Well, you certainly have the right to choose your own pdoc, and hopefully there are some choices Available to you!

My pdoc and gdoc, both, would not prescribe benzos to me for several years until I Proved to them that I would not abuse them. That took work, because I had to go through some anxiety during that time...

Overall, having a pdoc who listens to you, and gets to know you over time, is worth the battle.

:)

my shrink won't rx benzos at all but he is happy for my GP to do so... he would go loopy if he knew how much ativan I get each week tho

if you don't feel heard by him... or if he takes away your voice... then he is disempowering you and that's not right... the relationship needs to have some therapeutic value

best wishes for what you decide... and good luck x

If you don't feel this pdoc is right there are plenty more out there to give a try. I've never had a problem getting benzos from a pdoc or gprac.

I've done some study on anti-psychotics and there are some that are benzos. Most are not benzos though most people refer to them that way. Anyway, I've been fortunate to have mostly responsive pdocs. Try some OTC valerian. It works similarly to valium.

So many Pdocs will Px you stuff that knocks your brain and your metabolism to the ground, but won't Px benzos because...

Oh, [insert reason here].

Benzos have to be managed well, true.

But this is true of all meds.

Much luck figuring out what is best for you.

Xx,
beep.

I don't see a problem if your not abusing them. Darn drs. Hope you find a dr that works with you.

Many docs are reluctant to px benzoes nowadays. Can't say as I blame them, LOTS of abuse of them going on. Benzoes aren't necessarily the best drug, either. You can grow to tolerate them and need more and more. When I came off klonopin I found I was actually less anxious. Long term use can have a paradoxical effect.

Lots of other things you can ask for, like maybe a beta blocker or some vistoril. Vistoril is actually an antihistamine so you could try taking a few benadryl and see if that works. Also ask your tdoc to teach you guided imagery... it really calms me down.

All that said, I had a pdoc who refused to give me an antidepressant and when I finally fired him the new doc put me back on effexor and I was better in a week. It really pisses me off that a $2 prescription could have saved me two years of misery!

when i was a kid i had a quack pdoc after i turned 18 i couldnt see him anymore and got a new pdoc she is awesome sometimes change is scary but its better to find one that suits your needs better

nope docs do not like benzos I get rx because none of the non benzos help my agoraphobia and I am always working on my anxiety homework......oh and I don't take them every day not even every week. it sucks but you have to prove yourself sometimes and hang with it as they do the trial and error and see you need them.

you have to be careful changing pdocs.........if they see you pdoc jumping they will either refuse you as a patient or label you as a med seeker. sucks being bipolar and not trusted just because of the label.

the benzo thing isn't really about abuse (although they are class C or B in the UK). It's more that they are addictive even if you don't abuse them.

It means in addition to the health problems they cause (as does everything) you have the addiction issue on top.

I think doctors now favour low does of anti-depressents, propanonol etc rather than benzos for anxiety.

It's been my experience that drs are more willing to prescribe antidepressants and antipsychotics than they are to actually listen to what the problem is. I would consider my options very carefully -- is it a good time right now to look for a new dr? It does involve shopping around lol. If not, I would suggest talking to your current dr one more time and explaining your situation to him/her. The more sure you are of what you need and what treatment is unnecessary, the more likely your dr will be to listen to you. After all, no one knows your situation better than you :-)

red, while you may be the expert on how you feel - doctors are supposed to be the expert on medications and the possible downsides that we generally are unaware of.

Maybe the bad doctors are the ones that hand out stuff that is potentially damaging to their patients simply because they asked for them (in the US possibly on the basis of an advert for some medication)?

We've had a few members on this board unaware of the problems with benzos and never abused them. They suffered considerably when they attempted benzo withdrawal. I'm sure they wished they had been advised by their doctors of the downside with this particular group of meds.

As said, the more modern anti-depressents in doses lower than the anti-depressent effect are often really effective for anxiety. And they are not as damaging as benzos.

Not sure if people are aware that there are some serious results of long term benzo usage for some people include cognitive impairment as well as affective and behavioural problems. Feelings of turmoil, difficulty in thinking constructively, loss of sex-drive, agoraphobia and social phobia, increasing anxiety and depression, loss of interest in leisure pursuits and interests, and an inability to experience or express feelings can also occur.

So they can actually make the situation worse, requiring you to take more benzos.

Also don't take them if you think you might be pregnant. Certainly there have been problems with babies going through withdrawal on birth. There is some evidence to suggest they increase the incidence of cleft palate.