Medication in USA

[AusUsa 1]

Hi, 

 

Ive been in the US now since end of April 2017 and got my green card in November. First thing i did was go home to visit my family back in my home country of Australia. I am now just recently back and really struggling with homesickness. My question is, I have been on a low dose SSRI for many years for my anxiety... silly me, forgot to stock up on my medication whilst i was back home. I will need a new prescription for my SSRI in the next month. My question is, will i need to see a psychiatrist here? I have heard that in order to get psychiatric medications here you see a regular doctor and then they refer you to a psychiatrist so that they can prescribe you with the medication. Will this be the case for me? Considering i have been on this medication for 10 plus years? I am thinking that seeing a psychiatrist here would be very expensive as I know seeing a regular doctor even is! 

 

Any help is appreciated! thanks heaps!

[ShanghaiSurfer 135]

It really depends on what insurance you are using. If it's an HMO type then yes you usually have to see primary doctor first then they will refer you to the appropriate physician. If it's PPO a lot of them will allow you to go directly to the specialist. 

 

If if you are not using insurance then simply call a psychiatrist and explain your situation. Ask what their fee would be in advance. 

 

Wish you feel better soon!

Edited January 25, 2018 by ShanghaiSurfer

[AshMarty 360]

9 hours ago, AusUsa said:

Hi, 

 

Ive been in the US now since end of April 2017 and got my green card in November. First thing i did was go home to visit my family back in my home country of Australia. I am now just recently back and really struggling with homesickness. My question is, I have been on a low dose SSRI for many years for my anxiety... silly me, forgot to stock up on my medication whilst i was back home. I will need a new prescription for my SSRI in the next month. My question is, will i need to see a psychiatrist here? I have heard that in order to get psychiatric medications here you see a regular doctor and then they refer you to a psychiatrist so that they can prescribe you with the medication. Will this be the case for me? Considering i have been on this medication for 10 plus years? I am thinking that seeing a psychiatrist here would be very expensive as I know seeing a regular doctor even is! 

 

Any help is appreciated! thanks heaps!

My husband immigrated 4 weeks after having a heart surgery in Australia. I work in the health field and made him gather all the copies of his health records to bring them to the US for his cardiac follow-up appointments. I would suggest that you see if you can get copies of your medical records emailed to you as well. It really helps stream line the medical plan of care .  While you are finding a Psychiatrist you like and trust you might even be able to present your past medical records to your GP and they might be able to prescribe you a dosage to hold you over while you wait for a referral or your Psychiatrist appointment. Some GPs even feel comfortable being the sole prescriber of SSRIs without Psychiatry involvement but that is dependent on the GP's comfort level and what they know about you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2018 by AshMarty

[Ontarkie 14,225]

You may not have to see a psychiatrist. Many doctors can and do write prescriptions for anxiety and depression. The only issue I can see is whether that specific medication you are on is available here. 

 

[dentsflogged 352]

I'm no help on the process of getting the prescription in the USA, but you could try asking your local pharmacy if they'd accept a prescription from Australia (provided that they can verify the doctor who is prescribing it, and it's a medication that they carry) and then ask your regular doctor to email the script into them?  I'm not sure if that's something that can happen internationally, but I had my South Australian doctor fax a copy of a prescription I needed to a pharmacy in Victoria once. 

I'm sure you know already, but please get the script sorted ASAP because SSRI's are not something that you want to run out of and have to go cold-turkey from, the side effects of going without (if you haven't been weaned off them) are NOT pleasant and can be dangerous.

[AshMarty 360]

4 hours ago, dentsflogged said:

I'm no help on the process of getting the prescription in the USA, but you could try asking your local pharmacy if they'd accept a prescription from Australia (provided that they can verify the doctor who is prescribing it, and it's a medication that they carry) and then ask your regular doctor to email the script into them?  I'm not sure if that's something that can happen internationally, but I had my South Australian doctor fax a copy of a prescription I needed to a pharmacy in Victoria once. 

I'm sure you know already, but please get the script sorted ASAP because SSRI's are not something that you want to run out of and have to go cold-turkey from, the side effects of going without (if you haven't been weaned off them) are NOT pleasant and can be dangerous.

A script in the US has to be written by a US doctor in order to be filled. They can't except a script by a medical doctor that is not licensed in the US.

 

Most GPs would willing to fill a script for SSRIs. I say just have your medical records emailed if possible because some MDs like to know what you medical history dosage, past behaviors are before they refill a script that someone is asking for but even without past medical records they would likely be able to fill it is you told them the situation.

 

Edited January 26, 2018 by AshMarty

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

Have you tried to get it online?

 

Seems to be the trend now of days, and it can be much cheaper

[AshMarty 360]

Also sometimes it might take a little while to wait for a new patient appointment at a doctors office. Some offices only offer so many new patient appointments slots a week or a month or are not even accepting new patients.

