Why Don't Docs Understand What They're Asking You To Do?

My doctor, who knows that I have no mental illness or history of anxiety, and in fact have a sense of self that focuses on my ability to keep a level head, is basically asking me to become a nutcase for months of my life. They all do. Do they not realize that asking you to taper too quickly, kindle, or have any other reaction is asking  you to give up valuable time and suffer consequences to your life and health due to the states you can go into? He is basically asking me to be someone with the equivalent of PTSD and other serious anxiety disorders, to stop appearing to be mentally normal, to suffer physical pain, etc. Why do they not only not understand that this is something that should and must be avoided, just as a general "do no harm" and keep your patient at optimal functioning idea?

 

I know most people can skate on and off of these meds with few problems, and that people with underlying anxiety disorders are, while not obviously OK with benzo w/d still more apt to (I'm referring to the people who likely don't ever stop by a place like Benzo Buddies) take other meds that might stop a lot of the nervous system symptoms. But to want to go off of a medication taken responsibly for a medical condition with as little damage as possible, why is this such a quandary for so many physicians? Why don't they understand what they are asking? My doctor finally got frustrated, or something, with my reactions and told me to go to therapy! Is he going to pay for this? And what therapist can help what is essentially a gigantic nervous system reaction? They can help, yes, but really?

 

 

Hello Antonius

 

I have given up trying to understand doctors.

 

Their motives and reasoning have become a mystery to me.

 

Maybe they secretly like to see us suffering!!!

Or maybe they become so used to seeing suffering that they don't think it is such a big deal.

Or they think we are just making a fuss about nothing.

 

LF 

I realize they have no more of a cure than we do, but even Ashton has lamented the resistance of American doctors to switch patients to Valium to make the process easier on them.

 

But yes, there is an aspect to giving up on them. I had completely, but after surgery, you're kind of back in the medical loop!

Lets face it, what do we expect ?

A office, a computer ,sometimes a sexy assistant, a golden handshake with the Pharma Rep.

no time for research.

What a wonderful Life. 

Hello Antonius

 

I have given up trying to understand doctors.

 

Their motives and reasoning have become a mystery to me.

 

Maybe they secretly like to see us suffering!!!

Or maybe they become so used to seeing suffering that they don't think it is such a big deal.

Or they think we are just making a fuss about nothing.

LF 

 

I have a hypothesis that because of the state of addiction in The United States, the Doctors are really starting to be scrutinized for the types and amounts of medication they prescribe that have potential for abuse. That or they just think everyone is a drug-seeker these days. If this is true it is completely ridiculous that non-drug seeking people in need of drugs that fall under these categories have to pay the consequences for those who choose to abuse the medications. With all the information available today, via the internet, it's very easy to research your symptoms and find others with the same problems who have gotten better with the treatment of a certain medication. God forbid that you're honest with certain Doctors and tell them this, and that it may be a good option for you. It's very possible you would be instantly labeled a drug-seeker.

 

Luckily for me I have a very down to Earth, knowledgeable Doctor, who has compassion. I'm completely honest with him an he is completely honest with me, and because he knows I'm honest with him, he has no problem taking input from me about how I feel and what medication and Mg could help me.

It's a racket. They sell us stuff we don't need that ensures we will get or stay ill and more vulnerable to buying their stoopid stuff.

 

I mean, remember those bottles of snake oil that cured everything? They're still around. Human nature doesn't change that much.

 

Humans spend fortunes trying to live longer and as usual other humans will sell the promise of life to them for all that they've got so they can live longer. It's not just healthcare either. It's a fundamental vulnerability of humans. Humans are born with enough sense to know they're going to die. Rackets are the logical outcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Thaler

 

Perhaps a publicly funded health care system as in the UK does have benefits. Doctors are either paid a salary or in the case of GPs contracted by Govt to provide health care. At least it means Govt can intervene and set targets to be met. That has no doubt helped to reducd benzo prescribing here. Patients have less choice about which doctor they see but all systems have pros and cons.

 

We humans are always looking for quick fixes - just look at the slimming industry yet we keep getting fatter as a population. Oh dear. Life is hard.

 

LF

 

 

Tom Rock, I think you are right. I recently had a reaction to a pain med, the same reaction of revving my nervous system that any CNS depressant has had since I kindled last year. But the reaction with doctors was completely different, one suggested I go to a rehab (I had weaned myself off, even a rehab will tell you you're not eligible if you can do that). Luckily, I chose a very vigilant pharmacy team, a therapist who advocates to doctors for patients, and a specialist who is aware that I am normal off meds & have weird reactions. But it's easier for them to jump to either addiction or psych disorder. In the U.S. they also have the power to fire patients at will with no fear of repercussion, so we tend to have to be a bit more humble as patients.

