Posted by JohnL on June 6, 2000, at 4:39:31
In reply to Do you ask your pill doc for certain meds?, posted by Kerry on June 6, 2000, at 0:13:29
> I've been seeing the same pill doctor for about five years. I've never gone in there and suggested any medicines for him to prescribe...I always thought this was inappropriate and pushy...do you all just go to your pill docs and tell him/her what you want (speaking of meds only..) I'm going to make an appointment w/ my my doctor soon since I've had some good input/suggestions from here, but I feel a little funny going to him with a list.
Kerry,
I do indeed ask my doctor for specific drug trials. But it's not that easy. First we need a doctor without an ego complex. We need one who will treat each patient as unique individuals with unique personalities. There can't be any blanket strategies, favorite drugs, or anything like that. We're all different.I found three things helped when finding a doctor who would cooperate with my desire to take an active role in my own treatment:
1. Go with the doctor who has a reputation for good bedside manners, regardless of expertise or lack of it. If he has superb bedside manners, he probably doesn't have an ego complex.
2. Politely discuss with the doctor your desire to take an active role in researching drug choices before actually making drug requests. If they aren't open to it, find one who is.
3. Print out your research on two or three drug choices you want, show the doctor you are aware of the pros and cons of each. Ask him to help you weigh the pros and cons. His primary role with a patient who desires an active role in their own care should be to help the patient weigh the choices, and to make sure the patient doesn't do something that is dangerous.When your research is printed and from an esteemed source, it is very difficult for the doctor to argue against it. It's very easy for example for a doctor to critisize your 'internet friends', but it's not so easy to critisize a research paper just published by a prominent psychiatric hospital--maybe so recent he isn't even aware of it. I think it's very important to impress upon the doctor that you've done some diligent homework, that you aren't just going on the whims of your internet buddies. We all know that our internet buddies here at psychobabble are sometimes more expert in specialized ways than real psychiatrists. Try convincing a doctor of that. Forget it. Most doctors I think scoff at internet chatroom stuff. So choose printable sources from esteemed publications. You don't have to tell the doctor that your internet buddies steered you in this or that direction. But regardless of what direction you go at the suggestion of psychobabble participants, your own printed research from reputable sources is what matters.
Every drug choice I've made was backed up with printed research from two places:
1. Dr. Bob's Tips section (when your doctor sees in writing what other doctors are doing, it is rather impressive)
2. www.mentalhealth.com At this site you can research just about anything you want to know about any drug in the world. Print what you need to make your case. Everything you find is from researchers, hospitals, psychiatrists, medical schools, universities, trade magazines, etc. Reputable stuff. It makes you look like you know what the heck you're doing. I think our doctors will take us more seriously when we display to them that we have put some serious research into our requests. That's what's worked for me anyway. Except with the two pdocs I had that had ego complexes. I'm sure glad I don't go to them anymore. Not only were they egotistical and dictatorial, they were rather inferior, not at all any more expert than a regular doctor.
poster:JohnL
thread:36235
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000603/msgs/36264.html