Medicine and Pills in China

[claudiofd]

Greetings.

 

I'm going to China - Tianjin to be precise - for a year in less than a month and I'm quite nervous and anxious about it. It's a pretty scary experience, considering this will be the first time I'm going there. One thing most people around me seem set on is medicine and pills in China. I'm thinking about what to take with me and the quantity I should take. I've been told that buying pills there is generally a bad idea since the Chinese are apparently very resistant to most types of medicine and therefore their dosages are way higher than those found in the West, or mix different chemicals and substances. This makes packing harder, since I'm very prone to headaches and am very frequently in need of Paracetamol or something similar. It's going to be pretty tough to take enough with me for a year and I wouldn't really want to make my family send over pills every other month. 

 

So, is this true? How hard is it to find medicine for a headache, a stomach ache or a cold in China that is suitable to a westerner? Any tips on what kind of pills are particularly hard to find, or something that I should definitely take with me? While we're on the subject, what are your experiences with medical treatment in China?

 

By the way, I apologize if this topic has been brought up before. I took a look at the first few pages here but found no thread that covered this, so I thought I should just make a new one.

 

Thank you in advance for all help.

[Bigdumogre]

I personally packed a lot of stomach medicine and headache medicine when I went to China. They were really useful but also had to buy other things while there. There are some chain stores to get medicine and find what you need easily except 2 things I found out - toothache medicine and deodorant. Both were really hard for me to find but everything else was found easily at normal doses.

[889]

I really wouldn't fret too much about this, though it is true that sometimes there will be a relatively common medicine or such which for some reason is just not easily available in China. Diamox, for altitude sickness, is one example.

[gato]

Paracetamol (aka acetaminophen / Tylenol) should be widely available in Tianjin.

[abcdefg]

How hard is it to find medicine for a headache, a stomach ache or a cold in China that is suitable to a westerner? Any tips on what kind of pills are particularly hard to find, or something that I should definitely take with me?

 

Take a one-year supply of your prescription medications when you come over on the plane. You can buy OTC medications here. (OTC = meds not requiring a prescription.) Sometimes the delivery systems won't be the same and the pill strengths won't be the same, but you can manage if you know enough Chinese to be able to ask for what you need. If you don't know Chinese, you will need a local friend to help.

 

Note that you most likely won't find the same brands as you are used to taking at home, so you will need to adapt. You will also need to know the generic names. Might want to take just a few doses of your favorites in your luggage as a convenience.

 

While we're on the subject, what are your experiences with medical treatment in China?

 

Plenty of posts on this topic. Do a better search. Use the Google-powered search engine in the upper right hand corner of this page.

 

Welcome to China and welcome to the forum!

[Flickserve]

I personally packed a lot of stomach medicine and headache medicine when I went to China. They were really useful but also had to buy other things while there. There are some chain stores to get medicine and find what you need easily except 2 things I found out - toothache medicine and deodorant. Both were really hard for me to find but everything else was found easily at normal doses.

toothache medicine should be paracetamol and any one from the following: ibuprofen, diclofenac, Celebrex, arcoxia. The first two on the list should be definitely be easy to buy as they have been around for decades.

[XiaoXi]

Take a one-year supply of your prescription medications when you come over on the plane. You can buy OTC medications here. (OTC = meds not requiring a prescription.) 

 

Haha actually OTC = Over the counter, but yes that is the meaning of it.

 

If you're worried about the high doses then why don't you just take half the suggested dose? I got some paracetamol here before and its true the dose was 800mg per single tablet! In England, 400mg is considered a high dose and its normally more than one tablet to make up the dosage.  Also avoid meat, especially if you didn't buy it and prepare it yourself otherwise you will be sick sooner or later....very sick.

[Flickserve]

The point about checking doses is good.

But there is no way a single dose of paracetamol at 400mg can be a high dose for an adult.

[claudiofd]

I see, thank you for all your help guys. 400 mg of Paracetamol is not a high dose, I agree. In my country (Portugal) 1000 mg paracetamol pills are common, so I'm guessing I'll be fine.

[Lu]

but you can manage if you know enough Chinese to be able to ask for what you need. If you don't know Chinese, you will need a local friend to help.

Even if you have limited Chinese, I find wikipedia can be a godsend in such situations. You can use it to find the Chinese name of the medication you're looking for. (Find the English page and click through to the Chinese page.)

[Bigdumogre]

toothache medicine should be paracetamol and any one from the following: ibuprofen, diclofenac, Celebrex, arcoxia. The first two on the list should be definitely be easy to buy as they have been around for decades.

