Medication & Prescription Drugs

Unlike in Singapore, where practically anything stronger than paracetemol requires a doctor’s prescription (and often with an expensive consultation as well in the process) before it can be purchased at the pharmacy, it is much easier to buy drugs and pharmaceuticals over the counter in Thailand. In Thailand, a person who is feeling unwell will usually make the pharmacy his first port of call. Only if self-medication does not work would he go to the clinic or the hospital.

(Note: in Singapore, besides their consultation fees, doctors make money from selling medicine as well as they usually stock them in their clinics. This is one of the reasons why medicine in Singapore is expensive).

Pharmacies

A pharmacy is known as ‘raan khai yaa’, which means ‘shop that sells medicine’. Except in the rural areas, you can find a pharmacy in practically every shopping mall or in the neighbourhood all over Thailand. Pharmacies in shopping malls include Boots, Watsons, and independent stores while those in the neighbourhood have a mom-and-pop setup.

Store Setup

Most pharmacies in Thailand look the same; a glass enclosed store front, glass counters in the store, and glass cabinets (or shelves) on the walls. The sign used to indicate the pharmacy is placed outside the store and is usually depicted with:

• The word for medicine written in Thai (see pic).
• A white background with a cross in another colour (e.g. red, blue, green etc).

The Pharmacist

Most, if not all, of the pharmacists in the shopping malls speak English and will be able to give you advice on the medication that you need or are looking for. Those in the neighbourhood stores typically cannot speak English. Though they may know the names of the various drugs, the differences in the way Thais and other English speakers pronounce these names often make it hard for them to understand what you are looking for. Therefore, it is often helpful to show them a picture of the drug you need on your phone.

Medications Available

The types of medicine that you can buy over the counter include:

Antibiotics

In Singapore, antibiotics have to be prescribed by the doctor and cannot be bought at a pharmacy. In Thailand, you can buy several types of antibiotics over the counter, e.g. erythromycin, amoxicillin, doxycycline etc.

Antibiotics are known as ‘yaa khaa cheua’ in Thai, meaning ‘bacteria killing medicine’. Many uninformed Thais think that antibiotics are a cure all for various ailments; for example, if you have a sore throat – take antibiotics. If you have diarrhoea – take antibiotics. This can be dangerous as such misuse can create bacterial resistance to antibiotics in our bodies.

Birth Control Pills

Again, in Singapore, birth control pills have to be prescribed by a doctor. In Thailand, you can buy various brands of birth control pills, both local international, at the pharmacy. A month’s supply will cost you roughly just a few hundred baht.

Cough & Cold Medicines

You can buy paracetemol marketed under various Thai brands (e.g. Sara, Tiffy etc) and Decolgen for colds.

Various Ointments & Creams

You can get a wide range of these, from antihistamines to steroid creams.

Brand Name Drugs vs Generics

The generics of many well-known drugs can be bought in Thailand. They are marketed under different brand names here and are usually much cheaper than the brand name drugs - due to government price controls and the fact that  many are produced locally (possible due to expired patents).

You can find out the name of these generics with a little research online. Storing a picture of it in your phone for showing it to the pharmacist will make it easier for him to find you what you are looking for.

Other Sources

If you cannot find what you want outside, you can go to the doctor at a hospital for a prescription as or try the pharmacies located there. But note that drugs prices here are usually higher as compared to outside stores and it is common for them to provide only brand name medications.

Drugs Safety and Efficacy

Generally, drugs in Thailand are genuine and will work as they should. This is true even if you had purchased them from the small neighbourhood shops.  However, complaints about fake drugs or inefficacious drugs sometimes do occur but could be partly due to improper storage of the drugs (i.e. not storing them in a cool, dry place, exposing them to heat and humidity), causing them to spoil or deteriorate.

If you are concerned about drug safety, buy only from the well-known pharmacies or those located in the shopping malls. Be sure to check the expiry date of the drugs and store the medication (especially ointments and creams) in the refrigerator if necessary.

Controlled Drugs

While you can get a wide range of drugs at the pharmacy, certain drugs that are considered dangerous, e.g. morphine, are regulated more strictly and may be more difficult to find here.

