Anti depressants- Please help | ExpatWoman.com
 

Anti depressants- Please help

10
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 September 2016 - 17:49
Thanks so much, thats good to know. I'm very nervous about bringing medications with me. I'll be travelling in November and coming home for the summer in July so I'm going to bring 8 months supply with me and stock up again at home. Hoping once I have the GP's letter and prescription that it will be ok.
9
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 September 2016 - 10:30
Hi there I can share my recent experience and I hope it will help. I can't talk for the medication either have listed however I did bring my own medication in to Dubai three weeks ago. I had six months worth of medication in my checked in luggage - each box was labelled with my name from the pharmacy. I had a letter from my Dr stating these were my medications and that I required to travel with them. I did not have a prescription with me however - but as I said each box/bottle of tablets had the label from the pharmacy stating my name and the prescribing Drs name. I just made sure my name was correct which obviously matched my passport. I have done this twice now, once to visit and then again when I moved here. Both times without and hassle and I have not been stopped by security either time but perhaps I'm lucky. I had all the supporting documents so I wasn't worried. I also wanted to add - if this point is relevant to you - it would be ideal to bring six months atleast worth of medication with you when you move. Noting I am not a dr ofcourse and am only talking from personal experience. I say this purely because moving (let alone moving countries) is quite stressful so my dr recommended I ensure my medication was consistent. Settling in takes time so I found this was necessary! In my experience I have found only psychiatrists can prescribe such medication. I did some reasearch and chose one - I was able to book an appointment the same week. I found many psychiatrists will do a one hour session first to detail your history and then request only thirty minute follow up sessions from there. I didn't try to find a public psychiatrist, I found a private clinic and paid the full fee. Some insurances may cover this in part but that depends. Apologies for the very long post. I am by no means a dr or an expert, simply sharing my recent experience. I have also followed this same process for Qatar where I lived also again without an issue. All the best. x
10
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 September 2016 - 00:15
Travelling to Dubai for the first time next week and will have my citalopram with me... Have a stamped letter from my gp saying this is prescribed. Is that all I need or should I bring prescription with me?? Also, when I'm moving over in November if I bring 8 months worth of medication with me and have this letter will that be ok at customs?? Nervous about what to do. Thanks!!
268
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2016 - 23:25
I am sorry I don't have precise information on quetiapine. I would really recommend that you come with at least 6 months of your medication, and take the original prescription with you in case they ask questions at the airport. What I wrote a few years ago is still valid: not all psychiatric meds are available here and mostly they are often out of stock. HTH
2
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 April 2016 - 12:51
Does anybody have issues obtaining quetiapine in Abu Dhabi? I take it as a regular medication and don't mind whether I have to see a GP or a consultant for the script. I'm travelling over from Australia with 3 months supply and a certificate from my psychiatrist as it says to on the UAE consulate page. However I'm uncertain if I can obtain it over there and I can't do without it. Please help.
Anonymous (not verified)
0
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 February 2013 - 12:26
I bought some over the counter in Dubai last week.
4329
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 21 February 2013 - 20:55
The rules seem to be very different between the two emirates. You can buy many things over the counter in Dubai - hormone replacement, antibiotics etc which you cannot in AD. Also, in AD only consultants, not even specialists can prescribed controlled or semi controlled drugs. I take Lurica for back pain, which is semi controlled, and it only can be prescribed by consultant orthopaedic surgeon in AD emirate. All brandfs of HRT not available over the counter now in case anyone needs to know! <em>edited by spongemonkey on 22/02/2013</em>
231
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 February 2013 - 17:52
You can get Zoloft prescribed here... Dr Bernard Fischer is very understanding- google him and make an appointment- it costs about 400 dhs for an appointment and is maybe not covered by your insurance but have a chat with him and he'll let you know- don't add this worry to your other worries. As has been said not all pharmacies stock but he will be able to advise. HTH <em>edited by Licorice on 21/02/2013</em>
Anonymous (not verified)
0
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 February 2013 - 17:49
The rules seem to be very different between the two emirates. You can buy many things over the counter in Dubai - hormone replacement, antibiotics etc which you cannot in AD. Also, in AD only consultants, not even specialists can prescribed controlled or semi controlled drugs. I take Lurica for back pain, which is semi controlled, and it only can be prescribed by consultant orthopaedic surgeon in AD emirate.
461
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 21 February 2013 - 14:26
On board with dangerous Blonde, my GP has no problem with this either.
4
