Job Discussion Forums

[Qaaolchoura]

So actually, it's occurred to me that I might not need a psychiatrist to prescribe antidepressants. I've always gone to a psychiatrist because it was covered by my father's health plan, but googling I've realized that Turks have one of the highest antidepressant usage rates in the world, and so it seems like there might be an easier way.

Can I go to a GP and get a prescription, and is it easy to find one who speaks English?

I'm also running low on lamotrigine (a mood stabilizer), which might require a psychiatrist, but if I can get anti-depressants from a non-psychiatrist, I could check on that.

Thanks,
~Q

[Dedicated]

You could try : Dr. Tarik Yilmaz
Vali Konagi Caddesi No 173
D: 10/4 Nisantasi Tel : (0212) 230 02 00

or : La Paix (private hospital, dealing with psychological/neurological disorders)
Buyukdere Caddesi No 22/24
Sisli Tel: (0212) 246 10 20

I don't know anything about medicines - maybe ask at a pharmacy?

[Qaaolchoura]

Thanks Dedicated. Though Dr. Yilmaz charges 400 for a consultation, and the hospital hung up on me when I asked if they spoke English.

What I need specifically is a psychiatrist who can prescribe the antidepressants, and preferably a doctor who specializes in that (15 or 30 minute sessions), rather than an hour-long consultation.

Thanks,
~Q

[Qaaolchoura]

Actually, I don't really need a psychiatrist, just someone who can prescribe antidepressants (and, ideally lamotrigine), and I've updated the title to reflect that. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
~Q

[Dedicated]

Qaaolchura,

I can only suggest you go to the American Hospital, in Guzelbahce Sokak, Nisantasi (Tel: (0212) 311 20 00 ), where all the doctors speak English and most have been trained in the US.

Try asking for any of these :

Dr Aziz Kaya (General surgeon)
Dr Ender Berker
Dr Erdogan Aygar
Dr Genco Yucel
Prof. Dr. Mahmut Berkman
Dr Omer Ayata

Whilst they might not be a specialist in this area, they would surely refer you to someone who is. Lamotrigine is the brand name in the US only.

[Qaaolchoura]

Thanks, I'll try that. And I checked--lamotrigine is the generic name. The brand name is Lamictal, and it's an off-lable use as an antidepressant (or mood stabilizer--the main reason he prescribed it is anti-anxiety) but I can attest that it does work. So hopefully I can find a Turkish doctor who will prescribe it. But sertraline should be easy enough to get when I find a doctor who prescribes.

Thanks again,
~Q

[Qaaolchoura]

240 YTL for an appointment.
I don't understand. With the consultation, and the sertraline alone costs what it does unsubsidized in the United States, based on what I've been offered, I'd have a hard time affording it, based on what I estimate other costs to be, and I don't drink.

If the Turks make less than foreign teachers usually do, how do they do it?

Thanks,
~Q

[chiichan]

Sometimes, you don't even need a prescription in Turkey to get a drug, whereas in other countries it' might be required. If I were you, I would call several pharmacies and see if you can get your meds without a prescription. (one pharmacy might say no, but another yes -- this is from my experience).

If you don't speak Turkish, ask a Turkish speaker to help you with the phone calls.

Good luck!

[lucia79]

Yes, many times you don't need a prescription. I was amazed at how you can just go to a pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for something (which in the US you would need a prescription for) and they'll give it to you. Try walking into a couple of pharmacies in your neighborhood and see what they say.

[Qaaolchoura]

Thanks guys.
I walked in to the first pharmacy and asked for both of those things. In fact I accidentally asked for a dosage that didn't exist for the sertraline. Still no problem. Of course neither of those are drugs prone to abuse, so it might be uncommon sense. (I'd have to try asking for a drug that often gets abused to test it.)

~Q

[gloomyGumi]

forget the meds. they will screw you up worse than any mood disorder you may have. Big Pharma intentionally adding squaline, aluminum and barium.
also:

(NEJ Med. 2009)..."The study in rats follows an epidemiologic study in humans, published in July 2011 in the Archives of General Psychiatry (2). That investigation found that children of mothers who took SSRIs during the year prior to giving birth were 221% as likely to give birth to a child who developed autism."

[Qaaolchoura]

gloomyGumi:
Everything but a glass of milk has been "linked" to autism. That doesn't mean it causes it, though it does make sensationalist headlines. Autism and depression are both disorders that run in families, and the symptoms of autism, as well as other mood disorders, can be found in "unaffected" family members. My personal guess is that there's good reason for social awkwardness to go along with emotional problems.

As for not taking med, I thought the same thing for a long time. During a serious bout of dysthymia, I finally gave into my mother's pleadings on the matter. I have a history of depression--had two diagnosed incidents during public school, and while it was officially prescribed as a preventative measure, it seriously helped with the feelings of ennui.

My efforts here in Turkey, meanwhile devolved to staying in my room around the six-week mark. At which point my mother pointed out Id forgotten my antidepressants, and I remembered from pyschopharmacology, that they take six-weeks to take effect and stop taking effect. And yes, I took a psychopharmacology class before I agreed to try anti-depressants, and asked the psychiatrist to explain things like I wasn't an idiot; I ditched one psychiatrist who did try the "prescribe random things I have free samples for and see what happens," approach.

~Q

[PC Parrot]

Are you sure it wasn't the phone saga that triggered it?

It would have for me. I could have done with a pack of those pills each time I passed by a government office in Turkey .. and I can get by pretty well in the local lingo.