How to get antidepressants in Australia

Do you need a prescription for antidepressants in Australia?

Yes. Antidepressants are prescription-only medicines. Sertraline, for example, is classed as a Schedule 4 Prescription Only Medicine, which means a pharmacist can only supply it with a valid prescription ^[1].

In practice, that means the route to antidepressants runs through a doctor's assessment. That's a good thing: the right choice depends on your symptoms, health and other medicines, and the first few weeks need monitoring.

Can a GP prescribe antidepressants?

Yes, and GPs do most of it. In 2022–23, GPs wrote about 85% of all mental health-related prescriptions dispensed in Australia, and the large majority of antidepressant prescriptions ^[2].

You don't need a psychiatrist to start an antidepressant. Your GP can refer you to a psychiatrist if your situation is complex, if several medicines haven't worked, or if there's uncertainty about the diagnosis.

How do you get antidepressants? Step by step

1. Book a GP appointment

Choose a longer appointment if you can, because a proper mental health assessment takes time. You can see a GP in person or by telehealth. The Medical Board of Australia treats real-time video and phone consultations as proper consultations ^[3].

2. Describe what's happening honestly

You don't need to know the right words or have a diagnosis in mind. Your GP will usually ask about:

• your mood, sleep, appetite, energy and concentration, and how long things have been this way
• how symptoms are affecting work, study and relationships
• alcohol and other drug use, because heavy or problem use can quietly worsen mood and get in the way of treatment working ^[4]
• periods of unusually high mood or energy, because features of bipolar disorder call for caution with standard antidepressants ^[4]
• your physical health and other medicines, which affect which treatments are safe ^[5]
• any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, so they can make sure you're safe

Your GP may also use a short questionnaire such as the K10 to get a measure of how much distress you've been feeling.

3. Talk through all your options

Medication is one option, not the only one. For mild depression, lifestyle changes and online therapy programs may be suggested, while moderate to severe depression usually calls for psychological treatment, medication, or both ^[6]. Australian guidelines say the combination of psychological treatment and medication is the most effective approach for acute major depression ^[4].

If therapy is part of your plan, your GP can talk to you about a mental health care plan for Medicare-rebated psychology sessions.

A consultation doesn't guarantee a prescription. Your GP decides what's clinically appropriate.

4. Choosing a medicine

If you and your GP decide an antidepressant makes sense, the choice depends on your age, your main symptoms, likely side effects, interactions with other medicines, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and your preferences and lifestyle ^[5]. Australian guidelines note that side effects shape the choice as much as effectiveness ^[4].

Our guide to the types of antidepressants in Australia explains how the options compare.

5. Receiving your prescription

Most prescriptions are now electronic. Your GP sends a token to your phone by SMS or email, which you show at any pharmacy that dispenses electronic prescriptions ^[7]. Most community pharmacies are set up for this ^[7].

You can also register for an Active Script List, so your pharmacy can see your current scripts without you needing to keep track of tokens ^[7]. When you use a repeat, the pharmacy sends you a new token for next time ^[7]. Some prescriptions are still on paper, and you'll need to bring those in person ^[7].

6. Filling it at the pharmacy

Most antidepressants are PBS-listed for major depression. Sertraline, for example, is a PBS restricted benefit for major depressive disorders, supplied as 30 tablets with up to 5 repeats ^[8].

From 1 January 2026, the most a general patient pays for a PBS medicine is $25 per script, and concession card holders pay $7.70 ^[9]. The PBS Safety Net reduces costs further once your PBS spending in a year reaches $1,748.20, or $277.20 for concession card holders ^[9]. Some original brands carry an extra brand charge on top ^[8].

7. Follow-up appointments

Antidepressants take time. Improvement may start 2 to 4 weeks after starting, and the full effect for depression can take 6 to 8 weeks ^[5]. Beyond Blue notes they take at least 2 weeks to start helping ^[6].

Follow-up reviews let your GP check side effects, adjust the dose if needed and confirm the medicine is helping. Antidepressant product information in Australia warns about worsening depression and new suicidal thoughts, and advises close monitoring ^[10]. Australian guidelines describe asking about side effects and close monitoring as essential ^[4].

If the medicine works, guidelines recommend continuing it as maintenance treatment for at least 6 months, with a detailed review at 1 year ^[4]. Don't stop suddenly, because that's likely to cause withdrawal symptoms ^[5]. See how long antidepressants take to work for more on timing and stopping.

Can you get antidepressants through telehealth?

Yes, provided there's a genuine consultation. The Medical Board's telehealth guidelines, in effect since 1 September 2023, recognise video and phone consultations ^[3]. They also say prescribing through questionnaire-based online tools, with no real-time consultation, is not good practice ^[3].

Medicare has its own rules for telehealth. For most GP telehealth services, the GP or practice must have provided you with a face-to-face service billed to Medicare in the past 12 months, unless you're registered with that practice through MyMedicare or an exemption applies ^[11]. Telehealth services also aren't available under Medicare if you or the doctor are overseas at the time ^[11].

What if your GP doesn't prescribe antidepressants?

Sometimes a GP will suggest starting with therapy, gather more information, or refer you for specialist input instead of prescribing straight away. That's a clinical judgement about what's safest and most likely to help, not a judgement about whether your symptoms are real.

It's fine to ask your GP to explain their reasoning. You're also entitled to a second opinion.

Getting help

If low mood, worry or loss of interest has lasted more than a couple of weeks and is affecting your life, it's worth seeing a GP. You can read more about depression first if that helps.

If you'd like to talk to a GP about how you've been feeling, you can request an appointment. Mental Health Clinic is for adults 18 and over and isn't an emergency service.

If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000 in an emergency.

This page is general information, not medical advice.