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 February 2013 - 13:07
Oh right, maybe its different in Dubai to Abu Dhabi? But on numerous times I was told GP cannot under any circumstances prescribe these meds.... That's great if you can get your GP to prescribe :)
268
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 February 2013 - 22:44
When I first saw a psychiatrist in Dubai, I explained my situation and my treatment but never had to provide a letter from my doctor in France. Just make sure the doctor tells you where to go for the meds because, at times, pharmacies are out of stock. At this point, I get a year supply of medication in France and travel with the prescription -- because it is cheaper outside the UAE, but mostly because I do not want to have to "hunt" for my Effexor. I had to go once around Dubai with my prescription, and it was both unnecessary and demeaning. BTW I was stopped once at customs because of the meds, but there was no problem because I had the prescription. Psychiatrists in Dubai are just not the same "caliber" (for lack of a better word) as in other countries and I still have my shrink in France. I am not sure I would trust any of the ones I met with making decisions about my meds. HTH <em>edited by Loukoum on 20/02/2013</em>
1042
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 20 February 2013 - 21:29
I would recommend firstly getting a letter from your attending physician in your home country with details of your anxiety, how long you have been on medication etc. Take this letter to the GP at the medical centre which you decide to register at. If you need a referral they should be able to refer you, or hopefully they can prescribe straight away. Just turning up at a doctor and saying "I need these drugs" will most likely result in you needing a referral to a consultant for a full evaluation as they cannot just take your word for it and will need to assess you themselves. But if your treating doctor in the UK can pass on your previous medical history things will be much easier and you should be able to pick up where you left off. It would be a good idea to engage a doctor here for a full treatment program and your previous history will mean that you won't have to cover old ground so that when the time is right and you want to reduce and stop taking SSRIs you can under your new doctor's supervision. Have you considered any cognitive-behaviour therapy? It is often used in conjunction with SSRIs to treat depression and anxiety and has been very successful in many cases. Don't be too concerned about it you will be able to get the medication here and any doctor will know that you cannot just stop taking SSRIs so at the very least they should be able to prescribe you a small amount (even a daily prescription) until your history is available or they have done their own history to keep you going.
415
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 20 February 2013 - 20:24
I was prescribed Zoloft once by a Obgyn, so I am sure that even though they are a semi-contolled drug, they are not one of the few that can only be prescribed by a Psychiatrist. <em>edited by CallMeMaybe on 20/02/2013</em>
4747
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 20 February 2013 - 20:12
Hi, I have recently moved to Abu Dhabi and ran out of my Effexor, went to the doctor, only to be told, GP's cannot prescribe anti-depressents as they are controlled drugs. You have to go see a consultant psychiatrist and they will give you a prescription. Your insurance will not cover a private consultation, however i'm not sure if you arrange just a public consultation, as far as i'm aware though, you could be waiting a couple of months to see them publicly. I paid AED350 to see privately and got an appointment for the next day, well worth it. Medication can be expensive, 2 weeks supply was AED200, well compared to Ireland it's a bit more expensive, would have imagined it would have been cheaper here...? Anyway, my point is, GP will not prescribe these for you, and a lot of chemists don't even stock, you might have to go to hospital pharmacy. Good luck :))) yes pyschistricts are the ones that can prescribe controlled anti-depressents etc but 200 dhs isnt that bad some of them run into 1,000 aed a time. insurance usually doesnt cover this type of medicine, unless you can get into skmc and may work out a little cheaper.
4
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 February 2013 - 18:29
Hi, I have recently moved to Abu Dhabi and ran out of my Effexor, went to the doctor, only to be told, GP's cannot prescribe anti-depressents as they are controlled drugs. You have to go see a consultant psychiatrist and they will give you a prescription. Your insurance will not cover a private consultation, however i'm not sure if you arrange just a public consultation, as far as i'm aware though, you could be waiting a couple of months to see them publicly. I paid AED350 to see privately and got an appointment for the next day, well worth it. Medication can be expensive, 2 weeks supply was AED200, well compared to Ireland it's a bit more expensive, would have imagined it would have been cheaper here...? Anyway, my point is, GP will not prescribe these for you, and a lot of chemists don't even stock, you might have to go to hospital pharmacy. Good luck :)))
4
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 February 2013 - 18:24
I am a new comer to Dubai and need to get some Zoloft (an SSRI anti depressant). I brought a few months supply with me but these are running out. I have insurance (under my husbands work): how do I find a GP to get a prescription? Is this easy? Will the GP be expensive? Please help as this issue is causing some anxiety (the very thing that the drugs are meant to help!)
 
 

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