China Health Guide: Living in China with a Chronic Condition
Spending a few years in China can be exciting, but it can require advance planning on the health front because some medications and treatments just aren't available here. In this post, Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) Family Medicine Physicians Dr. Reinhard Krippner and Dr. Andrew Perrett give their advice about how best to organize your treatments and medications for chronic diseases for your stint in China.
Diabetes
"Diabetics, particularly the younger ones and the insulin-dependent ones, will check their blood sugar themselves," explains Dr. Krippner. "That means that they have a little machine with disposable sticks, and different companies produce different machines and each makes its own sticks. In China, you have a very limited number of machines and sticks, so if a diabetes patient comes to China with a machine and they don’t have a sufficient supply of sticks, then they may have a problem," he says. If you are a diabetic who uses a particular brand of sticks, you might prefer to bring enough sticks with you for your stay in China. If you are willing to switch brands or types of sticks, however, that's an option you can discuss with your doctor in China.
When it comes to different types of insulin available in China, there is also a limited variety on the market. Whereas people coming to China from abroad may expect to be able to buy all sorts of different brands and types, there are only four different insulins available in China. "So, again, people have to bring enough of their own insulin because they may arrive here and, if they have the wrong insulin, they won’t get the supply here or they have to get their own special order and we can’t guarantee we can get it," says Dr. Krippner.
In the West, there are many drugs for hypertension that work using a combination of active ingredients. If you’ve tried a few different brands and found one that you responded to the best, it’s possible that that brand had a ratio of these active ingredients that worked perfectly for you. That's why Dr. Krippner's advice is as follows: “If you are taking a combination drug for a chronic condition like hypertension, please consider bringing a sufficient supply of your medication to China.” If you’re open to trying a different combination of active ingredients, you can see a doctor at BJU and talk about getting a new prescription here.
However, if you do need to rely on medicines you buy here, you may not be able to get convenient doses of what you need. “In China, medications like this are often dispensed in boxes of seven tablets rather than in several hundreds of tablets, as you might be used to in your home country,” says Dr. Krippner. This can be inconvenient for people who need to take medications daily.
Unfortunately, certain newer, immunological, or very expensive medications available in the West aren't available in China. "Doctors and nurses in China are not allowed to order or administer drugs that are not registered in China," warns Dr. Krippner. So, if you need to take immunological medications for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, or another condition, and if these medications are not registered in China, then you will not be able to get them administered by a healthcare professional in China.
To this list of hard-to-get medications, Dr. Andrew Perrett has a few to add: "People with specific conditions for which they routinely use Dicloxacillin/Flucloxacillin antibiotics should discuss bringing a supply with them from their doctor at home," he says. "Some people take anticonvulsants that are best prescribed by brand. Bring a good supply with you. Long-term residents may need to switch," continues Dr. Perrett. His final piece of advice is as follows: "Small amounts of controlled medication clearly for personal use can be brought with you, together with your prescription, but larger amounts should not be brought across borders. Some controlled medications used elsewhere may not be available here, so alternatives may be needed."
Dr. Reinhard Krippner is a German Family Medicine physician at the United Family Liangma Clinic. He speaks German, English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Indonesian. To make an appointment with him, please call the BJU Service Center at 4008-919191.
Dr. Andrew Perrett is a British Family Medicine physician at Beijing United Family Hospital. He speaks English and Mandarin. To make an appointment with him, please call the BJU Service Center at 4008-919191.
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