[BNLsMOM]

Ugh. I was hoping to find someone before this appointment came up.

I have a name that comes highly reccomended by my T but they don't accept my insurance. I called the insurance today and tried to get this new person approved, but they said that there was a 99.9 percent chance that it wouldn't happen. I even pulled the, "Hey, it would be cheaper for you to approve this person than to pay for inpatient again," card. I told them I am on my third provider and am having trouble finding someone who can help me.

So my p-doc... I refer to her as "the shark-talker" because she spoke to me through a toy shark at the end of my appointment last time.

I really want to ask for a med adjustment, but I don't really trust her decisions, so I might have to stick with what I am taking even though it is not helping as much as I think it should. I am putting on too much weight and want to go off of Lithium. She told me that there aren't any more meds out there and that I would have to go for ECT. I have nothing against that if I have tried EVERYTHING else. There are tons of meds out there that I haven't even tried, but she has her few favorites that I have been through.

If she talks to me through a toy shark, I am going to grab the T-Rex she has in her office and tell the shark to F-off.

I am so done with her.

Take a harpoon!

[BNLsMOM]

When I was on vacation, I went on a glass bottom boat ride. I started laughing my head off when I saw a nurse shark on the reef. I told my husband, "Look, it's Dr. N."

[grizmom]

OMG...sounds like a real class act. I had a psychologist once that wanted me to overcome my fear of thunderstorms (I've been in 3 tornadoes, it's not an irrational fear imho). He wanted me to pretend to be a thunderstorm while he pretended to be me, and asked questions like "Thunderstorm, do you intend to hurt me?" That was my last visit with him!

Anyhow, I hope that you can find someone else soon. I'm also planning on switching pdocs, but procedure is I have to tell him myself that I want to switch and why. I have a mental health consumer advocate going with me so it will be a bit easier. If it's any consolation, I'll be sitting in the dentist's chair getting multiple cavities filled on Friday, so you're not the only one who will have a rotten day. Take care

[Slothrop]

Sounds like your pdoc really jumped the shark...yuk yuk... :-)

Jeez, so many meds out there, you'd think she'd try some more. Everyone responds so differently to various drugs.

[Anneinside]

Sounds like it is time for you to investigate medications on your own. I am doing pretty good with Lamictal, Abilify, and Cymbalta. What do you take?

[BNLsMOM]

Anne, I have suggested so many meds to her and the response is always, "In my 20 years of practice, I have saved lives with Lithium and Lamictal and sometimes Depakote. Nothing else is any good." When I asked her last time about other meds and why they are prescribed if in her opinion they are no good, her answer was that "the drug addicts just want to get high off them."

I tried Lamictal and I had a bad reaction and had to come off, so I am on Lithium now.

I take:
Trileptal 1200
Prozac 10 to 15
Lithium 300
Seroquel 25-50 PRN

I have tried all her favorites other than Depakote, but I really don't like the side effect profile for Depakote. I tend to be a side effect person, so she has taken Depakote off the table for me.

[Anneinside]

She certainly is limited in her thoughts about medications. There are so many other medications out there and they don't make you high! Besides the shark incident, this would be enough to make me want to change pdocs.

[gravyyy]

how about the atypical antipsychotics. Why not up the lithium, decrease the trileptal (not really a great mood stabilizer), and add an atypical antipsychotic (like Risperdal, Zyprexa, Abilify, Geodon, etc)...these aren't controlled substances and not drugs people abuse typically... You could still stay on Prozac and Seroquel but if that combination works you may not even need those 2. I also am sensitive to side effects, but I also know a ton about the drugs so my pdoc really allows me to partner in my treatment. I have been on Abilify and Risperdal without any noticable side effects. Also, when I first started on a higher dose of Lithium I had really bad side effects but they passed after a few weeks. It wasn't bad but I did go really slow so I could adjust. Ugh... hopefully you can talk to your pdoc and help her realize she's being close minded. Good luck at your appt tomorrow.

[BNLsMOM]

I might pay out of pocket for a few sessions with the one my T recommended. Her rate is not completely unreasonable. I can try to get her approved by my insurance after establishing a relationship with her.

