PDOC Will Not Prescribe Benzos

Hi. First time on this forum in quite some time. I am BP2. To get straight to the point.. My pdoc is excellent. I have been w him for over two years. He got me off klonopin and switched me to gabapentin which is helpful but not as effective as klonopin or librium. He does not want to prescribe Klonopin. I feel that I need it at least for emergencies. Are there others w similar issues? PDOCS seem to be afraid of benzos. I may have to switch pdocs.

Thx

I have a new pdoc and was concerned she might stop benzos. She has made some great points about long-term benzo use, etc. However, she has left the ultimate decision up to me.

I still have access to benzos; yet, have been very surprised by how helpful I have found gabapentin.

Some pdocs will prescribe benzos; some will not.
You might have to change docs to obtain a benzo script.

I hope you get the care you need.

WC

From my own personal experiences a lot of pdocs will NOT write prescriptions for any kind of Benzo let alone from what I understand any Schedule 4 medication due to how often it's abused.. It depends on the doctor and some just won't give it even if you really do need it.. The more you fight for it, the more they take the stand that your an addict trying to get high. It took my current doctor well over a year to prove that I could be trusted, and to this day she talks about tapering me off, and I admit there are days or weeks where I don't need it, but there are days when I have the worst of panic attacks and I do need it badly and they are a life saver..

It all depends on your relationship with your doctor, are you on Medicaid? or are you going to a clinic that deals with a lot of high risk patients? If yes to both or even one, I guarantee your doctor will say no to any request.. Prescribing Benzos and pain medication has become taboo and a lot of doctors are too scared of the legal liabilities..

If you can I would suggest trying to find another doctor, and sometimes that is REALLY hard.. That means starting all over again from ground zero.. I also found that that asking for something really doesn't get me anywhere.. When I see my doctor (who is very difficult sometimes) and I want a change I take my time, sometimes over multiple visits and try and to offer several options that I would think would work for me.. Sometimes not always the best option so I can show my doctor that I am willing to try alternatives. I work my way through and eventually she comes around and I do get what I need.. BUT it can take months maybe a year before I can get even an opportunity.. My old doctor was really cool and trusted me and I pretty much told him what works and he worked with me and I really miss that guy.. (He was an amazing listener).. There is no guarantee that you can get any doctor to prescribe a Benzo.. And this is just from my own personal experience.. Well over 40 years.. Back in the 90s I could get any doctor to pretty much give me anything I asked, and never once did I ever abuse that.. I'm currently taking Klonpin 2mg.. My doc only gives me 10 tablets and I break them all in half.. There are alternatives like Valerian, Melatonin, Chamomile, Passion flower.. Kava.. ETC. I also found that taking Benedryl also calms me sometimes.. Before I consider opening my bottle of Klonipin I take some or all of the alternatives.. I take my Benzo as a last resort and if your doctor sees there are other options you should give those a shot, even if you know they wouldn't work, you have to show you tried.. Then maybe then you could suggest a Benzo..

Hope this helps..

EDIT: Gabapentin made my right eyeball to bounce around like a basketball and gave me constant double vision when I got nervous or excited.. Your experience may vary...

Thank you for great and quick response. I am not going to clinic. He is a private psychiatrist and very popular. Folks drive to see him from places far away. He is a very good doc and has been very good to me. He raised his rates to $160 for a 20 minute appt. I told him that I can't afford it so he lowered to my original price of $100. Just like your situation, he has offered me a small amount of Klonopin for "emergencies". Like eight pills .5 mg. Almost nothing really. I will look into your alternatives. I could switch over to Kaiser where my primary doc is but there is certainly no guarantee that he would prescribe a benzo. Yes, Gabapentin is a weird drug. Some people swear by it and some people think it is horrible. That about sums it up. I will speak to him at next appt and see if he will give me maybe 10 low dose pills. Thanks

