Prilosec (Omeprazole) in Vietnam

Hi friend,

You can go to HAI BA TRUNG street - TRAN QUANG KHAI street, dist 1, near TAN DINH church + TAN DINH market. There are lots of Pharmacy there and it is easy to buy the same medication with local brand or imported ones with the same ingredient.

Cheer.
Thanh

Yes, you can get it and Nexium and many of the other equivalent meds for re-flux. And it is far far cheaper then in my home country.

Try Maalox, made here in Vietnam by Sanofi Aventis, dirt cheap. I've been using it for ten years for reflux.

https://hososuckhoe.org/thuoc/2123-maalox-400mg.html

colinoscapee wrote:

Try Maalox, made here in Vietnam by Sanofi Aventis, dirt cheap. I've been using it for ten years for reflux.

https://hososuckhoe.org/thuoc/2123-maalox-400mg.html

Not surprisingly, a lot of people (in the USA, at least) never consider this good advice, since doctors and insurance companies have been convinced by manufacturer AstraZeneca (of BOTH brands) to offer these meds as a first response, thus WAY over prescribing them (in my not-so-humble opinion).

Of course, many people with GERD - Gastroesophageal Reflux DISORDER (it's not a true "disease") choose to ignore perhaps the best "prescription":

Don't eat ANYTHING after 6 PM or at least 4 hours before going to sleep.



Also, digestive enzymes, prebiotic foods and probiotics, plus cutting down on alcohol and sugar intake can help dramatically.

Loosing weight also helps...



Personally, I licked my GERD by following the food combination rules in a 1980's book "Fit For Life".

At dinner, if I eat meat, I don't eat any starches (bread, potatoes, rice, noodles, etc) since the two classes of food fight each other in the digestive tract.

So if I want ribs, I eat them with salad or coleslaw.

If I want french fries, I eat them with salad veggies too.

It seems I can eat beans with meat OR veggies, without problems.

If I forget and eat steak and fries together (especially after 6 PM) I wake up feeling like I'm fixing to die sometime after Midnight.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Try Maalox, made here in Vietnam by Sanofi Aventis, dirt cheap. I've been using it for ten years for reflux.

https://hososuckhoe.org/thuoc/2123-maalox-400mg.html

Not surprisingly, a lot of people (in the USA, at least) never consider this good advice, since doctors and insurance companies have been convinced by manufacturer AstraZeneca (of BOTH brands) to offer these meds as a first response, thus WAY over prescribing them (in my not-so-humble opinion).

Of course, many people with GERD - Gastroesophageal Reflux DISORDER (it's not a true "disease") choose to ignore perhaps the best "prescription":

Don't eat ANYTHING after 6 PM or at least 4 hours before going to sleep.



Also, digestive enzymes, prebiotic foods and probiotics, plus cutting down on alcohol and sugar intake can help dramatically.

Loosing weight also helps...



Personally, I licked my GERD by following the food combination rules in a 1980's book "Fit For Life".

At dinner, if I eat meat, I don't eat any starches (bread, potatoes, rice, noodles, etc) since the two classes of food fight each other in the digestive tract.

So if I want ribs, I eat them with salad or coleslaw.

If I want french fries, I eat them with salad veggies too.

It seems I can eat beans with meat OR veggies, without problems.

If I forget and eat steak and fries together (especially after 6 PM) I wake up feeling like I'm fixing to die sometime after Midnight.

That is good advice, I'm actually weaning myself slowly off prilosec, I'm cutting my dosage 10% per week. These drugs cause a physical dependency for sure, since your stomach over produces gastrin to try and overwelm the drug and abruptly quitting means horrible heartburn.

Being brutally honest, I don't want to move to a third world country and not have enough stomach acid to fight off food bourne illnesses.

However, if I'm still weaning off the prilosec or if I have no choice but to stay on it I don't want to be caught off guard.

I had an ulcer though and I really did need it for it to heal (which it did according to a follow up endoscopy)

I read somewhere that Nexium is crazy expensive in Vietnam... did that change?

I have other medicines I take, I should hire someone to visit pharmacies asking if they carry my meds 😂

DogChild wrote:

I read somewhere that Nexium is crazy expensive in Vietnam... did that change?

I have other medicines I take, I should hire someone to visit pharmacies asking if they carry my meds 😂

My own personal experience concerning brand name meds here:

The original brand name is usually considered an "import", and can be 10 to 20 times the price of the knock off.