[cocos421]

Hi,
I used to take Lithium but due to weight gain I was switched to Topamax which helped me lose a tremendous amount of weight. I currently take Topamax, Lamictal, Prozac, Abilify and Welbutrin. The topamax and lamictal together along with abilify have been so great for me. It really turned my life around.

[IndigoRose]

It's definitely time for a new doctor. A doctor may think they have the right to dictate, but they need to LEARN from their patients. I don't know anyone whose life was saved by any of the drugs she claims have worked. You know a doctor is ignorant when she says that people just want to get high off of other drugs. Some people do, but the rest (a larger population by far) just want to feel better so they can live some semblance of their own personal brand of a normal life.

I don't blame you for wanting to get off of Lithium. Personally I feel it's a drug that will only work temporarily for many people. Besides, there are plenty of new and newish drugs on the market that you've obviously not taken. Cymbalta is good. I'm chemically sensitive with stuff like this, but when I first started taking it I had absolutely no side effects save dry mouth and I lost a considerable amount of weight on it as well. Combined with Topamax, they're both excellent for losing weight while trying to get better. I took Topamax for migraines, but could not go over 125 mgs because it made me want to jump off the nearest cliff. The major side effects with Topamax, for me, were an immediate change in my taste buds (I couldn't drink anything except water, iced tea, and juices. Everything else tasted like it was super-carbonated.) and tingling in my hands and feet.

I've run the gamut with medications. I'm really selective and careful about what I agree to take. In the end, you should always have a say. You have to take the stuff every day, ya know? A doctor that does not respect you enough to work with you does not deserve to have you as a patient.

I wish you luck and send along bright blessings.

[BNLsMOM]

Topamax landed me in the hospital so it is not an option for me.

My "shark-talker" and I had a lovely discussion (read with sarcasm) about bees that live in man made hives and how their psyches have been damaged and they need little bee hospitalizations and bee partials. She thinks this must be why vegans don't eat honey. This spun off from her refusing that my daily headaches could be side effects and that I must have food intolerances and that I would have to make a major life-style change to eliminate the headaches.

She told me that if I go off Lithium, that she wants me to take depakote instead. As far as I know there is just as much of a reputation for depakote putting weight on people.

She also quoted some conversation we supposedly had about what to do to keep me out of the hospital because I was on the verge of going in when I started going to her (not true) and that I was one "depressed puppy."

I reminded her that we never had that conversation, and that I was much better when I met her than what I was last summer.

She told me, "Quite frankly, what you remember is irrelevant to me."

DANGER! Wait. If what I remember is irrelevant to her, then she is treating me randomly. Isn't my treatment based on what I say to her?

I can get an appointment with another person that I want to see out of pocket in mid may. It will be worth the money. I just have to do one more appointment with this woman first so that I can get my meds refilled at the end of April.

[gravyyy]

Ugh. Hang in there BLN... this woman sounds dreadful. Just because she graduated med school doesn't mean she's a good doctor. The two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. It's awful when your pdoc won't work with you. I obvously don't know what your funds are like, but if you have the money to pay out of pocket then it's probably worth it, you're right. Just tolerate her for a little longer and then you'll be able to go to this new person who's hopefully better. Take care!!!

We pay for my husband's pdoc out of pocket. (Mine won't treat family members.) It is worth the cost. The one he had just wasn't cutting it.

[perpetuallysad]

She sounds like a fruit loop. My god, I would go nuts with someone like that. BEES?? I'm the queen of random conversations, but seriously, how on earth does she justify taking up your appointment time with a conversation about bees???????????

I hope the other doc is more helpful.

[thinker22]

I know the insurance game enslaves us, but seriously, a shark talker, bee analogist?

I would have run out of there. (And I realize this was not an option for you and still is tough due to paying out of pocket, so I don't blame you.) I am so stubborn though, I probably wouldn't have taken any meds if I had to see someone like that. I'm impressed that you've survived with her this long. Proof that you're a strong person and that she is "one sick puppy."

A person who denies the patient's experience is just not worth their title. My first p-doc (actually a p-nurse) used to belittle me and even refused to change my meds when I was so depressed I wanted to die or remain unconscious for weeks. So, I fired her. Then I had to spend 2 months finding a new p-doc, but it was worth it. The new one has a box of toys and a tent in her office, but she treats kids as well. She's never picked up any of the props, let alone spoken through them.