 

After having at least 12 docs misdiagnose multiple injuries even with MRIs, I don't trust the ones in my city worth anything, so I've collected the few worth making appointments with and just made my case with others backing me up that I am no addict and certainly not mentally ill. Luckily, one of my reactions to a med happened on monitors as well, so that is in my chart.

Doctors are just the last link in a defective chain. The problem is a lot bigger than that.

Doctors who write prescriptions for multiple benzodiazepines at the same time (as in an Ashton crossover) are at risk of having their records audited, their staff harassed, and their licenses seized.

 

It's messed up, but that's how it works.

Doctors who write prescriptions for multiple benzodiazepines at the same time (as in an Ashton crossover) are at risk of having their records audited, their staff harassed, and their licenses seized.

 

It's messed up, but that's how it works.

 

I wish the pdoc that did that to me was audited. Maybe he was but I can't find any record of it. He put me on clonazepam, gave me Ativan for breakthrough panic (caused by tolerance) and also gave me valium for headaches (again caused by tolerance). 

Antonius,

Doctors and pharmaceutical companies/chemists are in this business to sell these drugs, the more the merrier sadly. That has been my experience, more medication every time. My GP is happy I have started the Ashton program. He will support me in coming down from this medication which is good although I have not been back to him in a month so I don't expect to see him much as I am doing this tapering myself. I have lived in a few countries in Europe and natural medicines are more common than prescription meds in Holland and Germany. In fact, doctors there are anti-benzos - they were back in 1980's/90's when I was taken off Ativan (30 mg) in a 6 week period. I was given Oxazepam, Librium....they tried me on a few benzos after they realised how dangerous it was taking me off so fast and eventually I settled with Diazepam 30 mg. I thought I was going to die from withdrawals so I cannot imagine why anyone would jump from benzos. The Germans are very big into natural remedies too, nothing is available OTC - not even paracetemol. You have to go to the Apotheke to get it. I like living part of my life in Germany for this reason. Ireland where I live most of the time is a tiny country but I have never known so many people on medication. A consultation with the GP is 5 minutes and everyone gets a prescription to go home with, it is standard and visits cost 60 euro. Prescriptions costs at the chemist are also very expensive compared to other European countries and vitamins or anything alternative are so expensive, they are not alternatives so I get all my herbs/vitamins from the US from iHerb.com - affordable and a good company to deal with.

 

In short, Doctors in Holland and Germany where I have lived for 30 years are anti-prescription medication unless you have a serious mental illness. Antibiotics are rare too, only if you are really not responding to rest and natural remedies so some countries have GP's with positive approaches to us humans who want to be well.

 

Hope this helps restore your faith just a little bit.....

Moya, quite different in the neighbour country Austria, quite odd i must say.

natural remedies you can buy in any organic food shop (bio-laden),

prescription costs at the chemist are cheaper than a packet of fags, you can

go to your GP , tell him you don't sleep well , you heard Ativan was a magic pill,

and you get it with no problem.

 

a friend tested this yesterday because we wanted to know, we've done a few tests

over the last couple of weeks. no problem to get a Benzo from a gynocologist and

internal specialist as well.

 

We haven't tried a veterinary practice yet, but i know they are good in Austria,

i trust them. 

 

My doc prescribed librium simultaneous with klonopin to attempt a crossover, there is just no reliable equivalency chart and my pharmacist said that could cause even worse problems (my pharmacist is rather savvy about this) just attempting to get a stable dose of librium. The doc is just opposed to valium, despite noting that I metabolize rapidly and cannot keep a lower dose of klonopin in my system without interdose/kindling. I am going to try to find a neurologist, since my symptoms are so unbearably neurological. Well, if the prescribing doc doesn't change his mind on some of these things.

Doctors who write prescriptions for multiple benzodiazepines at the same time (as in an Ashton crossover) are at risk of having their records audited, their staff harassed, and their licenses seized.

 

It's messed up, but that's how it works.

 

Not sure where you're at, but in the US...

 

All docs "... are at risk of having their records audited", but simultaneously prescribing multiple benzos does not put them at increased risk, nor will their licenses be suspended.  Grossly over-prescribing any psychoactive drug can, however, put them at risk.

 

My pdoc wrote me simultaneous scrips for valium and lorazepam (I never took the lorazepam!).  She later suggested adding temazepam along with V, when the V no longer provided any sleep effect.

