Posted by OldSchool on December 28, 2001, at 19:36:27
In reply to Re: psychopharm consultation - NYC or NC » OldSchool, posted by Elizabeth on December 28, 2001, at 14:51:35
> Hi, "OldSchool." I believe I recognize you from your writing style and some things you've said. Nice to chat with you again.
Hehehe
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> I used to have a really good pdoc in W-S, but she's not taking new patients right now. Dr. Mattox seems like he might be a good choice. I wonder if he would be willing to try stuff like amantadine, pramipexole, vigabatrin, amisulpride, etc. that I think might have potential.I think Mattox is probably the best psychiatrist in your area. He'd probably try the kind of stuff you are talking about. I KNOW he uses MAOIs. I did hear he was kinda dictatorial though...strong personality. But likes to get creative and aggressive with the meds...I doubt Parnate would scare him at all.
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> I tried getting in touch with Duke and I agree with you about them -- although there may be some research types there who are willing to try anything vaguely exotic, their outpatient clinic is definitely not the place to go if you haven't had adequate success from conventional treatments.Wasnt that a joke? I can already guess what happened to you. You called Duke Psychiatry expecting to experience the vaunted, elite "Duke Psychiatry" services but just got TRIAGED. What a joke. Duke clinical psychiatry is no good. They make you see a "mood disorders counselor" for an hour to do initial eval before they even let you talk to a psychiatrist. What a f**cking joke.
My problem is that although regular ADs like Parnate and desipramine improve my mood, the anergia and anhedonia aren't as easy to get rid of.
Duke psychiatry is ridiculously, outrageously overhyped. Duke does have a good ECT unit though. Thats the best thing about Duke Psychiatry...the rest of it, um well you can have it. How Duke psychiatry always makes it into those top ten ratings for psychiatry departments in US News and World Report I have no idea, because their clinical psychiatry department is no good.
Gaddhi might be worth a shot, if you can get in with him. Good luck on that though.
Susan Van Meter in particular is stone cold and I DO NOT recommend her. She is head of Duke mood disorders and also in charge of inpatient. She has the personality of a robot. AVOID.
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> My doctor in NJ recommended some people at Chapel Hill who might be willing to see me for a consultation. I'm hoping that if I can't find a really good psychiatrist here to see regularly, I can at least see someone good once for a consultation and that person can make some recommendations that my regular pdoc will be willing to listen to.I like UNC much better than Duke. Its more "user friendly" than Duke is. The UNC idea might be a good one. There is a small neuropsychiatry group in Chapel Hill that does a lot of clinical trials for psych drugs. Im sure you could get those guys to let you try the stuff you wanna try. Its called "Carolina Neuropsychiatry" or something like that and they claim to like to work with any kind of weird or unusual neuropsychiatric condition. They have a website.
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> Unfortunately, a lot of pdocs who are very arrogant seem to be well respected around here. The outpatient clinic at Baptist is much like what you describe experiencing at Duke.Baptist psychiatry is no good. I will NOT use Baptist psychiatry, nor will I use Duke psychiatry. Id rather use the local "Joe blow" psychiatrist in private practice than these arrogant overrated psychiatrists at Duke or Baptist.
Another thing, if you ever consider ECT, do not have it done at Baptist...their ECT unit is no good.
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> BTW: I haven't been diagnosed with epilepsy because none of the tests confirm that the episodes I've been having (which are very infrequent so I haven't been able to have an EEG while I was having one) are seizures. I think the neurology department at Baptist is supposed to be pretty good (certainly better than the psych department!) and hopefully I will be able to get some help there. Trileptal is a pretty good, side effect free anticonvulsant; the only problem I have with it is that it's so expensive.Yes, actually Baptist hospital is a very good hospital overall. Except for the psychiatry hehehe. My Grandmother had major surgery for a broken neck a year and a half ago at Baptist neurosurgery and they did a fine job. Baptist Neurology is fine Im 100% sure. Also, Baptist orthopedic surgery is OUTSTANDING...the best in the state actually. Baptist has the best Sports Medicine unit...David Martin scoped my knee years ago. Really good sports medicine at Baptist.
Like I said before, Mattox is aggressive and Ive heard good stuff about him. I dont know how arrogant he is or whatever or what kind of personality he has. But he is probably your best bet in the Triad as far as psychopharmacology goes.
And again, MUSC psychiatry has by far the closest thing to what your looking for as far as a creative psychiatry research environment. And I GUARANTEE you on that!
Overall though, I really wouldnt try to find here in NC what you left in Boston or NYC. Youre not gonna find it here cause it doesnt exist. No use in looking for something that isnt here.
Old School
poster:OldSchool
thread:86991
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011222/msgs/88090.html