my pcp wants me to go to a psychiatrist

my primary care has been prescribing me ativan  0.5mg 3x a day for  close to 9 years now .... and she wants me to start seeing a psychiatrist  for better help and meds .....  i am terrified that a psychiatrist  will not want me on ativan ?  and try putting me on other drugs ...  what if i get cold turkeyed ?  i do not think i will survive that

Def go to psychiatrist - they know a lot more about psych drugs than pcm does.

Mine (luckily I guess) was very open to helping me taper. He is willing to go as slow as I need.

 

you got lucky my friend..... who to say i will as well ? i think it will be a crap shoot in all honesty

my gp is not threatening to cut me off  she just thinks i can be helped by a mental dr better then the help she can provide me.....

I also can relate a bit to your situation.  It was a psychiatrist that first prescribed Ativan to me and then after about 6-7 years I asked my primary care doc if she would prescribe.  She did and I did the first part of my taper with her support.  From 2 mg/day down to 0.75.  I was cruising along at that dose for  another 7 years which satisfied my primary care doc and I didn’t know any better. 

 

Then my primary care just quit practicing and I was in a panic about who would prescribe. But I got connected to a psychiatric nurse practitioner who has been great .  I started my taper back up (after updosing to 1.25 in early 2020). Lets me taper at my own pace as long as I’m going down.  She knew about Dr Ashton and a patient led taper.

 

She has suggested other meds that she thought might help me.  I tried a couple (mostly for sleep) but usually politely decline and there is no pressure. 

 

So try not to worry .  I know, easier said than done but it could turn out for your benefit.

Most shrinks are all too eager to keep people on psyche drugs, especially benzo's.  I'll bet the shrink won't take you off the Ativan, but instead will write you another prescription for it and probably other psyche drugs as well.

yes im sure the shrink will want to add other drugs as well.... right now i am not tapering just worried about finding someone who understands..... and is not a know it all and is open and receptive to my knowledge and feeling.... i will try and start this journey after the new year of finding a nurse practitioner who is a psych doc

i do how ever want to voice my concerns with my primary doc  about switching without looking like a drug seeker i do not want to come off my ativan as of right now...  some time in the new future its possible because i believe it is what is causing my agoraphobia i can not stay on in forever i am 35  and was put on when  i was 26

Psychiatrists will add more drugs until you or on a cocktail and will never take you off. This is what they do. Finding a psychiatrist that will get you off psych drugs is very rare.

anyone from ohio by chance ?      and i have a therapist for coping skills i have been seeing her for almost a year and she is great