 

Because different benzos address different conditions, writing simultaneous scrips for multiple benzo is a common medical practice.  And simultaneous scrips for cross-evers is also common practice.

I'm surprised how easy it is to ask my doc in the U.S. for psychoactive drugs. and I'm starting to accept the responsibility that I'm in charge of my prescribed drugs (news flash! ). I cannot completely trust my doc nor should I; that is a terrible burden on him. Just like it would be a burden for me to heal myself. It's a team effort. Could this be the way medicine is naturally going because of the Internet and information overload?

 

I've forgiven my doc for prescribing me benzos and myself for taking it. After all, I self-medicated with alcohol for years, damaging my CNS, and ethanol is in the same sub class as benzos.

 

I do know my sis had a difficult time getting pain relievers for her back. She's young for back problems and docs didn't believe her. It must be okay to over prescribe psychoactive drugs but not pain killers. So that is progress. Hopefully it keeps spilling over into benzos.

Antonius,

that's an excellent picture of your doctor. 

 

Iggy 

Morreweg,

I am surprised it is so different in Austria, I wonder why? I have a doctor in Germany and he was happy to prescribe my medication because I am on benzos for so long but you don't get what you need - a month's supply for 30 mg a day (90 tablets) - I got a script for one box of Diazepam with 28 tablets and had to go back for more when they were gone, same for my AD's and it was a nuisance, I spent so much time going back and forth to the doctor and then to the apotheke was more work. I actually stopped one medication because it was not in stock and had to be ordered from France, it was all too much trouble.

 

In Ireland everyone on regular medication gets a 6 month repeat prescription, no hassle, no problem at all. For the first time in years, I had a new prescription (6 monthly) down to just two medications now and I paid 26.00 euro yesterday compared to 144.00 euro in the past. It felt really great!!

 

Irish doctors just prescribe constantly and SSRI's are the fashion at the moment so I don't think you would get benzos that easily now but anti-depressants are seen as the answer to all ills and doctors seem to think you can just come off them without problems I don't know why they have such a huge gap  in their studies/knowledge - they just have no idea about the consequences of medicating the nation but then you only get 5-10 minutes with the doctor so they have to be quick to make a diagnosis and hope they get it right.

 

I am sure I could go to a number of different doctors and get a string of prescriptions for medication - it is very easy here, there does not seem to be any audit/controls on prescribing and very few questions asked of the patient......shocking!!

 

Good to share information. I think the Irish and the US doctors are one and the same and maybe even the Austrians too. :crazy:

No, they hand out pain pills like candy here as well, but if you have any sensitivity they just say it's addiction. I weaned down to 1/4 a pill post op every 6-8 hours (prescribed dose was 1-2 pills every 6) and still had a reaction. Well, partly they were setting off my benzo taper & masking the symptoms of that because they're a CNS depressant. But if you want to get "fired" by a doctor's office, tell them you're symptomatic after weaning yourself off a controlled substance they prescribed...lol....they run like crazy. But they always offer. Stub your toe? Menstrual cramps? Oh, you've GOT to have vicodin!!

 

I've seen loads of Americans reading these boards who are on klonopin, ativan or valium while also given xanax during the day. It seems to be common. It can take years to build a health network, I've found, with people to back you up that you're completely normal and somehow just prone to reactions and withdrawal syndromes. Even if you do, there's nothing to be done for them except a responsible doc who will taper you properly after recognizing the problem.

Hi guys

 

I am just wondering how the general population would react if GPs decided that drugs were to be used only as a last resort. Only to be prescribed after all other options had been thoroughly tried (assuming other therapies were available).

 

Would there be a public outcry?

 

Would patient complaints go through the roof?

 

Would GPs be swamped by return visits?

 

Just a thought.

 

LF

 

 

Good thought LF, i don't have the answer.

I'm sure there'd be an outcry. Most people use benzos with no serious consequences. Many don't use daily (I was originally given them for occasional symptoms of this annoying pain condition I learned to ignore on my own) but are helped in bad stretches of chronic illness by them. Others go off with no symptoms. But even my pharmacist shakes his head and says they are clearly not indicated for more than 2 months daily use, but he has to fill scripts for that use anyway.

 

I just want off. I would just jump right now if I could. I don't want this crap in my body. I was an idiot to reinstate, surgery or not. Because now I am about 3 times more sensitive, more apt to kindle at any point and my doctors are less understanding. They have no idea whatsoever how to get me off without kindling me. Drops of .125 from 1.5 to 1mg kindled me. WTH?!?