A quick search of Lazada dot com showed 100 Prilosec 20mg generic about 1/6 the price of 42 Prilosec 20mg brand name product.

As has been said, omeprazole is available here as a generic.

Contrary to popular belief, many generics here are good replacements for the original.

There aren't any Walgreens or CVS-type stores here (that I know of).

They key for me has been identifying trustworthy pharmacies. The local citizens know which ones they are.

It helps to load your phone with images and text of the med you are seeking.

For general classifications (antacids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, etc) you can translate the word before you get to the counter.

The better pharmacies can search the name in a database.

Nexium is 'probably' more expensive than Prilosec, because Omeprazole has been available as a generic longer than Esomeprazole

I recommend:

Get a doctor to write you a prescription for the length of your visa. Keep a copy with your passport. Go to Walmart and purchase enough of the generic to last the length of your visa. Keep that in your carry on luggage. IF (not likely) customs hassles you, show them the prescription and you "should" be good to go.

No guarantee. Just best likely scenario.

DogChild wrote:

I read somewhere that Nexium is crazy expensive in Vietnam... did that change?

I have other medicines I take, I should hire someone to visit pharmacies asking if they carry my meds 😂

I tried Nexium 40mg for awhile, it was about 30k vnd per tablet.

If you go with generic Omeprazole , you can save a lot.  Even in the US, brand name Prilosec is way higher priced than generic Omeprazole.  In HCMC, I used to buy 20mg capsules in bottles of 100 for 70,000₫.  That is 700₫ for the standard 20mg dose. 

Admittedly I was buying from a wholesale pharmacy that I have posted on before, but even with a retail markup, generics should be no more than double that.  https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=805402  See my post #8. It sound like this is the same place that Thanhnx73 refers to above.   I think this place has integrity and was initially recommended to us by our landlady whose physician husband also owned a retail pharmacy.

You do not need an Rx for any of these in VN. So you might want to save your money on a doctors visit. For me Nexium causes transient amnesia.......which is scary as all get out.

There is a common belief that the entire diagnosis is a scam. It is said that the problem is cause because as we get older we produce LESS stomach acid to digest properly. I now take hydroelectric acid and have had good result. And I am still at the edge of esophageal cancer. Had RFA done and got rid of a lot of the scar tissue. I will check in the next couple of days and let you all know what the Nexium runs here in VN. It is dirt cheap as opposed to $4.00 a pill in the USA.

Vagabondone wrote:

You do not need an Rx for any of these in VN.

True.

I mentioned an Rx in case he tries to bring a big supply through customs.

As mentioned earlier, low stomach acid is usually the more common culprit. I find apple cider vinegar tablets (GNC) do the trick.

I too have used cider tablets. I now have a infant and looks like he was cursed with the same problem. Mine primarily is do to a weak muscle at the opening to my stomach, just as my dad had.

Just checked my pharmacy and 40mg Nexium is 14,000 vnd per pill.

For over a year now, I take a slice of chedder cheese to calm my stomach.  Day time or night, seems to do the trick.  I hate taking any kind of meds...or drugs.  It works for me and sleep the night thru....

Anthony64 wrote:

For over a year now, I take a slice of chedder cheese to calm my stomach.  Day time or night, seems to do the trick.  I hate taking any kind of meds...or drugs.  It works for me and sleep the night thru....

As I read here in the forum almost daily, it seems that many expats here live in Vietnam who need enormous amounts of medicines.

I wonder if it is because of the average expat's old age, or because many pensioners come here who have paid little attention to their own well-being in the past?   

Andy Passenger wrote:

Anthony64 wrote:

For over a year now, I take a slice of chedder cheese to calm my stomach.  Day time or night, seems to do the trick.  I hate taking any kind of meds...or drugs.  It works for me and sleep the night thru....

As I read here in the forum almost daily, it seems that many expats here live in Vietnam who need enormous amounts of medicines.

I wonder if it is because of the average expat's old age, or because many pensioners come here who have paid little attention to their own well-being in the past?   

Perhaps also because we come from a healthcare system (USA) that profits from everyone being cured by a pill...or two...