People should have an intuition about the intelligence of their patients and what would be offputting. Even a simple rule about not doing crap like that with adults would be the obvious choice. Have you ever said to her, "please don't talk to me like a child. It's very demeaning." And if she says she doesn't, then cite the examples you've given us.

Just a thought. But maybe it's not worth it because you're already leaving her, or maybe you've already tried that and she's too unconscious to listen and understand what she's done.

[IndigoRose]

Originally Posted by BNLsMOM

Topamax landed me in the hospital so it is not an option for me.

My "shark-talker" and I had a lovely discussion (read with sarcasm) about bees that live in man made hives and how their psyches have been damaged and they need little bee hospitalizations and bee partials. She thinks this must be why vegans don't eat honey. This spun off from her refusing that my daily headaches could be side effects and that I must have food intolerances and that I would have to make a major life-style change to eliminate the headaches.

She told me that if I go off Lithium, that she wants me to take depakote instead. As far as I know there is just as much of a reputation for depakote putting weight on people.

She also quoted some conversation we supposedly had about what to do to keep me out of the hospital because I was on the verge of going in when I started going to her (not true) and that I was one "depressed puppy."

I reminded her that we never had that conversation, and that I was much better when I met her than what I was last summer.

She told me, "Quite frankly, what you remember is irrelevant to me."

DANGER! Wait. If what I remember is irrelevant to her, then she is treating me randomly. Isn't my treatment based on what I say to her?

I can get an appointment with another person that I want to see out of pocket in mid may. It will be worth the money. I just have to do one more appointment with this woman first so that I can get my meds refilled at the end of April.

I was only trying to help when I posted prior to this. I would never want anyone to take medication that made them ill. I know a lot of people can't tolerate Topamax. My doctor, jokingly of course, said I should be studied because such a low dose works on my migraines.

Honestly, I would file a complaint against this doctor. You should be able to do that via AMA's web-site, though there are others that I can look into for you if you want. She's not doing anything to truly help you, and she's rude and condescending to boot! If a doctor spoke like that to me and wasn't on the first floor of his or her place of business, they would certainly end up there! It's important not to take crap from someone that you pay to take care of you. Even if they're being paid by your insurance company, you're still a paying customer. Anyone that can't treat you with respect is not worthy of being your physician.

[BNLsMOM]

Originally Posted by IndigoRose

I was only trying to help when I posted prior to this. I would never want anyone to take medication that made them ill. I know a lot of people can't tolerate Topamax. My doctor, jokingly of course, said I should be studied because such a low dose works on my migraines.

Honestly, I would file a complaint against this doctor. You should be able to do that via AMA's web-site, though there are others that I can look into for you if you want. She's not doing anything to truly help you, and she's rude and condescending to boot! If a doctor spoke like that to me and wasn't on the first floor of his or her place of business, they would certainly end up there! It's important not to take crap from someone that you pay to take care of you. Even if they're being paid by your insurance company, you're still a paying customer. Anyone that can't treat you with respect is not worthy of being your physician.

Oh, hey, no worries on the Topamax thing. I know it works wonders for a lot of people and I wish I could take it. The first week of taking it was fun because it made me manic, and the side effects like soda being flat, and food tasting funny, and the tingling made me laugh because I was so manic. I would eat chocolate and laugh that it tasted like wax. Then it did something to my brain and caused me to plan out my own demise and arrangements for everyone in my family. I would have done it too, but I told my T and he convinced me that I needed to go somewhere safe, i.e. the hospital. The scary thing is that it wasn't a depression based decision. It was as casual as choosing what clothes to wear that day. Weird...

Anyway, I can pay out of pocket for a little while while I work on getting the new provider approved by my insurance. My T is going to help me with that by writing letters about my experience and my agorophobia and that I have to go to places that I feel comfortable with and can't go to someone random within the 30 mile radius my insurance sets up. If I can't get the provider approved, then I will have to pay out of pocket but their rates are reasonable and i think they would let me pay on a sliding scale. Getting my insurance to approve the new provider is my new mission.

I am a bit up the last couple of days.