Your lucky.. I go to a clinic and on Medicaid and though the facility it's self is nice, it's packed to the WALLS with people. You are assigned an "Appointment Block" where several people will have the same appointment time and your called in by number and sent literally on an assembly line.. First you see the nurse, then the caseworker and both are the ones you actually talk to.. They are the ones that tell you what the doctor is going to do, then when you do see the doctor and the wait isn't long.. I see my doc for a total of 8 minutes every 12 weeks.. She always asks me a basic series of questions and I have to force myself into speaking up and it's not easy when they want to rush you in and out.. My pdoc then says, "You can pick up your prescription at the front desk and I'll see you in 12 weeks". This is actually one of the better places in my area for those who don't have insurance... The other facilities are like a freaking zoo.. The place I go to seems to like to give Adderall as their cure for everything, I had to fight tooth and nail against that since I have a history that goes back until I was like 7 years old..

I currently don't have a pdoc, doubt I ever will have one so I rely on the family doc for everything and he downright refuses to let me go near a benzo. His reasoning is actually quite solid since I am on the younger side and they are not good for long term use. Instead we agreed on Buspar which works pretty good for me. Have you tried Buspar or Inderal? I still have some mild anxiety but that is because he refuses to up my dose of Buspar past 20mg in a full day.

I hope you find an agreement with your pdoc or maybe you two could come up with another alternative. It honestly sucks that most doctors won't go near a benzo even though they are still helpful.

I guess my pdoc is very different ... he has told me many times that he wants me to have xanex ... and not be afraid to use it ... I take small amounts as needed ... works for me ... really nice to have his blessing ..

My Pdoc is fine about my Xanax I have been seeing him over 8 years.

I went to Florida for 8 months and my Pdoc down there was fine also

My T and Pdoc think .... if a person is in a chronic state of panic that’s no life so as long as someone doesn’t abuse them they agree it’s worth the possible long term use if any.

Psych meds have been shown to actually shrink the brain with ongoing use... per my Pdoc

Two things have happened. One is the opiate crisis. Benzos because they are contronlled drugs (though only 2 not scheduled 4) get thrown in there. Doctors are afraid for their licenses and also that benzos must be dangerous. If you read about cause of death for famous people they always throw in Xanax, despite the fact that fentanyl is probabaly the cause of death. It's nearly impossible to kill yourself with benzos alone.

I think a doctor with experience and self-confidence would not be afraid to prescribe benzos to patients he knows. Nothing works better when needed and doctors who simply refuse are saving their own skin over your needs.

My pdoc is actually okay with benzos and prescribed me PRN Klonopin when I was in the mixed state because I was having such panic, anger and agitation. I didn't take it, but he seems to think they would help me.

My doctor is a big believer in benzo's I take two xanax and valium.

Isn't Inderal a Beta Blocker? I have slightly high blood pressure due to high stress (and diet) and I have asked for a beta blocker but my medical doctor tells me it's a Psych issue and my pdoc says its a medical issue.. I get bounced back and forth a lot..

Back to Benzos, yeah there is a big opiate issue and it's being blown up more than it should because it's usually celebrity doctors who prescribe those big and ungodly amounts to people. If you pay a doctor enough and find the right doctor he will give you anything you ask.. Which is sad because it ruins it for everyone and the media ALWAYS blows this out of proportion.. Like I said I use mine as a LAST resort.. I wanted a 30 days worth and every time I ask, my doc threatens to take it away altogether.. Also when I get my prescription filled and a Benzo is on it, I get looked at strangely and occasionally the tech or pharmacist will tell me that I shouldn't be using narcotics.. Hell at my last pdoc visit she made a mistake on my perscription and forgot to put a refill for my Klonipin, and when I called the office they gave me the riot act (Uh Sir, you certainly don't sound depressed or Anxious), I had to burn a lot of bridges to get that mistake my doc made fixed.. It's like I'm snorting it or something.. I don't even drink..

Yeah Inderal is a beta blocker from what I’ve read some docs use it off label for anxiety, and is used sometimes for social anxiety.

I’m on Propanolol aka Inderal for two reasons: it helps decrease my hand tremors and it helps with my anxiety. My pdoc took an ECG first.

Benzos are so helpful. When they were all the trend, pdocs were prescribing them to everyone, regardless of diagnosis. Then...my belief is that 2 things happened that caused the avoidance of benzo prescribing. One, they're cheap. Pharma isn't advertising benzos to pdocs anymore because there's no money to be made.

