit. Apparently the doctors in the US gave her a course of antibiotics and it didn't completely clear up the pulmonary issue.

After learning about how the local healthcare system works... I thought I would give it a try.

There's a pharmacy by the old market called "Ucare" that stocks foreign drugs. You can get anything from Listerine branded mouthwash made in Thailand (which I picked up) to generic Viagra from India (we had a good laugh and some conversation after seeing that stocked as an "impulse purchase" at the counter). They sell everything without a prescription. You ask, they sell.

We picked up some expectorant and antibiotic. Not your run-of-the-mill stuff either. I asked for azithromycin (aka Zithromax) and they had many different options. These were French, and checked out as legit. Total price: $13. Yes, for both together.

It's one thing to have a fair amount of education in drug dosage, counter-indications, and the ability to verify medications via Internet search. We're probably in good shape. Based on my interviews so far, I suspect that many local people will not finish their course of medicine or just plain get the wrong thing. Again, Education is the answer.