Posted by zonked on January 29, 2015, at 22:48:35
Ugh.
Today's appointment was not what I'd hoped, and I've waited months for it. It's not that the shrink won't keep me on my existing meds - he will, and they work well enough - but his mannerisms were very cold. I've had bad luck in Seattle with doctors. (Anyone else in King County WA know a doc well versed in TRD that takes patients with commercial insurance?)
I don't remember his exact words, but essentially he said "I don't know what I would do with you Mr. Zonked, if this stops working; I would send you for ECT but you don't want to do that, and I would also suggest a try of antipsychotics but you don't want to do that either."
Hardly the "compassionate" or "nonjudgmental care" he made the mission statement on his rather colorful flier. My (now retired) California psychiatrist always used to say things like, "Don't worry [Zonked], if this doesn't work we still have quite a few things left to try and look at." - and he respected the fact that there are certain treatments I will not entertain - ECT and antipsychotics being among them.
I *have* to believe I can find someone who is:
1. Up on his or her science
2. Compassionate, empathetic, and understandingI think when I get my inheritance, I am going to budget a substantial portion of it to see a doctor in private practice (cash) if necessary. Isn't it a shame that some of the very people who command the best expertise (treatment resistant folks like myself who've ended up on government aid to survive, and find the job market challenging to re-enter after so many years of not working) are denied access to it due to cost?
Blegh. At least he was willing to resume my Xanax at 1mg twice a day, I have been cutting way lower than I'm used to so I could survive until this appointment. (A lot of doctors in Washington seem to be benzophobic--way moreso than in California.)
Feedback please. If I seem like an incoherent rambling mess, I sort of am. Tomorrow I go from 0.25mg alpraz t.i.d (BIG GIANT OUCH!) back to 1mg b.i.d (WHEW).
I have heard many many times that "benzos are depressants, so they'll make you depressed." This isn't consistent with what I know about the science - yes they are CNS depressants but that doesn't necessarily mean they *cause* or worsen major depression, right? If I'm not mistaken Xanax, somewhat uniquely, promotes serotonin release along with hitting the BZD receptor and has antidepressant properties...
I'll try to keep my lunch down and hold my nose the next time I see this doctor until I find someone who treats me like a human being - I walked out of there feeling like a lab experiment...
-z
poster:zonked
thread:1075762
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150129/msgs/1075762.html