Thailand takes a hardline stance on drugs. Contrary to what many people think, you cannot buy your way out of every trouble in Thailand; not every policeman can be bought (you might even end up with a bribery charge against you in the process), or they may simply take your money and put you away anyway. Many foreigners have been put in prison for drug trafficking and even for recreational drug use. So do not abuse drugs and stay far away from people and places that you know drugs are present.

If you have a condition that requires you to take controlled medication, make sure that you have the original prescription bottle and doctor’s prescription/documentation with you when you are travelling abroad. Having these on hand will save you a lot of trouble with government officials should they find these controlled drugs on you and they start asking questions.

Car Parking in Thailand

In Thailand, especially in the cities, parking spaces can be difficult to find due to the large number of cars here, so much so that you can see indiscriminate parking practically everywhere. Because of this, many people have the impression that there are no parking regulations in Thailand. However, the fact is, there are parking regulations here, just that as they are seldom enforced, many people think they do not exist.

Parking Regulations

To know whether you can park at a certain spot, take note of the painted markings on the kerb or on the road:

• A kerb painted with red and white markings means no parking at all times (see pic).
• A kerb painted with yellow and white markings means no parking is allowed but you can stop for a while to load/unload goods or to pick up/drop off passengers.
• White rectangles painted on the road indicate designated parking spots (see pic), subject to time constraints indicated on signs nearby (note: these signs may not be in English).
• Smaller white rectangles painted on the road indicate designated parking spots for motorcycles (see pic), again, subject to time constraints indicated on the signs.

Be careful when parking outside shops and businesses as many Thais do not take kindly to non-customers parking there, even though the area outside is often common property. Be prepared to get a stink eye from the owner of the establishment if you choose to do so.

Penalties

If you park in the wrong place or exceed the time allowed, you may get fined with a parking ticket. You will need to pay the fine at the police station. Take note that the police have been known to wheel clamp illegally parked vehicles. Only when the fine is paid will the police remove the clamp.

Parking Charges

One great thing about Thailand is that many places, including shopping centres, offer free parking. Contrast this to Singapore, where roadside parking costs about SGD 1.00 (about 25 baht) per hour and a typical shopping centre may charge about SGD 1.20 (about 30 baht) per hour for daytime parking and SGD 2.14 (about 53 baht) per entry after 6pm.

Some places, such as private property spaces converted into parking areas, may charge a small fee for parking, from 10 to 20 baht or more. They are usually located near busy places such as nightspots and markets and are indicated using simple signs painted in Thai or English. The charge can be on a flat fee or time based basis. For flat fee parking, the payment will usually be collected from you when you alight from your car. For time based parking, instead of collecting payment upfront, they will give you a slip with your entry time written on it and you will have to make payment just before you leave.

Special Parking

Cars are usually ‘double parked’ (i.e. side by side) in Thailand. However, when the lots allotted for double parking are full, motorists that come after will usually parallel park in front of the double parked ones so as to maximise space. These parallel parked cars will have their gear stick in neutral so that the driver of a double parked car can then push the parallel parked ones in front of his car out of the way when he wants to exit the lot.

This system only works on flat land, not on slopes. And though it might seem rather chaotic and dangerous to some, it is actually rather efficient and works well as everyone knows what they are doing.

Petrol Prices

Car prices in Singapore are among the highest, if not the highest, in the world. Adding to the woes of motorists here are high petrol prices – so much so that some civic minded individuals have taken it upon themselves to monitor the changes in pump prices over the years and make the information available to everyone. Some of these sites include:

• http://www.chenlim.com/fuel/
• http://www.cozylittlehaven.net/petrolsg/
• https://www.facebook.com/PetrolWatchSingapore/

Crude Oil Prices vs Petrol Prices

Contrary to what some people think, a reduction in crude oil prices does not result in a reduction in petrol prices by the same percentage. This is because crude oil is a raw material and petrol is just one of its by-products, and petrol prices are also affected by other factors such as:

• Refining costs
• Marketing costs
• Shipping & distribution costs
• Corporate profits
• Government taxes.
• Demand & supply
• Oil contracts & futures

As a guideline, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has estimated that crude oil prices make up 71% of the price of petrol.

Quick to Go Up, Slow to Come Down

People have noticed that petrol companies are quick to match price increases whenever oil prices surge and slow to reduce prices whenever oil prices dip. At the time of this post, even though oil prices have gone below USD 30 a barrel for the first time in the past 12 years (and prices are expected to go even lower), motorists in Singapore have not seen really significant reductions in petrol prices even though crude oil prices have tumbled over the years.

