Job Discussion Forums

[balqis]

I recall an event which surprised me, while in Riyadh. In a pharmacy, I saw a poor Bengali, who purchased some classic antidepressant, name of which I don't now remember, but perhaps Coaxil or some other classic, just over the counter, at least so it looked to me. He didn't provide any prescription, he just purchsed it and left. I was wondering how come he did it.
Perhaps they are not so restrictive on prescriptions in Saudi, considering millions of poor Asian workers, living life similar to the dog's one, who must be suffering from terrible depression, considering their life''style'' in Saudi''. I am sure all these millions of poor workers have no access to proper medical attendance of their despair, and yet they take some medication. But then how do they get hold of it?
Perhaps someone else might comment on this point, if such medication is available sort of over or rather under the counter mode.

I have a skin condition, btw, and at the airport the Saudi checking my baggage asked me to open my medicine box, full, truly full!, of various meds. He was quite puzzled by the very amount of it, and initially wanted to scrutinize it - and me as well - more, and started asking questions he was probably taught to ask, but then quickly, upon a strange impulse characteristic of Arabs in general, gave up his sense of duty - a thing quite normal with Arabs who tend to think and exist in the pre-duty mode of existence- they will tend to turn a blidn eye to things considered by us ''serious'', a great saving grace of this civilisation. Perhaps, as concluison of my point, you might take more of your meds than just 3 months then?

[balqis]

Also, in hospitals you will have pychiatrists for sure, and they will speak English, as they will be docs from Levant, or Egyptians or Pakistanis. So English they will know for sure.
Psychiatric conditions are apparently quite common in KSA, a female student of mine once told me, and people turn to medication probably way more often than in the West, on all sort of occasions where in the West they would be asked to take psychotherapy instead of pills. In KSA it will be predominantly pills, and I believe in other Gulf countries too. I think psychotherapy would be ''harram'' here, for reasons quite obvious, considering its context and history.

If you somehow ''befriend'' a pharmacist, you may get a lot of on-prescription meds without a prescription. I don't know how it works, but it does. I once ''befriended'' a Kashmeere pharmacist in Oman, and it did happen to me that he didn't ask for prescription where he should have. I am sure the millions of Asian workers there, with no proper health insurance, this is how they manage, they simply ''befriend a Kashmeere pharmacist'' and ''somehow'' manage through such ''shadowy'' liaison, another great saving garce of Muslim civilisation. Inverted commas - ''...'' - are quite common in the Middle East, btw, and thanks god they are.

[nomad soul]

[scot47]

Pharmacies in KSA do not usually expect a prescription BUT some medications are either not available or only available under medical supervision. That certainly applies to most psychotropic drugs.

Here is a link to American Bedu who produces a well-respected blog

http://americanbedu.com/2010/07/09/saudi-arabia-mental-health-care-you-can-trust-is-only-a-skype-away/

[balqis]

Nomad Soul's words of warning related to the topic here are very spot-on, extremely spot-on, btw, and Simplicity's retort to NS words or warning quite hubristic. NS' point should be taken very seriously and with due attention and provisions.

balqis

[hash]

Again, please let's not turn this thread into whether or not I should go to KSA because of my condition. I've spent the last 15 years traveling and working abroad. I know my limits.

You may “know” your limits, but it’s obvious you haven’t the foggiest how quickly and how soon they will be tested upon your arrival in KSA. Within a month, your “meds” could easily be the least of your worries.

I can bring 3 months with me from New Zealand. That leaves me a lot of time to find a source in KSA, get it mailed to me or maybe travel to a neighboring country.

Before you wrote this statement, you were advised at least twice that mail service in KSA is unreliable. But you still mentioned it as a possible way to get your meds to you. Perhaps you don’t believe what you’re being told or you aren’t paying attention.

“Traveling to a neighboring country” is another “red flag” statement. Which neighboring country? Iran? Iraq? Yemen? And what guarantee is there that you could actually get your meds in these or any other foreign country? (None at all). What guarantee is there, in fact, that you could travel from KSA to any country at all? (Again, none at all). You can’t just hop on a plane, stop off in Baghdad, pick up your meds at a local pharmacy and zip on back to KSA. It just doesn’t work that way. It’s all wishful thinking. You could be jeopardizing your health because you’re having a hard time absorbing what you’re being told here.

