Korean Job Discussion Forums

bundangbear · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: www.youtube.com/bundangbear

I will leave shortly for Bundang, and I was wondering:

Should I encounter any difficulties getting Albuterol (aka, Proventil, Ventolin) asthma inhalers from a doctor in Korea using my Korean health insurance once I get it? I currently use an inhaler and have a letter from my doctor.

desultude · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:53 pm Post subject:

I had a brief bout with asthma last year (6 months and it disappeared) and was getting all of the stuff- inhalers, pills, etc.

Only go to a good university hospital with an international clinic for your care, if at all possible. The small private "hospitals" can be really scary. One wanted to hospitalize me for a month for a broken foot. I have seen worse stuff, too.

Guest · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 12:09 am Post subject:

The medications are widely available and you should have no problem obtaining them. But you will need a newly written prescription from a Korean physician

camel96 · Guest

Has anyone gotten seretide here.....?
If so, how much was it....?

Guest · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 1:52 am Post subject:

Seretide, also called Salmeterol and Fluticasone, an inhaled steroid is available in Korea, though I can't comment on the price.

camel96 · Guest

Guest · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 2:06 am Post subject:

Yes, you're correct, I guess I typed/worded my reply incorrectly.

Seretide is Salmeterol/Fluticasone as in the combination (/). I did not mean to imply that Seretide had two separate other names.

Either way it is available ... as are the two individual agents.

And yes, you could say I have some knowledge. I'm happy to let you know more by PM/e-mail ... I did post a detailed set of info yesterday but deleted it after second though ...

FUBAR · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: The Y.C.

Guest · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 4:16 am Post subject:

Well, let's once again cover what is a legal and technical issue. The drug is NOT an over the counter medication in Korea. It is illegal in Korea for the drug to be dispensed by a pharmacist without a prescription. You can view a relatively comprehensive formulary at the web site for the ministry of health and drug administration web site.

Yes, I've walked into a pharmacy and gotten a number of what would be controlled substances such as Tylenol #3, phenobarbital for sleep, etc. as have friends by asking for it and having a pharmacist simply fill it. I've also been nearly escorted out of a pharmacy asking for a weeks worth of erythromycin.

You can possibly get what you ask for within reason, but I'm discussing the technical issue .... an Rx is required by law.

Also, your friend getting "an asthma inhaler" is far from descriptive in the sense of equivalency in this particular case; as there ARE other medications, including inhalers which are FAR EASIER to get without a prescription, and in fact others being over the counter, and others that can be handed out simply by having a used previous prescription in your hand that "authorizes" a replacement to be dispensed without a new prescription. That is not legally the case here.

So ... there you go. Just because your vague example worked in that particular case doesn't make it right.

Am I wrong again ?

FUBAR · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: The Y.C.

Guest · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 4:37 am Post subject:

You got me ... little punk like you managed to catch my scam. I'm a highly evolved 2 year old that can type and has an advanced word base from which to construct my diatribes.

If you had any sense of intelligence you'd read everything and make your own construct ... to comprehend the fact that I was making a point, not a personal attack. In that, your statement of a friend apparently being the proof that I'm again wrong, it would seem, by obtainging "an asthma inhaler" is not sufficient, nor anectodal enough to prove me wrong. Your example does indicate that it was the same medication in question. Nor do you clearly recognize my other attempt to indicate how some medications are in fact over the counter and others can be provided without a Korean Rx (though requiring evidence of a previous Rx of some sort) .... see, you neglected to ahere to reading everything and thus shed tears over what you took to be an attack ....

Maybe you should .... well .... forget it.

I'm right, and again, someone moaning and groaning because of insufficent facts to support a claim.

I do nothing but try to make sure someone has clear, logical, legally accurate, and safe information, not to mention CORRECT and I get attacked ... L A M E

I won't have a second thought on this post

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

i got both in seoul, busan, mokpo, janghowon, gwang ju, suncheon and mokpo without a script.

that being said, only a handful of pharmacies in each town sold them without a script.

i've paid between 5,000 and 10,000 for the ventolin and the seretide is about 25,000. it is hard to be accurate here as i usually take a shopping cart when i go to the pharmacy and my bill is huge.

korean hospitals rock btw

Guest · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 5:24 am Post subject:

25,000 ? I would have guessed around 35,000 or so, that's not bad. Was that with our without insurance

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

i was here for 8 months on a tourist visa so i didnt have insurace at first.

thats what i pay now with insurance.. it might be a bit more.. i dunno.

there isn't much in it with or without insurance if i can remember correctly.. i think the first time i bought it, it was 45 thou.

the prices in chemists here are all over the place. take tylenol standard, i have paid between 700 & 2000.. if that is any guide to how much prices can vary

Tembo · Joined: 20 Mar 2003 Location: USA

A Seritide (aka Advair in the USA) diskus cost me 14,500 won here in Kangnam. 1 diskus contains 60 blisters, so 30 days if you are 2x a day.

Ventolin-type inhaler (albuterol or salbuterol) cost me 1,500 won.

Both of the above prices were with national insurance. Ask your doctor about the best way to get your meds. My doctor gave me 4 different prescriptions for 4 ventolin inhalers because she said getting them all on one prescription would end up costing me more with the insurance setup. Same goes for the Seritide inhalers.

Both doctor and pharmacist will need to see your insurance card/booklet.

(I didn't pay to see the doctor, nor did I pay for prescriptions' paperwork, so I can't say how much that will cost you!!!)

Good luck!