For example, crude oil prices were trading at an average of over USD 100 per barrel in 2011 and less than USD 30 in 2016. But in the chart above, you can see that Caltex 95 was going for SGD 2.07/litre in 2011 and SGD 1.91/litre in 2016.

Ease of Comparison

Most of Thailand’s petrol stations have a giant billboard at their entrances that shows the current prices of the different grades of petrol. This allows motorists to compare prices across different pump stations easily, even if they are speeding along at 80km/h.

Few of Singapore’s petrol stations have this billboard at their entrances. The only ways a motorist can get information on current petrol prices is to go online in advance or drive into a petrol station and ask.

Confusing Petrol Prices – Singapore

Unlike in Thailand, where what you see is what you get when it comes to petrol prices, you will probably need a Phd in rocket science in order to calculate the final price for your petrol in Singapore. This is because, depending on which credit card and loyalty card you use as well as how much petrol you pump at each station, you can get discounts of up to 20% off the initial price. This complicates matters as the station with the cheapest stated price may not be the cheapest when you factor in all of these aspects.

So if you go to a station where you do not have their preferred credit card or loyalty card, tough luck, you will have to pay more for you petrol and the petrol company gets to make extra money off you.

Singapore vs Thailand

For an idea of how expensive petrol in Singapore is, Caltex 95 is currently going for SGD 1.91/litre (THB 47.75) in Singapore and THB 23.50 in Thailand. Even if you apply the maximum discount of 20% on the Singapore price, it will come to 38.20 which is still 62.6% higher than the price in Thailand.

Assuming the refining costs, marketing and distribution costs etc, are similar for both countries, where do the additional 62.6% profits go to?

Pretty Lady to Pour You a Drink?

Known as ‘dek cheer beer’ in Thai, these lovely beer promoters can be seen in restaurants, beer gardens, pubs, and other nightspots all over Thailand. Based on the premise that pretty girls in short skirts sell more beer (apparently men are this shallow!), these lovely ladies are usually young, pretty, and are clad in a dress that bears the colours and brand of the beer they are promoting (and the dress is usually tight enough to show off their slim figure and short enough to show off their long slender legs). Unlike in Singapore, where middle-aged beer promoters are common, you will not find middle-aged promoters in Thailand.

There can be one or more beer promoters, all promoting the same brand or each promoting a different one, in an establishment, depending on how big it is. They will usually talk to you if you engage them in conversation and sometimes, if competition is stiff, they might even flirt and tease a little to get you to buy their beer or to get you to buy more.

Their job scope is rather straightforward: They take your order, bring the beer to you, pour it into a glass, and then refill your glasses with ice or beer thereafter. All you have to do is to keep chugging and they will keep pouring, which is really great. They are also a great help to restaurants as they free the waiters and waitresses from having to refill beer glasses, leaving them with time to work on other things.

While it seems simple, a beer promoter’s job is not easy. They sometimes have to fend off aggressive drunks as well as those who try to take advantage of them. They may even meet stalkers who try to follow them home. Also, contrary to what some people think, they are not prostitutes and do not sleep with customers for money although some will date customers if they like them.

Beers in Thailand

Thailand is hot and humid and drinking beer is one of the best ways to beat the heat.  Thai beers are typically lagers and you can get them easily at grocery stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, pubs/bars/discos, and restaurants. Beer sizes include:

• Small can (330ml).
• Small bottle (330ml).
• Medium can (500ml, available only for certain brands).
• Large bottle (640ml).

As beer warms rapidly in the hot weather, many Thais put ice in their beer. Thai restaurants typically serve you the beer with ice in the glass or in an ice bucket.

Top Beers

Here are some of the most commonly drunk beers.

• Brand: Singha
• Alcohol content: 5% (was 6% before 2007)
• Brewed by: Boon Rawd Brewery

This is probably the most well-known Thai beer as it has been around since the 1930s and has been exported to many countries. It is regarded as a premium beer so it is slightly more expensive (usually about 10 baht more) than the other Thai beers. Nearly all pubs and restaurants stock Singha beer.

The image on the beer label is of the Singha, a powerful mythological lion that is found in ancient Hindu and Thai stories. Incidentally, the word ‘Singha’ in Thai, is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Simha, which means ‘Lion’. Thais do not pronounce the ‘ha’ at the end of the name so they usually call it ‘beer Sing’.

