But a doctor might hesitate to prescribe the drug for more than a few weeks because of its side-effects. It's mildly addictive. If the dosage is stopped suddenly, seizures can ensue. Antibiotics can be just as dangerous if not taken properly. If you don't, you don't get better, and the drug won't work so well next time.
Pharmacists here are often very good.
Mine, apart from being university-educated, also attends monthly workshops on new drugs. She has always been right in diagnosing my ailments. Thais sometimes have an aversion to going to the doctor. This may go back a long way in time, to when doctors were not respected and care for the ill was thought to be a family matter. In 'A Woman of Bangkok', Jack Reynolds' marvellous book, the female character is angry with the Englishman in the story who takes her son to hospital where he subsequently dies.