Anybody here take escitalopram (Lexapro)? How to get?

I’m wondering if anybody here takes escitalopram for anxiety. Currently I get it from a nearby pharmacy for 300 per box of 20 but back in Europe I was able to get a box of 100 pills for cheap. As I take 2 a day it’s starting to get a little expensive and also annoying going to the pharmacy every 10 days for the same thing.

I’m wondering what kind of doctor can I go to to get a prescription? Basically, looking for the cheapest way. Can I go to any doctor? Or would it need to be a psychiatrist?

Any ideas on cost? I have NHI

You can go to a psychologist. Can be at a hospital or psychiatric clinic. You pay the 200nt and if you need it, the medicine is usually fully covered.

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Thank you! Wouldn’t there also be a registration fee too? I found a mental health clinic close by but not sure if that’s the same.

I’ve never had a fee. That sounds very american.

I take them. Go to any shrink at a hospital and they can prescribe it.

No a counselor can NOT prescribe medications, they do not have a MD. You need a real shrink.

NHI covers it and apart from the standard copay from a hospital (around 500) you can ask for a 3 month prescription that gives you the first month at the hospital and you get a script that you take to any NHI pharmacy to pick up the medication for free.

I don’t know about clinics but hospitals generally charge a registration fee, etc. but it ends up totaling around 500 depending on treatments ordered, but never more than 800. Clinics are less but they can only give 3 days of medications.

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Thank you so much for your answer! I was just about to visit the clinic, thanks for warning me they can only give 3 days of medication!

So I just got to any standard hospital and ask for a psychiatry doctor? And the whole thing will cost less than 800? Assuming you’re in Taipei too. Do you have a recommended hospital or does it not matter which one I go to?

I go to Veteran General Hospital, but you can go to other public hospitals like NTU hospital or something. You go to psychiatrist or something. GP’s don’t prescribe psychotropic medication as a rule…

Plus honestly I find clinics to be lacking and they often just give you junk medications or treat everything like a cold. There’s a limit to what they can treat I guess.

In Chinese it’s 精神科 or 身心科

Is this a general rule, or specific to that drug? I get a month at a time of Zoloft from my local psychiatric clinic (for 200nt on NHI).

Usually clinics give you 3 days to a week first. You have to come back to see how you are doing on the drug. After that, they shouldn’t have an issue giving out 1 month at a time or more.

Although if you’re firm on Lexapro you can just ask the doctor for a 3 month prescription explaining that you don’t want to waste NHI resources and don’t have money to afford all the copays…

Thanks for the answers. I’ve been on lexapro for 2 years now. I think registering at a clinic then going back after 3 days in hope that I could get a 3 month prescription would be kind of annoying.

Looking for the cheapest option overall

If you’ve been on it for years and can show some evidence of this, they probably won’t just give you 3 days worth of meds.

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