As my other (first) post contains, I've had to find a new doctor for my benzos, after trying 30 clinics.

Now, this guy is either completely incompetent, or is testing me to see if I'm actually benefiting from benzos or am spaced out on them.

For starters, I'm used to (for the last 7 years) getting the pills, which I'm on weekly, then going to the pharmacy. Not good enough for this guy - since a packet technicly lasts EIGHT days, I'm expected to go out to the pharmacy and him twice in a week, which is a bit stressful for a virtual-shut-in. Turns out the last script I filled was actually forward-dated, without him actually telling me about this, so he thinks I got it on the date he put on there, and thus when I say I'm out of them, I'm pretty much accused of being a little druggie.

This is a regular occurance (and it's only just happened): I get half-way to the pharmacy, and realise that he's put the wrong medication on the script. Yesterday, I went back, after seeing him the same day, and having him correct it. THEN, after leaving, I realise that after I picked up those 2 scripts, the next lot were dated for 2 weeks in the future - and they're weeklies!

A friend tells me this "you go through them every 8 days, so I'm only going to prescribe them every 8 days" thing is just splitting hairs. It's also really throwing me out of whack, if I'm expected to go down there on different days, just as my pills are running out - makes me feel like some damned methadone patient that has to go to the pharmacy and stand in front of the pharmacist to take their dose!

All of this constant mistake-making, and implied drug abuse, combined with the fact that if he drops me, there are no other clinics I can go to (except perhaps a few that are 60 miles away, and I don't have my own transport) seems to be causing the problems (anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia) they're being prescribed for!

I'm booked in to see a shrink, as another member suggested, but there's no guarantee he's going to agree with my medication regime, and that's a month away.

So, is this current doctor just playing a sick joke on me to test whether or not I'm a genuine benzo user? I can't report him if so (biting the hand that feeds you...), and with the way I'm going, I'll lose my house and end up on the street if this keeps up, since I simply can't have my life revolve around going to the clinic 7 days a week, I need to have some time (apart from sleeping) to myself...

Good to hear that you are scheduled with a psychiatrist. Hopefully he will work out a med scheme that works better for you. Remember, he doesn't have to agree with your present medications, YOU have to agree to follow his advice.

Sorry you are getting the run around, but I guess you can make it through four more cycles till you see the pdoc. I would say that your present doc is definitely limiting your access, a week at at time, which is at the extreme of control, but not inherently unreasonable, depending on his evaluation of your condition and behavior. The errors on drug names, and dates are just sloppiness, but not malpractice.

best, a.m.

p.s. Searching through 30 doctors for benzos IS drug seeking behavior.

Well, I'm on a high dosage of benzos taken weekly, my doctor was audited and barred from prescribing, which I had no notice of, so I had to immediately find another doctor. I didn't ask "can you prescribe" as a pre-requisite, I just asked if they took on new patients, none of them did.

As for 4 more cycles - first, there's no guarantee it's all going to end in a month, and second, this doctor looks like he's just going to continue trying to stretch out these tablets further and further, like putting sawdust into a meatloaf. If he just said "sorry, I don't like prescribing these", right from the start, then I would have been able to go looking for other doctors instead of spending 4 weeks being lulled into a false sense of security

I wonder if together you could figure out the actual number of pilss you take in a week If he's trying to monitor your intake he could just as well write for two weeks. is he concerned about you overdosing? thats my only experience with amount being so carefully limited. Is there some reason he is only allowed to write for 8 days?

so it was your previous doc who prescribed these high doses of benzos? and he was the one barred from writing script? theres something in there that is to be questioned. do you know why he was barred? do you know why he had you on high doses? could he still speak to your current doc to explain?

and are you taking what is prescribed or do you take more? maybe another med would help more. some ADs are good for anxiety.

He's just screwing w/ you. They do that w/ your brain just to mess it up more & you'll need more drugs & appointments so they can afford their cars & vacations.

Dude.

If it were that simple, they'd be taking up dentistry and avoiding mental patients (and their insane families) with guns.

But yeah, the doctor should have been upfront about not wanting to work with Sched. II meds, and started really working on a taper-down plan and alternative solutions at the beginning.

Well, once he forward-dated a script without telling me, I just went along as normal and filled it, not knowing that it was a future date. He was under the impression that I'd got it on the future date, and with me asking for more 7 days later, thought I was on 5 pills a night. But I dare not tell him, I mean, its illegal to forward-date, he'd probably stop seeing me!

Writing for 2 weeks: that would involve repeats - can't get them in aus for benzos unless your in a nursing home. No real reason he can only write for 8 days, he just doesn't believe in pills - several people I know have found docs like this, even with antidepressants and antipsychotics.

I have had 7 previous docs prescribe benzos, the last 3 prescribing the dose I'm currently on. All 3 practiced at the same clinic, the clinic was audited by the government, which led to the being barred from prescribing. The doc that was barred merely followed the treatment that the last 2 docs had set up. He took me off of rohypnol because of something to do with the trouble of filling out blue forms - which wasn't a worry for me, since I very rarely take them. I actually have 300 just sitting in the closet (and no, they're not the kind that you can date-rape with, supposedly, however I tested this myself, drink didn't taste salty, nor did it change color).

I really don't want to explain that this doc was barred because he either may not know, and/or it will set off alarm bells as to my treatment.

At this point... the benzos wouldn't really get you high or buzzed anymore... what's the problem???

I wish doctors would help people that obviously need it. A drug "seeker" wouldn't go through all of this for some benzos.

You really need to explain to someone you have a tolerance to benzos so you need a bigger dosage. I hope you can find someone who listens to you. I don't know what kind of anxiety you have or anything... but maybe you should be on a longer lasting one with a bigger dosage.


What is the dose you take of what medicine and what is it for?

The original poster does need help, but if 30 clinics don't think benzos are the answer, they probably aren't.

Going to 30 clinics because none of them think that what you want will solve your problems is drug-seeking behavior. There are alternatives to benzos for anxiety that the original poster could try, and I seriously doubt that all 30 clinics see benzos as the only option.

"Addiction" doesn't require that someone be getting high or buzzed. Drug-seeking to stave off withdrawal symptoms works too.