Hi there,
Is it possible to get psychiatric medication (SSRI + Benzo) without having to book a psychiatrist at a hospital? The psychiatrists are all booked up long in advance and it takes a whole day to get through the whole ordeal.
This of course can be handled no problem by a GP in a western country.
Anywhere in Taipei city will do.
Much appreciated.
Taiwan does not have GPs per se. There are many smaller clinics (èšșæ) with the equivalent of GPs who might give you a short prescription but might also refer you to a psych department.
Thereâs also a mental health center, https://yoursclinic.com.tw/ on Nanjing sec. 2. For sure youâll have to talk to a specialist first but might be a good option.
Benzo, some they hand out like candy. SSRI Iâve no idea, but probably yes.
Yes. They can prescribe Benzos if they want. If you have a old prescription they will almost always refill it for you.
SSRI Iâm not sure. Iâm assuming they could.
For Xanax, Zoloft etc. thereâs some chemists who will sell them to you, but fewer than there used to be.
I was shocked recently to be refused antibiotics at two different chemists.
Wow, strange. They usually give me a book and let me pick out anything I want.
I was outraged 
My third option shared the diagnostics system with me.
I have my local pharmacist on line in Taiwan. I just message him and he orders it for me. This is the way to go really, in Italy it has been a pain in the ass to get simple medicine.
Many pharmacyâs will sell you SSRIâs directly, some will refuse but generally if you dress respectively and have an old box or prescription you should get them. Obviously theyâre not something to be played with or Google self diagnosed.
Most hospitals have GPâs or equivalent, usually under âFamily Medicineâ, no idea if they will prescribe or not. https://www.wanfang.gov.tw/p3_register_e3_english.aspx?deptcode=3700&depttype=B&deptdesc=Family%20Medicine&depttype2=T
Not sure why youâre having difficulty finding a psychiatrists, just looking at Wangfangâs page there doesnât appear to be any difficulty making an appointment. https://www.wanfang.gov.tw/p3_register_e3_english.aspx?deptcode=3600&depttype=B&deptdesc=Psychiatry&depttype2=T
Tzu Chi in Xindian also has a large Psychiatric department and you can make an appointment online, https://app.tzuchi.com.tw/tchw/opdregEXD/OpdTimeShow.aspx?Depart=èș«ćżé«ćžç§&HospLoc=4
Dr Wang appears to the doctor recommended in previous threads so might be worth giving him a try
I struggle to get an appointment at NTU. Perhaps I need to cast the net wider. What I donât enjoy is having to take such a long time to get through the hospital. There always seem to be long wait times and queues despite having an appointment.
My idea with the GP is just to walk in, wait 30 minutes and walk out with my prescription. My blood pressure goes through the roof when Iâm navigating these hospitals here.
Can understand that, with WanFang and Tzu Chi (and probably others) they have an App where you can live check what number is currently being seen and time your visit accordingly. If you know exactly what you need then just pick the least popular doctor (WangFang definitely lets you see how many patients currently have appointments for each doctor) and book an appointment with them, turn up about 45 mins from the end of surgery hours for docs with few patients and youâll often just breeze straight in. Another option is to make an appointment with the GP in the Adventist priority care clinic, somewhere around NT$2,000 a visit as they donât accept NHI however you get a time slot and an English speaking doctor guaranteed plus theyâll will go fetch your meds and hand them to you in the waiting room so no need to queue anywhere.
Everybody does, unless you know someone.
It is NTU, the most congested hospital in the Island.
Where do you live? Can you choose a closer one? As said, Tzu Chi, Adventist, veterans, all give adequate service. There are also mental health clinics taht will give you both meds and counseling in most cities.
For the fastest service, gotta pay 10k for Priority Care at Adventist.
I managed to get an appointment at Mackay Memorial Hospital. The last time I went there it took a really long time and they did not have the medication I needed. I managed to get the SSRI I usually take (and which was previously not available at Mackay) at a pharmacist OTC.
I take valium 5mg and will very occasionally take 10 - 15 mg. They only have 2mg diazepam at Mackay so it gets ridiculous having to take 5 to 7 tablets so Iâll get them to give me a properly dosed substitute.
There was another dedicated looking psychiatristâs office in the Zhongshan area but they were not able to give me an appointment at a suitable time.
Thanks for all your suggestions.
And their line?! 
Yes, thatâs how it works. You go to small clinics in your neighborhood for fast service and prescription refills. Avoid large hospitals unless you have the whole day.