Discuss tapering with your doctor or no?

I live in the middle of nowhere and there are only a handful of psychiatrist.  I am lucky enough to have what is considered the best one in town.  He is pretty reasonable but when I have brought up benzo tapering before he didn't give me much confidence he would be supporting me.

 

I have the Ashton schedule printed out and I was going to discuss it at our next meeting but then I got to thinking he might be completely against the idea.  I am relying on him to keep prescribing the Valium I am going to need, so don't really want to get into it with him.  Also, since I am taking the tapering into my own hands, there is nothing he can really do about withdrawal, etc.  He might fear liability if he approves of my plan.

 

It seems odd not to discuss this with him, but then again, at least in the early stages, do I really have to? 

This is just me talking from my own experience, but

 

If I was you I would make sure you just get the pills you need, and follow your own rules and your own plan.

 

I have never met a doctor who is benzo wise.

It's really up to you to decide and weigh the pro's and cons of your personal situation. Lots of members taper without their doctors' knowledge. If you taper without your doctor knowing, you can accumulate pills and build up some stock in case of emergency. You also don't risk having to taper at someone else's pace. The downside I see is you won't be able to mention if you're experiencing wd symptoms and not discuss anything wd related. You might also jeopardise the relationship should he find out you were doing this without his knowledge.

 

 

Thanks, my instinct is to discuss it with him and be honest but it could really be taking a chance.

Hi Motodew,

 

I agree with @SnelleJelle that most if not all doctors don't know about Benzodiazpines and withdrawal. At least you found the Ashton Manual before tapering; I wish I had.

 

If your doctor wants to read the Ashton Manual, great, if not, that's ok. I also agree with @SnelleJelle that you need a doctor to at least prescribe you the meds you need.

 

Before you start, some advice. Ashton's example taperingschedules are, examples. If you feel you need more to cut or if you can do it faster, is something you'd have to discover. Also, most people tend to struggle more as they get to the lower doses, and I would keep microtapering an option.

 

Greetings,

Naf1983

 

Thanks, my instinct is to discuss it with him and be honest but it could really be taking a chance.