In Xian I had a very hard time finding something to put on the tooth directly. In America it's easy to find oral type gel that stops the pain instantly. Could not find anything like that there, only thing I found were pills that dissolve after 30 min and gotta keep it next to the tooth that hurts. Worked good but annoying and had someone at hotel help me get it, and read the label since reading is my weak point.

[Johnny20270]

Personally I recommend bring all your medicines with you. This is not because you can't get things need, but more because at the time you get sick or for example a case of diarrhea you are in no mood to try explain in poor Chinese to a chemist or try find a friend to help you. You need it straight away. Medicines are generally light and small, so they are easy to carry.

 

2 other tips:

Buy burn cream. Burned my hand on the cooker few weeks ago, hurt a lot. 

Check the expiry date of your medicines, We all have tablets sitting in the draw for years don't we

[XiaoXi]

The point about checking doses is good. 

But there is no way a single dose of paracetamol at 400mg can be a high dose for an adult. 

 

Well that's the way they are labeled. They have been labeled 'extra' or 'double strength'. Normally you wouldn't get higher than 500mg dose in England. 400mg always works for me and sometimes just 200mg is enough.

 

I see, thank you for all your help guys. 400 mg of Paracetamol is not a high dose, I agree. In my country (Portugal) 1000 mg paracetamol pills are common, so I'm guessing I'll be fine.

 

1000mg is the absolute maximum for an adult so you're obviously already used to taking very high doses. Makes the China dose of 800mg seem sensible.

[XiaoXi]

Personally I recommend bring all your medicines with you. This is not because you can't get things need, but more because at the time you get sick or for example a case of diarrhea you are in no mood to try explain in poor Chinese to a chemist or try find a friend to help you. You need it straight away. Medicines are generally light and small, so they are easy to carry.

 

Personally I'm the opposite. Even though I'd have no problem explaining in Chinese, I actually prefer just showing the Chemist the name of the medicine on written down on my phone rather than stating in front of a crowd of onlookers that I have diarrhoea. Also taking a lot of medicine through customs can't be the best plan.

[imron]

Also taking a lot of medicine through customs can't be the best plan.

Actually, it works pretty well.  From my experience they neither care nor check.

[abcdefg]

Me too -- Imron's post # 15. Agree. That's how I do it. As of this point in time, it actually is the best plan, at least in my opinion.

 

Several caveats apply. The main one is that If you are bringing controlled substances, you need to bring the actual prescriptions in their original packaging along with a doctor's letter just in case you are questioned.

 

Second caveat is that the amount needs to be consistent with what would be expected for personal use (not resale.)

 

Third caveat is that everything can change on a dime here in China, and without any advance notice.

[Johnny20270]

Several caveats apply. The main one is that If you are bringing controlled substances, you need to bring the actual prescriptions in their original packaging along with a doctor's letter just in case you are questioned.

 

 

 

What would happen in China if you brought in a controlled substance (in China) that can be bought off the shelf in another country, or even if legal in another country (e.g. anabolic steroids in the UK), is it just confiscated or are you arrested? How strict are they on this?

[Flickserve]

Well that's the way they are labeled. They have been labeled 'extra' or 'double strength'. Normally you wouldn't get higher than 500mg dose in England. 400mg always works for me and sometimes just 200mg is enough.

1000mg is the absolute maximum for an adult so you're obviously already used to taking very high doses. Makes the China dose of 800mg seem sensible.

To be more precise, it is maximum 4grams in a 24h period (4000mg/24h). Obviously, if a lower dose works for an individual (perhaps somebody who weighs less than average), then use the lower dose. If it doesn't, then 1000mg four times a day is considered safe and not an overdose. In fact, a fair amount more of paracetamol needs to be taking before it is an overdose. Sticking to a maximum of 4gms/24h allows a wide margin of safety.

I haven't looked at the panadol extras in UK but the recent ones I have seen in Hong Kong usually have extra caffeine or an ephedrine derivative added to them to give the feeling of more energy.

[abcdefg]

@Johnny -- I don't know about anabolic steroids. I was speaking more about opiates and psychotropics. China is strict on the standard "drugs of abuse."

[Johnny20270]

@Johnny -- I don't know about anabolic steroids. I was speaking more about opiates and psychotropics. China is strict on the standard "drugs of abuse."

 

 

well yeah, I'm specifically picking an extreme example where one drug can be legal in one country and not in another. I guess, like in many countries, ignorance of the law is no defense!