Anyone else with experience in the Phils or Thailand regarding Palliative care for Chronic Pain patients?
My research shows that there are Methadone clinics in Thailand, even far up north in Chiang Mai as displayed in the pic I posted.
However, I've heard the Phils are notoriously stingy when it comes to treating pain with Opiates.
I read one story about a young man buying Motrin OTC for his cancer-stricken Grandmother.
In the Phils, it's a paradox - most people can't afford pain meds, so there isn't a market for them.
With many older people looking at the Philippines as a place to retire and spend their last years one would think that pain medication would be more readily available.
But my research shows otherwise. Rachamim, a well-known poster here has spent a lot of time in SE Asia including the Phils and stated it was a major hassle finding a doctor to prescribe S2/S3 pain meds and only a small percentage have a license to do so.
In addition, many stores will not carry pain meds because if they don't sell them before the expiration date, they must absorb the cost.
OTOH, Methadone is very inexpensive. I just filled my monthly script of 10mg x 210 Tablets for a cost of $31.14 US - 6.7 cents per 10mg. tablet.
What's that? - Less than a US Penny per mg?
Methadone is a great pain reliever and doesn't have an inherent component that requires more and more of the drug to get the same level of pain relief.
At therapeutic levels, it blocks cravings. During my first stint on MMT from 1993-2003, I managed to quit smoking cigarettes and have no desire to drink alcohol.
Yes, it has it's negatives. Lack of motivation is one - at least for me, but during my first stint on Methadone I got out of my dead-end, manual labor job that paid well but took a toll on my body and led to numerous chronic pain issues.
I filed a Worker's Compensation claim here in the US (California) and was retrained in the field of Computer Science.
While the course was a brief, 14 week course it got my foot in the door at a local software company, one of the biggest in the field of educational software and desktop publishing as a QA tester. I was quickly promoted to an Assistant Project Manager, then a Project Manager, then an Associate Producer and then a Producer, overseeing software titles that sold anywhere from 50,000 units per title and up to 250,000 units per title.
Unfortunately, all those years of physical labor have greatly affected my ability to work, even in an office environment so I'm on Disability and I'm applying for Social Security Disability. I will also be reaching age 62 in a few years and will take my Social Security early and move out of the US as it is expensive to live here, especially California/SF Bay Area.
For what I'm paying for small 1 bedroom/studio apt here, I can get the same either in the Phils or in Chiang Mai for 85%-90% less.
Yep. A small apt/studio in the SF suburbs cost about $1500 in a middle/mid-upper class neighborhood.
In Chiang Mai or place on the Island of Cebu in the Phils, a similar living space in a good neighborhood will cost about $150.00 a month, and that's the "Kano" or "Farang" price. Locals can probably get them for less.
But as mentioned I have a lot of chronic pain issues and not just from physical labor, but also from playing numerous sports when I was younger.
I have Sciatica which leaves me immobile at times. I've tore up my right knee, broken every finger with the exception of my left thumb at least once, broke my right heel bone which is very brittle and difficult to heal and X-Rays show a crack in the heel bone every time I have it X-Rayed. Very painful. I also have bi-lateral Ulnar nerve damage. And then there are the issues from the drunk driver that hit my friend and I head on when I was in my 30's...
I don't mean to write a book, but as you can see, pain relief from Opiates is the lesser of two evils and the pain issues get worse with age. Methadone doesn't have the inherent component of needing a higher dose to get the same level of pain relief.
Unfortunately, Methadone has many negative connotations to it - Junkie, IV Heroin user, Thief, Lowlife, etc...
Fortunately, I have a great PM doctor near where I live. He is understanding and compassionate and unlike many doctors, his main objective is to treat the patient and their pain and not milk them for money.
So as you can see, this issue will be a major factor where I retire in SE Asia - I love the Phils, but as mentioned, getting Opiates there is next to impossible and a major hassle. Especially for someone that is immobile at times, whereas in Thailand, I've read that Methadone is fairly inexpensive and doesn't have the hassles associated with the clinics here in the US. And you can get a couple of weeks of take-homes right away.
Plus I've read that the doctors and nurses are also very understanding and compassionate and treat it as a disease, not a "lifestyle" choice. No one chooses to be dependent on opiates, but some of us have taken different routes to the same place.
I can't speak for Rachamim, but he left me with the impression via our PM conversations that the reason he left the Phils for Australia was due to the issue of pain meds and the hassle of getting them. Nothing worse than being half-way around the globe without any options and being in WD's in sweltering heat and humidity, although I will be spending 95% of my time in an place with AC
So if anyone can add some information about CP management in either country, please feel free to do so. I want to live in paradise, but it won't be paradise if I'm in constant pain or having to run around constantly like a junkie trying to score.
Been there, done that. It's like having two Full-Time jobs. I'm too old for that now and have no desire to get "locked up abroad"
Again, my apologies for the long post. Any feedback, positive or negative is always welcomed.
Much thanks.
i dont know about methadone clinics over there i cant say i saw any but i wanst really looking for methadone clinics i know they have just started up the bupe program over there so u may be in luck