 

Once you know your date of your appointment if you don't think you will have enough medication to get you to your new patient appointment call the medical office and see if there is any way they can fill the script since you have an appointment (you would def need your medical records sent to the office to even have a slight chance of this. The office will likely say they cannot before the visit but worth a try).

 

If you are then stuck still without a refill still, I would suggest trying a walk-in clinic like a Patient First (I worked at a walk-in clinic for a year and the Doctors hate when people do this) but if you tell them you just moved from Australia have a new GP appointment and are waiting for the appointment but don't have enough medication to get you to the appointment,  then they would likely write a the script to get you to the appointment date. This really depends on the how nice the MD or Physician Assistant is feeling but they usually know SSRIs should not be stopped and started suddenly. Again this would be easier if you had your past medical records present with you. 

Edited January 26, 2018 by AshMarty

[Nafisa & Bryce 45]

22 hours ago, AusUsa said:

Hi, 

 

Ive been in the US now since end of April 2017 and got my green card in November. First thing i did was go home to visit my family back in my home country of Australia. I am now just recently back and really struggling with homesickness. My question is, I have been on a low dose SSRI for many years for my anxiety... silly me, forgot to stock up on my medication whilst i was back home. I will need a new prescription for my SSRI in the next month. My question is, will i need to see a psychiatrist here? I have heard that in order to get psychiatric medications here you see a regular doctor and then they refer you to a psychiatrist so that they can prescribe you with the medication. Will this be the case for me? Considering i have been on this medication for 10 plus years? I am thinking that seeing a psychiatrist here would be very expensive as I know seeing a regular doctor even is! 

 

Any help is appreciated! thanks heaps!

Sometimes a physician will prescribe depression/anxiety medication but it is up to their discretion-any doctor can prescribe those medications, but some prefer to refer to mental health professionals. If you have medical insurance here, some insurance providers have begun to offer a telemed option at no extra cost where you can call or video chat with a doctor and receive a prescription without an appointment. If you have a condition that you have been treated for in the past and are seeking the same treatment, in many cases they can prescribe based on the phone conversation rather than requiring an office visit. I hope you are able to get the care you're looking for!

[dentsflogged 352]

On 1/26/2018 at 11:15 PM, AshMarty said:

A script in the US has to be written by a US doctor in order to be filled. They can't except a script by a medical doctor that is not licensed in the US.

 

Most GPs would willing to fill a script for SSRIs. I say just have your medical records emailed if possible because some MDs like to know what you medical history dosage, past behaviors are before they refill a script that someone is asking for but even without past medical records they would likely be able to fill it is you told them the situation.

 

I figured it'd be the case that any script filled in the US had to be prescribed by a doctor there, but you never know!   Different country entirely but I had luck getting a pharmacy in the UK to refill a prescription with proof of having it before (the empty box) and a phone call to my GP in Australia - I was VERY lucky because there was no way I was willing to wait for hours at the hospital for it (and no need since it wasn't life threatening) and couldn't find a GP willing to see me. 

[AshMarty 360]

13 minutes ago, dentsflogged said:

I figured it'd be the case that any script filled in the US had to be prescribed by a doctor there, but you never know!   Different country entirely but I had luck getting a pharmacy in the UK to refill a prescription with proof of having it before (the empty box) and a phone call to my GP in Australia - I was VERY lucky because there was no way I was willing to wait for hours at the hospital for it (and no need since it wasn't life threatening) and couldn't find a GP willing to see me. 

That's pretty cool. The US is such a law suit happy culture. There are no bending the rules US here unfortunately. 

Edited January 27, 2018 by AshMarty

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

1 hour ago, AshMarty said:

That's pretty cool. The US is such a law suit happy culture. There are no bending the rules US here unfortunately. 

I am in North Texas we have many Mexican grocery stores, they will sell you things like antibiotics to birth control pills without a prescription.  For antibiotics like amoxicillin you can buy one or more at a time.

Edited January 27, 2018 by Chris Duffy

[Crazy Cat 41,858]

1 minute ago, Chris Duffy said:

I am in North Texas we have many Mexican grocery stores, they will sell you things like antibiotics to birth control pills without a prescription.  For antibiotics like amoxicillin you can buy one or more at a time.

That is a prison sentence waiting to happen.....

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

5 minutes ago, missileman said:

That is a prison sentence waiting to happen.....

Not in Dallas area, very common

[AshMarty 360]

1 hour ago, Chris Duffy said:

Not in Dallas area, very common

Old article but federal laws are still the same.

 

Its illegal. 

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/health/no-prescription-for-antibiotics-no-problem.html?referer=https://www.google.com/

Edited January 27, 2018 by AshMarty