Are fake prescription drugs a big problem in Taiwan?

I’ve read a lot of horror stories about fake prescription drugs in China. Just wondering, how much of an issue is it in Taiwan? I ask this because I currrently live in Canada, and take zoloft (an anti depressant), which I consider a life saver for me. I’m thinking of moving to Taiwan for a few years, and just want to make sure I’m not taking any risks with my medication while I’m there. I know in China, you have a good chance of getting a placebo, even worse, with many prescription drugs.

Not so far. It has been an issue with Chinese medicine from China, as it contains way too many chemicals or it is a downright fake, like wood scraps instead of the real stuff.

Most medication is given at hospitals, and some hospitals have had some trouble with giving you the most expensive real stuff, which gives them generous kickbacks, but that is as far as it has gone. Of course, common sense says that you should stick to well-known pharmacies/hospitals, and it should be peachy.

Thanks! Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I can’t take chances when it comes to my medication. Hell on earth without em’.

That’s no paranoia. You should never gamble with your health!

The only problem I’ve had with pharmacies in Taiwan is that they try to give you fewer pills than you’re paying for. Since I’ve started opening the packages and checking right in the store, I’ve found three cases where they were trying to rip me off. (Of course, to save face, the pharmacist said it was just a mistake and I pretended to believe him.) One time, once I had opened up the heavily sealed box and the container inside it, there were no pills at all. If I had not checked right there in the store, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to prove that container was empty. Even though I did open it right there, the assistant tried for quite a while to claim that I had somehow dropped the pills or hidden them. The other times, there were just fewer pills than they sold me.

Second that you are ever too paranoid about medication/health. One more thing: do check the medicines they give you here on the Internet. if anything, docs here love to prescribe too much medication, and it is interesting for you to read the fine line when you search on the 'Net (especially for colds, lots of antibiotics, even sleeping pills, seriously, so be careful with interactions with your current medications).

Oh, and I know how you feel, life would be very unpleasant without my Nexium.

There are occasional news reports about customs hauls of huge quantities of fake/sub-standard pharmaceuticals.

Where do the ones that get into the country end up? I guess maybe the mom and pop shops on every sidestreet.