Q. Availability of Strong Painkillers on Prescription?

Hello Trevor.

Opiates are widely available in Phnom Penh, here is a list from last year of available meds:

- Morphine (Time release capsules, 10mg, 30mg & 60mg)
- Diazepam
- Codeine (8mg, 15mg & 30mg with paracetamol. Under the names Codalgin, Dafalgen etc)
- Xanax
- Valium
- Tramadol

Source: Pharmacology - https://drugs-forum.com/threads/availab … ia.131622/

Hope this helps.

Joe
Cambodia expert
Expat.com team

Thanks Joe.   Certainly a better situation than Thailand there.   Are prescriptions required?   I presume customs are okay with travellers bringing in prescription supplies?   Diazepam, Xanax and Valium are tranquillisers; I don't use ... to aid sleep Melatonin is best and sold over the counter in America but the UK banned imports a few years back.

Best painkiller is the semi-synthetic opioid Oxycodone but it is addictive.   Morphine is less effective and causes me joint aches.   CBD oil and paste, the non-psychoactive components of Cannabis, can help pain, as well as various herbs like ginger, and also bee pollen with egg/coconut cream/lemon juice/honey/cheese.

Hi Trevor.

Don't know about prescriptions, but take it with you anyway, if it was only to show customs you have opioids for own use, not for selling.

I'm a bad listener to modern medicine, as I'm totally [well nearly] on the natural health system.
So many natural products do the same but without any side effects, overdose or addiction.
Another addition to it is food, many foods are helping us to become or stay healthy.

I won't bother you with my natural way of life, but if you're interested send me a pm.

You talk about some natural things like ginger, very good. In case you don't know already try Turmeric but black pepper added, which makes it 10x more powerful as a painkiller. There are capsules available too of turmeric and black pepper.
In cooking it is easy to add healthy products, like I use turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, garlic and more.

Cheers.

Joe

JoeKhmer wrote:

Hi Trevor.

Don't know about prescriptions, but take it with you anyway, if it was only to show customs you have opioids for own use, not for selling.

I'm a bad listener to modern medicine, as I'm totally [well nearly] on the natural health system.
So many natural products do the same but without any side effects, overdose or addiction.
Another addition to it is food, many foods are helping us to become or stay healthy.

I won't bother you with my natural way of life, but if you're interested send me a pm.

You talk about some natural things like ginger, very good. In case you don't know already try Turmeric but black pepper added, which makes it 10x more powerful as a painkiller. There are capsules available too of turmeric and black pepper.
In cooking it is easy to add healthy products, like I use turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, garlic and more.

Cheers.

Joe

Joe do you drink golden milk?

I don't drink golden milk aka turmeric tea, mainly because I don't drink milk.
On top the 1 tsp of turmeric is so little, I think I get more turmeric when cooking.

I use fresh turmeric from the market around the corner, black Kampot pepper, fresh ginger and fresh galangal. These are more or less standard ingredients when I cook, mostly I cook a kind of curry or chilli con carne. Of course onion and garlic are standard too. I cook in extra virgin olive oil from Spain or Greece, not from Italy.

At night I sometimes make ginger tea from fresh ginger, I like that a lot.

Cheers.

Joe

JoeKhmer wrote:

I don't drink golden milk aka turmeric tea, mainly because I don't drink milk.
On top the 1 tsp of turmeric is so little, I think I get more turmeric when cooking.

I use fresh turmeric from the market around the corner, black Kampot pepper, fresh ginger and fresh galangal. These are more or less standard ingredients when I cook, mostly I cook a kind of curry or chilli con carne. Of course onion and garlic are standard too. I cook in extra virgin olive oil from Spain or Greece, not from Italy.

At night I sometimes make ginger tea from fresh ginger, I like that a lot.

Cheers.

Joe

I can't wait to get my hands on some ingredients from the markets...

Hi. I’m coming to PP next month. I need percocet and I’m told here that it is hard to get there. I have two questions. 1. Will local doctors prescribe percocet?  2. If not, can I buy it safely without a prescription?  Safely meaning is the pill safe? And am I breaking any laws?

Thank you

Pharmacies here will supply anything without a prescription. A friend went to one recently and asked what is the strongest painkiller the have,. Answer: tramadol. So he bought some. In my own country it would only be given under strict medical supervision. Here? Over the counter.

Thank you

@JoeKhmer hello. I’ve been trying to find someone else who lives in Cambodia besides my brother.

    I plan on moving to Cambodia, i have serious chronic pain, for reasons I don’t want to talk about, but I am on a pain program with a pain specialist. My question is you mentioned that morphine is available in  the city, is that still true ?