A light version, Singha Light, with 3.5% alcohol content is available as well.

• Brand: Chang
• Alcohol content: 4.2 % to 6.4%
• Brewed by: Thai Beverages

The word ‘Chang’ in Thai means elephant and the image on the beer label depicts two elephants facing each other. It is Thailand’s best selling beer and there are four types of Chang beer available:

• Classic 6.4% ABV
• Draught 5% ABV
• Light 4.2% ABV
• Export 5% ABV

A thing to note is that the fancy name Chang Export does not mean that the beer is produced for export to another country. Chang Export is produced using 100% malt, so technically, it is malt liquor and not beer.

Chang beer may not be as well known abroad as Singha but it is very popular in Thailand. However, you may not find it in the more upmarket establishments. In Chiangmai, it is often marketed aggressively with special price promotions at pubs frequented by youngsters.

• Brand: Leo
• Alcohol content: 5%
• Brewed by: Boon Rawd Brewery

Made by the same guys that brew Singha, Leo is a cheaper alternative to Singha and is usually sold at about the same price as Chang. As it is a ‘budget’ beer, you will seldom see it in the more upmarket establishments but it is very popular outside of the big cities and with the ladies due to its smooth and pleasant taste.

Fun fact: Leo in Thai means lion but the beer label shows a picture of a leopard.

• Brand: Heineken
• Alcohol content: 5.4%
• Brewed by: Thai Asia Pacific Brewery Company Limited

Perhaps the most well-known and distributed beer in the world, Heineken is brewed in Thailand under license by Thai Asia Pacific. It is widely available here and is generally more expensive than the other beers.

Other Beers

Other beers that you might see in your local 7-Eleven or supermarket include:

• Brand: Archa
• Alcohol content: 5.4%
• Brewed by: Thai Beverages

Reviews for this beer are mixed but are generally more on the negative side.

• Brand: Cheers
• Alcohol content: 5.6%
• Brewed by: Thai Asia Pacific Brewery Company Limited

Reviews for this beer are mixed but are generally more on the negative side.

• Brand: Beer Lao
• Alcohol content: 5%
• Brewed by: Lao Brewery Company

The best selling beer in Laos, Beer Lao is brewed in Vientiane, Laos and has a unique taste as it is brewed from local rice and overseas malt.

• Brand: Tiger
• Alcohol content: 5%
• Brewed by: Thai Asia Pacific Brewery Company Limited

A Singaporean beer brewed under license by Thai Asia Pacific, this beer is not as commonly seen as the others but can be found at supermarkets and selected restaurants and pubs.

• Brand: Siamsoto
• Alcohol content: 8.0%
• Brewed by: Siamsoto Brewery

This is actually rice wine and not beer, but is worth a mention here as it is often put together in the same chiller compartment as the other beers, with the result that many have mistakenly bought it for a test drive (I have been guilty of this as well! And at 25 baht for a big bottle, it sure looks like a better deal than the other beers).

Drinking Siamsoto has been likened to drinking rocket fuel – it has a strong flavour that many have described as being foul and repulsive. As such, some drinkers will add mixers, such as soft drinks and fruit juices, to make it more palatable.

Beer Pricing

Leo and Chang are usually sold at the same price point (about 55 baht or SGD 2.20 for a big bottle) while Singha is slightly more expensive (about 65 baht or SGD 2.60). Heineken is the usually the most expensive (at about 85 baht or SGD 3.40).

Hours When Alcohol Sales are Restricted

According to Thai law, alcohol cannot be sold (unless you are buying in wholesale quantities) at retail shops, such as 7-Elevens and supermarkets, between the hours of 2pm and 5pm, then after midnight until 11am the next day. However, you can still drink in public during these hours.

If you are really desperate for a beer during these prohibited hours, the neighbourhood grocery store or the mom and pop stores are usually more than happy to sell it to you.

Days When Alcohol Sales are Restricted

There are certain days of the year when alcohol sales are prohibited. These include election days, Buddhist holidays, and on other days such as the birthdays of HM the King and Queen.

How strictly this law is being enforced varies by place (tourist spots and the rural areas are likely to be more lax) and the day (the law may be more strictly enforced on Buddhist holidays) so do not be surprised if you find pubs and discos closed on these days.