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liveinkorea316
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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There is no need to opt out of using the National Insurance plan. There is no way that the information they hold can be leaked to your school.
The only way that your school can find out is if your doctor tells them...so choose a doctor in a large city away from your school and you will be fine.
Without Insurance you pay quite alot I heard. If insurance covers your meds then it could save you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. |
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ironclad80
Joined: 13 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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| rach123 wrote: |
I just want to make certain from another source that my medications will be available in S. Korea - citalopram and seroquel. Does anyone have an e-mail address of a pharmacist or MD that could tell me for sure? I've sent an e-mail to one of the international clinics and hopefully will hear back from them.
Also, are medications pretty cheap there? How much can I expect to pay without using insurance (I don't want the school to find out)?
le-paul - I can't pm yet, so if you have any more specific info for me and prefer to pm me, then i can correspond with you. |
where are you teaching? if you are in or near seoul i can give you the email address of my doctor so you can ask about your meds. i don't think you will have any problem finding them. however, some meds here only come in smaller forms, for example, there might not be a 100mg pill for something but your doctor will just give you two 50mg pills.
the meds are relatively cheap with insurance, but my doctor consulation fee is about 50,000 and insurance doesn't cover that :/ |
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rach123
Joined: 21 Oct 2010
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| Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 9:20 am Post subject: |
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| I will be teaching in Seoul. That would be great to get your dr.'s info. |
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mthomson225
Joined: 17 Sep 2010
Location: Eunpyung
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| Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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I'm currently teaching here and taking citalopram. I was taking it when I took the drug test and I told the doctor about it ahead of time. It wasn't a big deal (although I agree that they're only looking for specific substances with a urine test).
As far as getting the medication goes, my pcp wrote me a prescription for "365 pills" and not 12 months and then the pharmacy could give me a giant bottle to take with me. Just be aware it usually takes them a few days to get all the medicine together. |
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marina_ballerina
Joined: 19 Jul 2009
Location: Nowon, S. Korea
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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| sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but they will sometimes find anti-depressants in your urine test. It happened to a friend of mine, she had to go off meds for a few days and re-take the test...not that I would recommend going off your meds for the test, but just be aware it is possible they will find something. |
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rach123
Joined: 21 Oct 2010
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 7:37 am Post subject: |
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| mthomson225 wrote: |
| I'm currently teaching here and taking citalopram. |
Can you tell me how much you pay? I'm mainly concerned about the seroquel I take b/c it's a really expensive drug w/out health insurance and I don't know what insurance coverage for meds is like in Korea. |
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SCAshley
Joined: 15 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Has anyone had a problem with Xanax in their system? I'm prescribed it for occasional panic attacks and I often take it when flying-would this fall under the category of drugs they're looking for in your system? |
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Kaypea
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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| marina_ballerina wrote: |
| sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but they will sometimes find anti-depressants in your urine test. It happened to a friend of mine, she had to go off meds for a few days and re-take the test...not that I would recommend going off your meds for the test, but just be aware it is possible they will find something. |
I'm curious, though, what happened to your friend?
I really think (hope?) that if you have a medical note to justify your use of some antidepressant, it won't be a problem. Even though you must sign a form saying you've never had psychological illnesses, I think having a doctor's note saying you suffer "anxiety" (I don't think that's a taboo ailment here) and that you're fully functional, you'll be ok.. |
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marina_ballerina
Joined: 19 Jul 2009
Location: Nowon, S. Korea
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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| she just had to go off meds and re-take the test a few days later...when you do the medical check, you're with your employer, so there's not really a chance to talk to the dr. alone. Also, I don't know that much about it, but according to other dave's posters many doctors find any kind of anxiety/anti-depressant use to be unacceptable. |
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naskland
Joined: 14 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm just going to jump on this thread with my question concerning the drug test. Is it a urine test or blood test? I will be working for EPIK. |
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jacksthirty
Joined: 30 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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BOTH!
I've taken Xanex before. Just tell the doctor beforehand that you take it for stress (or fear of flying), just to be safe! |
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hkverde
Joined: 13 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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OK, so the consensus seems to be:
- most meds are available in Korea
- mark "no" on the mental health question on the questionnaire
- there should be no problem getting through customs with a full year's supply of meds (??)
- you should mention to the doctor doing your drug test that you take meds
Is that all right? I'd love to hear confirmation from someone who has gone to Korea with a year's worth of meds and who has done the drug test, etc. |
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Gaegeum2003
Joined: 08 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| hkverde wrote: |
OK, so the consensus seems to be:
- most meds are available in Korea
- mark "no" on the mental health question on the questionnaire
- there should be no problem getting through customs with a full year's supply of meds (??)
- you should mention to the doctor doing your drug test that you take meds
Is that all right? I'd love to hear confirmation from someone who has gone to Korea with a year's worth of meds and who has done the drug test, etc. |
Personally, I think it's the best policy to lie about everything depression and anti-depressant related in Korea. I know, I know, this may go against your better judgment, but honestly, I don't think Koreans want your honesty, they simply want a "healthy" teacher.
Point One: Yes, almost all meds are available in Korea.
Point Two: Definitely mark a "no" on the medical questionnaire.
Point Three: You'll have no problem getting through customs.
Point Four: And this falls into the category of deny, deny, deny, I wouldn't admit anything during the drug test. Anti-depressants, and Zoloft in particular, has only a 24% chance of showing up on this type of a drug test if you're taking it regularly. This is in comparison to an average false positive for any other medication, like nyquil, which shows up between 10 to 20% as a positive result. So if, and i mean only if, it does show up on the drug screening then bring it out and say oops, and then say you take it for fear of flying.
Hope that helps. |
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hkverde
Joined: 13 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll go ahead and take your advice on the blood test thing. Sigh. It's totally against my better judgment but it sounds like in this case it may be the smart thing to do. Do you think they would actually believe that I take Prozac for fear of flying though? I don't think it's prescribed for that. I do know that it's prescribed for general anxiety and PMS so I'm wondering if one of those should be my "issue" if it does show up..... |
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Gaegeum2003
Joined: 08 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:39 am Post subject: |
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You're welcome. And even though I know it's hard advice to follow, I think it's best. And as you said, just chalk it up to something other than depression.
Best of luck!!
When do you arrive in Korea? |
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