I bought some pretty strong pain killer (not morphine)from a walk-in pharmacy. I had my doctor write a letter listing all my meds, and I brought most with me. When I got here I found that I forgot one. I showed the letter to pharmacist and pointed to the one I needed. She had half strength, so I bought twice what I would need for my 5 weeks. Price was very good (I can’t recall exact amount) and the meds worked as well as the ones I forgot about. Good luck with morphine-I think you will not have any problems. Pharmacie de la gare is where I went, not far from Wat Phnom.

@charlespedeson

I don't check available meds every year as I don't use any, but the list of a few years ago should be still valid.

Opioids are widely available and morphine should be available as well.

Take a prescription letter with you just in case.

Pharmacie de la Gare is the place to go, very knowledgeable and supplying many imported meds.

Cheers.

Joe

You might consider the herbal leaf 'Kratom', which was recently legalised in Thailand (together with limited quantities of marijuana).  Used as a painkiller and relaxant but dependence can be an issue too.   It grows throughout South-East Asia.

In Europe, Kratom is available from Germany, and generally legal, for now.  CBD, a very-low-THC extract of marijuana, is helpful for withdrawal from opioids.  As the OP here, I used CBD to wean myself off dangerous and highly-addictive Oxycodone, in favour of weaker opioids. 

Bottom line: you need to determine how much of your pain is real and how much is opiod addiction.  It is a fine balance!

@Trevor252

Kratom and marijuana are illegal substances in Cambodia so better stay away from it.

Joe

Thanks Joe.  Certainly a better situation than Thailand there.  Are prescriptions required?  I presume customs are okay with travellers bringing in prescription supplies?  Diazepam, Xanax and Valium are tranquillisers; I don't use ... to aid sleep Melatonin is best and sold over the counter in America but the UK banned imports a few years back.

Best painkiller is the semi-synthetic opioid Oxycodone but it is addictive.  Morphine is less effective and causes me joint aches.  CBD oil and paste, the non-psychoactive components of Cannabis, can help pain, as well as various herbs like ginger, and also bee pollen with egg/coconut cream/lemon juice/honey/cheese.
-@Trevor2522

Be very careful if you bring your own supply. It won’t be a problem in Cambodia, but most flights to Cambodia aren’t direct flights, you’ll fly through another country, and in some countries these medical drugs are treated just like importing recreational drugs like heroine or cocaine. Source: I know a guy who got arrested at the airport in Singapore (or maybe it was Malaysia, I’m not sure anymore) because he was carrying something similar to Oxycodone. Never mind that he not only had the regular prescription, but a letter from the state department, stating that his prescription was authentic and that he needed this drug for medical reasons. He spent half a day in a holding cell and only got out thanks to an employee of the Swiss embassy, who went there personally and lobbied on his behalf. And he still had to leave the country with the next flight.

@JoeKhmer hello. I’ve been trying to find someone else who lives in Cambodia besides my brother.
  I plan on moving to Cambodia, i have serious chronic pain, for reasons I don’t want to talk about, but I am on a pain program with a pain specialist. My question is you mentioned that morphine is available in the city, is that still true ?
-@charlespedeson

I would not count on obtaining morphine easily in any pharmacy. You might even have to go to a doctor, and get it from him (or a prescription). Tramadol should be easily available, but it isn’t as strong/as effective as morphine, and it could be a serious problem if you are used to treating your pain with morphine. I use both and can do with just Tramadol, but I’m doing a lot better with morphine.

Does anyone know if you can get it posted (by someone) if i paid. to send it to australia?

Does anyone know if you can get it posted (by someone) if i paid. to send it to australia? I stayed in cambodia last year and loved it so so much. im hoping to move there. but also have chronic pain and permanent disability.

thanks

Don't post it (illegal).   If you have a genuine need for narcotic painkillers in Western countries, a doctor will prescribe a supply.   In SE Asia, laws very widely.   The story above in Singapore/Malaysia, with a legitimate prescription, does not sound right -- they should permit undeclared importation of a reasonable quantity for the trip (if in doubt, declare it).   

Thailand requires an advance permit for Oxycodone, Morphine and Codeine -- but not Tramadol, which is available locally with a prescription.   Philippines & Vietnam roughly follow Western countries in terms of permitting a reasonable quantity with prescription.   If transiting the Middle East, be sure to carry a prescription for any narcotics and don't carry OTC Codeine if you don't have one; even poppy seeds in food are considered illegal.