Does anyone have any information on Prozac in Taiwan. Is it available here? Can you recommend a doctor who will prescribe it?
Thanks
It is available. How easy it is to get it prescribed (and not something else), I don’t know. Shouldn’t be too hard if you just want the pills.
Antidepressants, including Prozac are easy to get in Taiwan. Any doctor can prescribe it for you. The prescription is also covered by your health insurance which means you can get a couple months supply for your measly $100 user fee.
you don’t NEED to see a doctor. I buy it over the counter on hengyang Road (behind 228 peace park) and at a pharmacy close to my house. not all pharmacies have it.
beware: the american brand :lilly is really expensive. they will try to sell you that first. the prozac made in taiwan by a local maufacturer (same ingredient) is 600 for 30 pills.
more info needed? PM me
That pharmacy on Hengyang Rd is brilliant! It’s called Shanghai Pharmacy btw. Any other goodies you can get there?
Brian
What about Valium? I know that they used to sell ketamine, but I bet not any longer.
Wolf, Valium and Prozac are not even remotely the same thing. Taking Valium for your depression is like drinking for your hernia.
I used to take fluoxetine (generic prozac) but it gave me the sex drive of a eunuch. It can also increase aggression in some people You might want to look into 5-HTP (L-5-Hydroxytryptophan) instead. It is a serotonin precursor, increasing the supply of serotonin. SSRIs like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Wellbutrin block recycling of serotonin to increase supply, but it’s not quite the same thing. 5-HTP is not available in Taiwan that I’ve seen, but it is available OTC in many other countires (because it is naturally occurring and thus considered a supplement). 5-HTP has worked as well as fluoxetine for me, without the side effects.
Wellbutrin is quite different from Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft … it works on a different neurotransmitter. For people who have problems with the sexual side-effects of the latter three, Wellbutrin is usually a good choice. There is also a new version called Wellbutrin XL, but I’m not sure if it’s available in Taiwan yet.
Ah, learn something new everyday. I read the docs on it which say it is a weak inhibitor of the uptake of norephenephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. So basically it works on three neurotransmitters instead of just one. They also tout the lower incidence of sexual side effects as a feature. I always thought this was just like the other ones. I’ll keep this in mind in the future.
I’ve also heard about another SSRI called Effexor, which also apparently has a lower rate of sexual disfunction, but I’m not sure which neurotransmitters it effects or how similar it is to the other antidepressants out there.
LittleBuddha, do you know if Wellbutrin is available here yet? How much is it?
Thanks!
my girlfriend works for GSK, who make WellButrin, and it is being “launched” this year. in fact, it was launched at the beginning of the year. however, when i went to Shanghai pharmacy to inquire about it, they had never heard of it. it’s probably only available through doctors
FYI, Wellbutrin is the same drug as Zyban, which is used for smoking cessation. Since most insurance programs in the US don’t cover smoking cessation, people often get prescriptions for Wellbutrin instead. Not anyone I know, of course.
But I can still lift the pill bottle… :?
I am not depressed; I was just asking about the drug store. When I feel depressed I drink more or go to sleep. 
:o
you can still buy little blue valiuem pills over the counter. that’s what keeps me sane! NT$5 a pop.
by the way, it is cold as hell in Seoul right now and I wish i had never come this godforsaken hell hole of a country. except my salary is great and i love kimchi. other than that, i miss my GF in Keelung and my valium runs in Taipei. Hard to get here in Korea.
Kamsamida!
This topic should probably be renamed anti-depressants…
The digestive side effects of 5-HTP finally caught up with me, so I’ve switched over to Wellbutrin SR. I was on the original Wellbutrin ages and ages ago but they didn’t have the timed release version then so I had to take it 4 times a day on a rigid schedule which was a pain the the ass. Currently there are three versions of Wellbutrin:
Wellbutrin - Instant release formula, take 2-4 times a day
Wellbutrin SR - sustained release 12 hour formula, 1-2 times a day
Wellbutrin XL - extended release 24 hour formula, 1 time a day
Also Zyban contains the same drug as Wellbutrin but is marketed as an aid to stop smoking. Wellbutrin SR is also marketed as an aid to stop smoking in Taiwan.
Currently (according to the pharmacy I went to) the XL version is not available in Taiwan, and the SR version is only available here in 150mg strength. It comes in packs of 60, and the box and patient information sheet is in both English and Chinese. Wellbutrin SR is normally dosed at 150mg for smoking cessation, or 300mg (twice daily 8-12 hours apart) for treatment of depression. For treatment of depression one should start at 150mg daily for a week or two and then increase to 300mg. I’ve read of others taking higher doses than 300mg, but I’ve also read that the risk of seizure is higher at dosages above 450mg daily.
If you have a history of seizures, kidney or liver problems, Wellbutrin is not for you. Read the prescribing information and patient information sheets for more information: us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_wellbutrinSR.pdf
It’s been mentioned before in other areas, but the place I bought Wellbutrin SR at is:
The Shanghai Union Dispensary & Co. Ltd.
32 Henyang Road
Taipei
(02)2311-6644
shanghai@ms5.hinet.net
They are located on Henyang Road between Chongqing and Bo Ai Roads. You can reach it easily from Ximen Station by walking east on Henyang Road to just past Bo Ai Road and it will be on your right. It is also walking distance from Taipei Main Station or NTU Hospital Station.
I tried Wellbutrin SR while it was undergoing “trials” at NTU hospital for about 6 months. It didn’t do anything for me. It works for depression, but not for anxiety, and many forms of depression also come with anxiety (and/or OCD). If you experience anxiety in addition to depression (sometimes hard to distinguish), try something other than Wellbutrin. I take Effexor now, and out of Prozac, Paxil, and Wellbutrin, I’ve found it to be the most effective for me. No sexual side effects either (one of the downsides of drugs like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft).
I think everyone is a bit different in their response to the various medications. The SSRIs I’ve been on, Prozac and Zoloft both worked great for me but killed my sex drive, which is pretty annoying. When I was on Wellbutrin a long time ago it was a pain in the ass having to take so many pills everyday, but the only side effect I recall is dry-mouth. I don’t want to make it sound like any one medication is right for everyone, just adding some information to the pool.
I noticed that Effexor and Wellbutrin have both been in the news lately.
British regulators are recommending stricter labeling and prescribing of Effexor due to fears of heart problems:
forbes.com/business/feeds/ap … 93749.html
Generic Wellbutrin SR coming to the US soon:
forbes.com/business/feeds/ap … 93223.html