@thanhnx73 do you know of a drugstore in Vietnam that I can buy some Prilosec and send it to a friend in Vietnam

@thanhnx73 do you know of a drugstore in Vietnam that I can buy some Prilosec and send it to a friend in Vietnam
-@joseph756

It doesn't have to be a pharmacy.

Prilosec OTC is available on Lazada

@OceanBeach92107 , Hi friend, where are you living in Vietnam? living in Ho Chi Minh city or Ha Noi?

Prilosec has main ingredient as Omeprazole. hence, you can buy Omeprazole at any drugstore in Vietnam.

If you are living in Ho Chi Minh city, you can find at any drug store. Or you can go to Tan Dinh church, corner of Ly Chinh Thang - Hai Ba Trung st, you can find some drugstore named NHI TRUNG, LONG CHAU, .... Omeprazole can be imported or produced in VN.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/nh%C … d10.791037

Cheers,

Thanh

@OceanBeach92107 , Hi friend, where are you living in Vietnam? living in Ho Chi Minh city or Ha Noi?
Prilosec has main ingredient as Omeprazole. hence, you can buy Omeprazole at any drugstore in Vietnam.
If you are living in Ho Chi Minh city, you can find at any drug store. Or you can go to Tan Dinh church, corner of Ly Chinh Thang - Hai Ba Trung st, you can find some drugstore named NHI TRUNG, LONG CHAU, .... Omeprazole can be imported or produced in VN.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/nh%C … d10.791037

Cheers,
Thanh
-@thanhnx73

To repeat myself: retired registered nurse, well aware of the pharmacology and living in Việt Nam:

It's not necessary to purchase Prilosec® at a "drug store" or pharmacy.

Multiple vendors are selling it on Lazada.

Perhaps you aren't familiar with Lazada?

Using their smartphone app, the Prilosec® can be ordered without leaving the house and delivery is usually COD (cash on delivery).

Cheers!

Or you can go to Tan Dinh church, corner of Ly Chinh Thang - Hai Ba Trung st, you can find some drugstore named NHI TRUNG, LONG CHAU, .... Omeprazole can be imported or produced in VN.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/nh%C … d10.791037

Cheers,
Thanh
-@thanhnx73

Thanks.  That's the place I have been trying to locate in my other posts but I did not have the name.  If they don't have something, they can get it if it to be found anywhere in Vietnam. You may be asked to buy full boxes there but for someone taking Omeprazole, that should not be a problem.  I would also feel a lot better about products in labelled containers than I would feel about the packets of loose pills in a plastic baggie that you get from your neighborhood Nhà Thuốc Tây.

Or you can go to Tan Dinh church, corner of Ly Chinh Thang - Hai Ba Trung st, you can find some drugstore named NHI TRUNG, LONG CHAU, .... Omeprazole can be imported or produced in VN.
(link removed)
-@thanhnx73
Thanks. That's the place I have been trying to locate in my other posts but I did not have the name. If they don't have something, they can get it if it to be found anywhere in Vietnam. 
-@THIGV

Terrible reviews over the past year

Reviews where and by who?  Were you referring to the reviews tied to the Google Maps entry?  I see from the newest photos on the Google Maps link that thanhnx73 provided that they have had a facelift and maybe are pushing more for retail and not doing it too well.   A lot of the recent negative comments related to the staff.  One thing may be that a lot of local pharmacies in Vietnam listen to your symptoms and then give you what they think you need.   This place never was like that.  You pretty much had to know what you wanted going in.   Before the clientele seemed to be almost entirely delivery drivers doing pickups for the smaller pharmacies, so customer service was probably not the highest priority . To be honest I never went inside but always gave my wife a printed list with generic names, unit pill size in mg and total number of pills needed. and she went in with the list.  If the package size did not match the quantity we asked for they would break packaging but I told her to avoid that and just buy the package sizes available.  We usually bought at least 30 day supplies.  She never said that she had any problems.  Very occasionally they were out of items and we had to come beck the next day.  I expect that they picked up from the distributors of the Pharma houses as they seemed to be able to get such items quickly.   It could be that the whole nature of the place has changed, maybe for the worse if you are seeking maintenance drugs for the best possible price..

Reviews where...?   
-@THIGV

At the link previously provided

Reviews where...? 
-@THIGV

At the link previously provided
-@OceanBeach92107

I made a major revision to my post. I see what you mean but there may be a reason.

One of the funny translations that I think showed up twice went something like "This place is full of drugs."