Posted by Bonnie_CA on October 26, 2006, at 14:41:56
In reply to Why your doctor can make or break you, posted by getinwl72 on October 25, 2006, at 7:59:39
Ugh... see, I'm switching FROM Kaiser starting 1/1/07, because of problems with their psychiatric department. Oh yes, super cheap to get prescriptions and see the doctor, but if you have a serious problem it's hard to get any help. My doctor wasn't very helpful, it was impossible to get in to see him, the nurses always told me "give it more time" and all the while, my life is wasting away because I can't go anywhere or do anything, but they don't care, just give it more time. The doctor actually said "Oh I could flip a coin, they all do the same thing". Yeah... so I'm leaving Kaiser. And I can hardly wait. Yeah, it's sad how they do everything by the book. My medical doctor is the one prescribing me Xanax. I'm not even sure my pdoc would prescribe them. It was just a mess. And GAWD the staff was always short and borderline rude. I have never been anywhere like that before. I was with them for two years, and it wasn't good enough to justify the money we're saving.
-Bonnie
> Hi there.
> I wanted to share with you my experience with my Doctor visit yesterday. I have a wornderful Doctor. I have been seeing him about 3 years. I decided to switch to Kaiser 1/1/2006 to save money and knew that would mean a new doctor but since I was stable I thought it would be an easy transfer. Well, it was anything but. Kaiser and many other HMO's have practicing guidelines that they follow and will prescribe by the book, not the patient. I went completely off kilter within a month when he refused to give me the meds I had been on stating that I was at risk of seratonin overdose because of the 90 mg of Cymbalta I was on. He would only prescribe 30mg. He kept prescribing me things that I did not want. Finally, I could not take it and went back to my old doctor and pay 75.00 to see him although I could pay 15.00 to see a Kaiser doctor. I have to wait 2 hours everytime I go to see him because his practice is overloaded and a 1 hour drive, but once I am in his office I realize why. He is the head of one a Behavioral Hospital in my city.
> I had written down my concerns about being on Stimulants and Xanax. I felt like perhaps I was becoming a drug addict or something. See, I have MS, Panic Disorder, Depression and Fibromyalgia. I am taking
> 100 mg Topamax pm
> 60 mg Cymbalta pm
> 20 mg adderall (not XR)3 times day, sometimes just two
> .5 mg Xanax afetrnoon and 1 mg Xanax PM
> I asked him if I was just getting myself high during the day and then taking a downer at night.
> I felt uncomfortable knowing that this cocktial is one that finally gives me the best relief.
> He said , You have to function. You have several medical issues at hand, you are not alone, many people need these to function and perform.
> I said but why are so many doctors reluctant to prescribe Benzo's? He said because they are small minded and not looking at the big picture. You have to treat your patient as an individual. I can write you this prescription and know it will last all month. There are some people of whom I know if I write the script they will take it all in one week. You have to treat people as people Michelle. He said as for the stimulants that I will always need one and I will have to change them up every so often and to be prepared for that, but it's not to worry. He makes me feel OK about the meds I take and that is so important. The Kaiser doctor actually told me that he was running out of options. A stimulant was never one of them.
> Bottom line, I think I was feeling guilty about the medication I was taking because stimulants and Benzo's get a bad rap. I am kind of a controlling person and don't ever want to feel like I could become an addict. Fact is, I am sick and I need these to be on a level playing field. If you truly feel that your doctor is not listening to you and answering your questions and doesn't trust you, you need to find a new one. Because I figure for most of us, we have a lifelong battle ahead of us and we better find someone that we can trust and who believes in us.
>
> Thanks for listening and I hope that this encouranges someone to change their doctor who is not listening to them and prescribing medication from a book and not based on you!
poster:Bonnie_CA
thread:697569
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061020/msgs/697951.html