Posted by yxibow on May 31, 2006, at 19:11:59
In reply to Re: Does anyone's pdoc actually order blood tests?, posted by deuce224 on May 31, 2006, at 18:58:53
Yes -- my psychiatrist has ordered an eye exam (overcautious) for Seroquel (high doses have been observed in beagles to cause corneal deposits though this is super rare).
I believe if I recall correctly, he has also ordered a CBC panel when I was on Remeron, as agranulocytosis is again a rare but possible issue.
And collaboratively with my primary care doctor he ordered (finally after a while in treatment to make me more at ease) an MRI to fully put the tumor ideation to rest and that it was a psychiatric case.
If your psychiatrist cannot order CBC panels for medications, there is something wrong -- because agranulocytosis is a common issue with many psychiatric medicines, rare, though existing, and should not be just shuffled aside as "a cold" even if it is. It is required by law, of course, for clozapine (Clozaril).
Other conditions too, related to medication can be ordered by a psychatrist, such as diabetes screening and the like.
A psychiatrist is a mental health practitioner first but also an MD.
The best situations of course are where the psychaitrist is associated with a public or private hospital rather than a sole public practice, which would create problems of getting results back to the psychiatrist. But its not impossible -- they're just prescriptions.
poster:yxibow
thread:651157
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060530/msgs/651181.html