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markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

Posted in error

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

Posted in error

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

My wife has suffered from a strange disease since we lived in China in the mid 90s. Before going home to Canada or England (when we lived in Taiwan) we always stocked up on medication in Taiwan, because it was always so much cheaper than back home. The main drug in question is (and was) Prednisalone. In fact over a period of years we also bought this drug in several other countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. We have never came across a placebo/fake. We would have known, as it could possibly could have killed my wife had we done so.

I don't believe there is a huge market in fake drugs in Taiwan. If I was in Cambodia, Burma or Laos (or parts of China) or more remote parts of Southeast Asia, they probably occur, but I think on the whole and using common sense you should not have trouble buying the real thing, or a very close proximity.

As a person who has lived on the island for several years (apparently) I think you should have found out where to get the real thing by now A..

Most people coming to Taiwan will probably experience some kind of stomach upset at one time or another. Having spent the best part of the last 10 ten years in Asia I can tell you I very rarely get ill and I don't exercise that much caution (or perhaps I do, I just do it automatically now).

While hygiene standards might not be as good as 'home', upset stomachs are often caused by different bugs from your home country rather than bad hygiene.

www.babashouse.com

Xenophobe · Joined: 11 Nov 2003 Posts: 163

Something as simple as mineral content or chlorine levels in water can set people off. I got the runs while in Sweden, a place famous for pristine conditions. It disappeared in a few days. The same happened when I went to Victoria, after having been in Halifax for a year. My parents get their water from a well and I'm used to bottled or filtered water. The first couple of days play havoc with my system, when we visit. The odd thing is, this has never happened here in Taiwan. Go figure huh!?! Confused

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

Aristotle · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1388 Location: Taiwan

I did find what I believe to be the best source for high quality medicine at the lowest possible price on Taiwan. I import them directly through the Internet.
It is possible to get most high quality medicine, produced by companies with the highest reputation as a direct result of numerous years of producing reliable and safe medicine.
As an added benefit medicine produced in real countries with a culture of integrity and honesty are thoroughly tested and approved by a professional government oversight organization (unlike Taiwan).
You will notice that the poster who stated that they found a local substitute has not made further recommendations for obvious reasons.
Many of the ROC cronies insist that Taiwan upholds the highest standards in terms of locally produced medicines at the lowest possible cost, as they should.
The facts do not support that position, in fact the opposite may be closer to the the reality that is Taiwan.
Food poisoning is the least of your worries when when it comes to public health and hygiene on Taiwan.

Pop Fly · Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 429

When my thoughts drift to possibly returning to Canada, I quickly go thru a sort of mental PowerPoint Presentaion and quickly discount any such notions. Depending on the instance that put me in this mind, the presentation endures vaster (usually lesser) time-wastages.

The furthest I've ever gotten into this presentation is the section comparing health care in Taiwan to that in Canada. Pull the plug, the presentation is over.

I've been thru both systems on numerous occasions for a myriad of ills.

Canada, while deserving of it's stature, is more resting on its laurels now, but even my best experiences within the Canadian system cannot hold a candle to the Taiwanese.

Ditto for Taiwan's civil service. Dealing with this government has always reminded me of how I will never go back to Canada (or t'would be my druthers). There are plenty of other reasons why I prefer Taiwan to Canada, but those are personal reasons.

Assistitle's constant harping about Taiwan's inadequacies are not worth the page of cyberspace to which they've been uploaded upon.

But he sure is fun to refute.

Not.