Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rumple]

Can anyone tell me? My Western supply is going to run out soon.

Do I need a prescription for albuterol (a rescue inhaler) or can that be had over the counter? Can you get an Advair Diskus here?

And lastly, is there anything else I should know?

[ttompatz]

[TheChickenLover]

Ventolin is pretty cheap here at around 5k won, if you're looking for a beta-antagonist you can use Seretide as well (works much better than Becoloforte).

Chicken

[sunhelen]

Advair is available in Korea, but albuterol is not. Ventolin is the most common rescue inhaler. I think you need a prescription for both.

[PRagic]

SOJU-KOCHUKARU

[Rumple]

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

Oh, and BTW, I did a little research and found out that Seretide and Advair are the same drug made by the same company, just marketed under different names. They are marketed primarily toward different world regions.

[[email protected]]

I doubt that anybody here is a doctor, but I imagine that a lot of guys with asthma are pretty knowledgable about inhalers.

It looks like albuterol (the only inhaler I have ever tried) is not available in Korea. I have exercise-induced asthma.

Are either Ventolin or Advair close enough substitutes?

[winterfall]

The advair is the purple thing right? That has steroids in it, you need a prescription. But you can get the preventive inhaler without one. I just showed them my old one and the pharmacist gave me a new one (I'm not sure if he should've done that, either way I got one). I've never used the rescue one though, no idea how to get that.

[sallymonster]

Is it possible to get an inhaler here in Korea if I don't have the old one? I lost my Albuterol inhaler a long time ago. My asthma is mild, so I've never used an inhaler much except for certain kinds of exercise, but this cold dry air outside is really bothering my lungs.

[ttompatz]

[David Lee Roth]

@[email protected] - Ventolin is the proprietary name of a rescue inhaler with the active ingredient, Albuterol. It is ubiquitous in Korea, so with a prescrip. you should have no problem getting it. Advair, as mentioned by a previous poster, is marketed under a different name (Seretide) in Korea. Seretide is combo medication containing the inhaled steroid, fluticasone, and the bronchodilator, salmeterol.

@sallymonster - If you suffer from EIB (exercise-induced bronchoconstriction), another option is Singulair, which contains the active ingredient, montelukast, a potent bronchodilator. It is indicated for patients > 15 years of age with EIB and has an excellent safety profile.

It's always best to get a local prescrip. if you are getting asthma drugs in Korea for the first time, as most of these drugs can have nasty side effects.

[[email protected]]

Thanks guys. I probably should have known that.

[Dazed and Confused]

In my experience Korea follows the FDA and most drugs available in North American or Europe are available here. Sometimes they are marketed under different brand names so it is always good to have the generic name with you. Your best option would be to go to a doctor. I've experienced that some general practioners can't prescribe certain drugs and you'll have to go to a specialist. If you can't get your medication from a GP, then head to the nearest big or university hospital.

[Canonite]

Can anyone confirm that Salbutamol (sold under names like Ventolin) is available widely at 5k won?

I can get them for about $7 here, so I got a bunch of them, but likely not quite enough for a year...I'm trying to decide whether to buy more here or just get them in Korea...if they're really 5k won and easy to get there, I'll just do that

Thanks