Posted by blueberry1 on January 12, 2007, at 16:42:24
In reply to ditch your doc, posted by med_empowered on January 12, 2007, at 12:42:09
Patient/doctor relationship is very important. Whether that exists in this case I don't know. Only the patient and doctor know. I get the sense the doctor is underplaying a role as healer and overplaying a role as babysitter...either from true desire to avoid benzo relapse hidden motives or to protect oneself from malpractice (though if suicide were the result of non-treatment, malpractice would be a lot worse).
What are the risks of a former benzo abuser returning to benzos? Relapse. This can be controlled with therapeutic dosing, limited dosing, and monitoring.
What are the risks of not treating this kind of anxiety/panic appropriately and aggressively? Suicide. Emergency room. Withdrawn from life. Numerous other life traumas.
The doctor seems to have taken it lightly. That doesn't seem like a good relationship to me. Especially when you consider who is paying who. I mean, if you get right down to the basics, it isn't about relationships, it is about paying for a service, and the service you are paying for is healing.
I don't know the whole story so I could be wrong. I would make one last vigilant effort to beg and plead for what I want, make some genuine promises and offer strategies not to fall into abuse, and if that failed I do not think I could ever walk in that doctor's office again. I probably wouldn't even pay him for that visit. Let it show up on my credit report, I could care less. I aint payin someone to treat me bad.
poster:blueberry1
thread:721442
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070107/msgs/721741.html