Posted by bleauberry on September 12, 2008, at 18:05:53
In reply to Re: get a new doc..., posted by jefferey snow on September 11, 2008, at 20:23:37
> Well you seemed to describe my doctor's pretty well. They have all been younger women and they are all about these new antidepressants and they are completely convinced that they work. I have gone through alot of antipsychotics so far and they just want me to keep trying different ones until one works.
Ridiculous. So many complications from antipsychotics, so few with benzos. Not to mention the massive price difference.
>
> I probably should try to go find a new doctor but the more doctor's i see the more they get suspicious of what i am really looking for. I have already seen 3 doctor's and it might take me another 5 until i find a good one and by that time they will be seriously wondering why i have been "Doctor shopping". It just seems like a double ended sword, either I try to deal with my anxiety on my own and sort of suffer through it or i go hunt for someone who can help me and get accused of many things along the way. When i started seeking medical help I never thought that it would be such a struggle. I guess i was just naively thinking that these doctors would sincerely want to help.Were some of your doctors psychiatrists? If so, shame on them. If not, how about it, give it a look?
You know, it is not at all unusual to give someone as-needed xanax when starting a new med that may or may not work. A doctor who doesn't really doesn't have the patient's best interest in mind. They are probably looking more after their own butts, or they were trained in facilities that frowned on certain meds like benzos. Hey, benzos are the most common prescriptions in the entire world and the cheapest too, and they work almost immediately almost all the time.
If a doctor thinks you are doctor shopping, tell them the truth...you want a doctor who will end the anxiety immediately so you can get on with other med trials that may or may not replace it, but that you have already wasted X amount of years of your life doing what they wanted with zero success. Enough is enough already. Be emphatic about it, don't be shy. Ask them, would you continue to see a doctor who was not treating you correctly?
Also, we often forget, who is paying who? You are the paying customer. You are the boss. Don't let them run the show completely. Tell them what you want and why. You have a perfect record of diligence and failure at other things to justify your requests. It isn't as if you are just seeking a doctor for the first time and want to jump straight into benzos.
Be forceful yet polite with your requests. You could even say, look I didn't come here and give you all this money for you to not treat me properly. I am not depressed I don't need an antidepressant and I been there done that anyway. If a chemical imbalance like serotonin was my problem, one of these many meds I've tried would have done something for me but they didn't. I am not schizophrenic and don't want parkinsons, diabetes, or tardive whatever, so save any more antipsychotic trials as a last ditch effort, not a front line treatment. Besides, they are not FDA approved to treat anxiety. I have anxiety and the benzos are the fastest, cheapest, most commonly used medications on the planet to quickly give the patient some relief to think about the next move and to save their jobs and relationships, and that's what they are FDA approved for. I probably don't need much. That's all I want. If that's ok with you, I would like to go forward with that today right now. I have way to many other med failures to waste any more time.
If they have a comeback to try something else instead, say...well let's do this, let me try xanax or one of its cousins right away, and let's save your suggestion for our next meeting. There is no sense in beating around the bush any longer and I can't survive another day with this anxiety.
Basically in all this, you are being the polite boss, and using keywords like FDA, serotonin, tardive, etc, you let them know they are not dealing with some naive person who doesn't know anything.
Worst case scenario they refuse to help you the way you want, well, be honest...I am very disappointed in this office, I came here willing to pay you more money for a short meeting than most people make in an entire day, and I could have paid someone else, but I chose you, and you are preferring that I leave this office no better than I came in. Pardon me, but I find that unprofessional, selfish and biased. It makes me sad to see a doctor who really does not have the patient's wellness as a top priority. Makes me wonder what your priorities are. It's sad.
And don't forget the natural biological things you can do that I mentioned in my previous post. They really can and do work for a lot of people. Sometimes not enough to rule out medications, but enough for noticeable relief and enough to keep med doses lower. Things like magnesium, valerian, passionflower, have saved me more than once when xanax was not handy, heck even helped when withdrawing from zyprexa which was anxiety from hell.
poster:bleauberry
thread:851332
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080903/msgs/851694.html