Yes, the same, just a different brand (but double check the dosage.)

Hi chemist,

Thanks for your reply, it is very much appreciated.

The experience I had during almost 8 years living with my ex I did a lot of research into those medicine and talked with a lot of doctors.

You mention schizofrenia and depression in one sentence and you know those two are not comparable.

I had a friend in my homecountry and he has schizofrenia and indeed the only way to stop that is with taking his medicines but he told me he feels like a robot when he takes it.

I am just saying to the OP not to take a quick fix and try to find out the root cause first.

If no reason can be found it might indeed be genetic and perhaps some kind of drugs will help but then I guess that person should take it for the rest of life.

From my experience with about ten people I knew at that time that suffered from some kind of depression nine of them were depressed because of their struglle with life. One even tried to commit suicide but made sure he was found while still alive so it was actually a scream for attention and he admitted that later.

Some people just cannot see the positive sides of life as I cannot feel the negative side of life.

Anyway it is good that we can have an open discussion about it here and I hope the OP will feel happy in the near future with or without medicine.

And thanks Moldy for your reply, try taking a nice 2 hour Thai massage when you feel sad, very refreshing!

Cheers all!

Alex

Unless you have suffered from depression or insomnia etc, it's best to keep advice to yourself. Locking people up in a room for 3 days might lead to suicide. Answer questions on this forum and keep unprofessional advice to yourself. What you are doing is dangerous. Any psychiatrist will prescribe medication together with CBT. From personal experience (not being locked up) understanding what causes depression etc, does not make it go away, just like understanding why you have a headache does not make it go away.

You can easily buy standard antidepressants, such as Prozac (fluoxetine), Cipram/Cipramil/Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro/Cipralex (escitalopram), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil/Seroxat (paroxetine), Effexor (venlafaxine), etc, without prescription in Thailand.

The problem in Thailand is that in almost all cases only the original brand (see above) is available, which means that the price will be (very) high for these medications. There are however exceptions, and one of those is a generic formulation of fluoxetine (brand name Prozac, as above). I don't remember the trade name of this particular generic pill, but I know that for example the Watson pharmacies sell it at a very reasonable price level (if I remember correctly, we are talking about around 10 baht per 20 mg pill, compared with the price of around 75-100 baht per 20 mg pill for the brand Prozac).w and go slow" with these older medications the result can often be very good.

Is that still true that you can buy Prozac off prescription?

A friend has lost her 18 year old daughter in a tragic car crash

and need Prozac at a reasonable price

Yes though (1) less expensive if you buy a locally made generic equivalent as opposed to brand name Prozac; (2) this would not be my choice of an SSRI anti-depressent as it takes so long to work and dosage adjustments likewise take a long time to show effect, sertraline (Zoloft) which is also available in Thai generic is much better in that regard. The long delay in taking effect can increase the risk of suicide as people despair of ever feeling better. Depressed peopkle do not have a good sense of time, each day to them is an eternity, and often they view taking an antidepressent as a last resort. so when they do and weeks pass without feeling better... Note that even Sertraline takes 2 weeks for full effect buy most people will feel some relief after a week.

And most importantly (3) she should not do this on her own nor without also getting counseling. As an adjunct to short-term therapy these meds are fine, but as a sole approach not a good idea. In addition to helping in other ways, a therapist will help her have realistic expectations of the medication and remember how long it takes to show effect.

If she has nay chronic health problems or if she has not had a physcial check up in the past year or two she should see a doctor before starting these meds to make sure liver function etc are OK.

(3)

Thanks Sheryl.

The lady is in Prozac, on medical advice,

just looking for a cheaper source.

There are more than 20 brand names of locally made generic equivelents, so she should ask for it by the generic name fluoxetine and specify a Thai brand.

s.

Hi chemist,

Thanks for your reply, it is very much appreciated.

The experience I had during almost 8 years living with my ex I did a lot of research into those medicine and talked with a lot of doctors.

You mention schizofrenia and depression in one sentence and you know those two are not comparable.

I had a friend in my homecountry and he has schizofrenia and indeed the only way to stop that is with taking his medicines but he told me he feels like a robot when he takes it.

I am just saying to the OP not to take a quick fix and try to find out the root cause first.

If no reason can be found it might indeed be genetic and perhaps some kind of drugs will help but then I guess that person should take it for the rest of life.

From my experience with about ten people I knew at that time that suffered from some kind of depression nine of them were depressed because of their struglle with life. One even tried to commit suicide but made sure he was found while still alive so it was actually a scream for attention and he admitted that later.

Some people just cannot see the positive sides of life as I cannot feel the negative side of life.

Anyway it is good that we can have an open discussion about it here and I hope the OP will feel happy in the near future with or without medicine.

And thanks Moldy for your reply, try taking a nice 2 hour Thai massage when you feel sad, very refreshing!

Cheers all!

Alex

Unless you have suffered from depression or insomnia etc, it's best to keep advice to yourself. Locking people up in a room for 3 days might lead to suicide. Answer questions on this forum and keep unprofessional advice to yourself. What you are doing is dangerous. Any psychiatrist will prescribe medication together with CBT. From personal experience (not being locked up) understanding what causes depression etc, does not make it go away, just like understanding why you have a headache does not make it go away.

I totally agree, but... I was locked up... more than once... more than twice... and more than thrice... (not in Jail... I was in a mental hospital all those times)...

Its tough going through depression and insomina (one resulting from the other in my case)...

Hi chemist,

Thanks for your reply, it is very much appreciated.

The experience I had during almost 8 years living with my ex I did a lot of research into those medicine and talked with a lot of doctors.

You mention schizofrenia and depression in one sentence and you know those two are not comparable.

I had a friend in my homecountry and he has schizofrenia and indeed the only way to stop that is with taking his medicines but he told me he feels like a robot when he takes it.

During your 8 year of research, did you ever see schizofrenia spelled at schizophrenia?

All here can spout on as much as you like, I had PTSD went of the rails the drugs helped a lot, for me a simple experienced based fact.

Would I use them again absolutely.