So if not in this thread, I think you should open another thread where the realities of what you’d be facing by going to KSA are frankly discussed.

Another “red flag”, just as a further example, although there are many more. You haven’t mentioned whether you’re male or female. It didn’t occur to you that that might be important. But it is important…..crucially important. The responses and advice you get could be radically different depending on which gender you are.

[caliph]

"KSA does not have a reliable postal system"

Do they still burn the excess mail during Ramadan?

[scot47]

That is one urban myth that I have never heard until today ! The postal system sometimes works but do not rely on it.

Neighbouring countries that you MIGHT be able to visit ? Bahrain, UAE. Both have similar restrictions on medications as KSA.

Forget about Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. the Sudan.

[caliph]

Really? It was common knowledge to not send send/receive anything important during Ramadan.

This was in pre-email days.

The charred edges of some mail received was the give away for me.

[johnslat]

From the "american bedu" blog (reliable info, in my opinion)

"I frequently receive emails from readers on how can they safely, securely and reliably receive mail and packages in Saudi Arabia. I have written previously on the problems and challenges of sending and receiving mail in Saudi Arabia:



http://americanbedu.com/2007/10/18/saudi-mail-service/

http://americanbedu.com/2007/10/18/new-initiatives-taken-by-the-saudi-post/

If one is not fortunate to have an APO (American Post Office) in Saudi Arabia it can be difficult to reliably receive items from the West. In fact, several packages my own family sent to me never did arrive. I’m still waiting after 2.5 years!

However in the meantime I have since learned that there is an alternative – Aramex Shop and Ship. The Aramex Shop and Ship allows you to acquire a U.S. or U.K. mailing address which in turn allows you to enjoy all the benefits of shopping online from US or UK websites as if you are actually living there. This service offers you a personal mailing address in the US and the UK where you can receive your correspondence as well as personal and business packages such as Internet orders, gifts, magazine subscriptions, bank statements and more. Aramex then forwards the mailbox contents to your doorstep back home at very competitive rates, saving you time, effort and money.

Shop and Ship levies a one-time set up fee of US$35 and then charges a fee per shipment thereafter. As an example, a 3 kg package would cost 240 SAR to ship from the US to Saudi Arabia."

http://www.shopandship.com/en/home


http://americanbedu.com/2009/01/31/how-to-reliably-receive-mail-and-packages-in-saudi-arabia-from-outside/

Regards,
John

[Simplicity]

Thanks for all the comments about accessing medication in KSA.

Someone has sent me a PM saying that he/she was able to get the exact medications I'm on in KSA and accessed English speaking psychiatrists in the process. Problem solved.

[plumpy nut]

[veiledsentiments]

[Simplicity]

After reading the thread again, I just want to clarify a few things.

I realize living and working in the Middle East will have it's unique challenges. By saying that I'd traveled and worked abroad a lot, I wasn't trying to be arrogant and say it'll be easy. I should've explained... I will start another thread (or read other threads/websites) with regards to the challenges of living/working in the Middle East. I was just trying to keep this thread specific to accessing medication so we didn't get sidetracked.

Anyway, all is good. Thanks for your contributions.

Peace.

[hash]

johnslat wrote:

However in the meantime I have since learned that there is an alternative – Aramex Shop and Ship.

1. Yes, ARAMEX is good. AMAZON uses it to send me books. They've never failed to get through and deliverd to me. However, even they have to go through KSA customs and the boxes ARE opened. There is no guarantee that Saudi customs will let a box of meds whiz on through like they will with books.

(Although at one time, books were impossible to get via courier this way - they were all automatically censored. And old-timers will remember when ENVELOPE letters were routinely opened for inspection, leaving nasty smears and stuff on the letter).

2. APO, of course, is the ideal. Reserved only for the Armed Forces and Embassy personnel and other similar US govt. entities.

Guess who gets to use it? Yup, VINNELL & Co, including the despised ESL teachers. I assume other military attached ESL teachers are also eligible.

However, the OP, I assume from her posts, simply cannot take a chance of NOT having her meds when needed so he/she cannot 100% rely on ARAMEX.