The other reason? The War on Drugs. Stupidest movement and largest failure ever; only hurts patients.

I take Tenex it’s a blood pressure med at night for help sleeping. I was also on Minipress in the past.

Both are off label for anxiety insomnia and ptsd nightmares

Seems to help me a bit

Wow! I always suspected a Beta Blocker could be used for Anxiety in certain cases but my conversation with any doctor I have known always debunked me.. I have from what I understand is Stage 1 Hypertension due to environmental/mental issues.. Pdoc says it's a medical issue, the regular doctor tells me it's psychological and neither will treat me for it.. I take a few natural supplements that help with anxiety and it helps with my BP as well.. Later I discovered the same supplement is used to treat BP naturally.. I just can't get my doctors to agree.. I am extremely high strung and wound up like a coil.. I always wondered if they were correlated..

Maybe get a second opinion from a new GP ??

Untreated hbp can kill people. Whether it’s anxiety or whatnot

Keep fighting !

My psychiatrist does prescribe benzos, but others in the past (including hospital/IOP psychiatrists) didn't. I am grateful to have Ativan prn "as needed", but I very much regret my Klonopin being a regular part of my medication cocktail for many years. I never liked Klonopin to begin with, so I resent it. My psychiatrist never intends to take me off of it. The withdrawals would likely be bad and he thinks it could be dangerous. I think Klonopin contributes nothing to my cocktail. That's a b**ch that I'm stuck with it.

I only ever want my Ativan as prn. I was taking it regularly for quite a while for akathisia and it's been a long process getting off of it. I still take a little every day.

I want coping skills to be my main anxiety fighters, and not benzos. I'm not discouraging a prn benzo, but as long as it is not a daily med for long and doesn't make you ignore coping skills.

Depends on the pdoc I guess. My old pdoc prescribed Klonopin along with Buspar. When I had to switch because of her retiring, I changed to another pdoc in the same clinic. There are only 3 pdocs there, it's a small place. One of the pdocs does not prescribe benzos much, I've heard, but he is not the one I switched to. I moved to the one who has been there longer, maybe even the whole time I've seen my old pdoc; I can't be sure. He knows that she is a good pdoc, and would not prescribe benzos right and left. Also, pdocs tend not to prescribe benzos if they think you are displaying drug-seeking behavior.

The old pdoc used to prescribe me Xanax but wanted me off that one ASAP (my OB-GYN prescribed it the last couple weeks after my pregnancy & the first 6 weeks postpartum; I had to go in very shortly postpartum because I got a bad case of mastitis) after short-term use, her reasoning that Klonopin would last longer and the Buspar would help. I didn't think the Buspar was actually doing anything until I ran out and forgot to tell my pdoc I needed a refill on it. I was around a week without it, I think, and my anxiety got so much worse. This new pdoc has also prescribed me propranolol to help with anxiety, though he had to decrease the dosage as I was falling a lot, and he thought it could be the propranolol, and it seems that was the case.

He has given me low dose (25 mg) Seroquel to help with very long panic attacks and super-high anxiety. Occasionally, it makes me tired but not so bad I fall asleep. Sometimes it doesn't tire me out. I guess it depends on how close I take it to other sedating meds or maybe just the day.

My old pdoc had me on 3 mg Klonopin daily until I admitted to her I was taking 4 mg a lot. Then, she didn't want me having withdrawals, and after that, I needed emergency surgery and by the time I was recovered enough to go to appointments, I had missed my last appointment with her and started seeing the new pdoc.

But they have gotten more and more strict about it. Used to I could fill it 4 or 5 days before 30 days like the rest of my meds (excluding Adderall too). Last time, my pharmacy would only fill it 2 days prior to 30 days. Not sure if that is a state law, that pharmacy's policy, or the insurance company policy. I get the feeling it is because of the insurance, but maybe the insurance policy is governed by the state. I have no idea how those things work.

I've had odd experiences with benzos and their prescription. It wasn't until recently I was ever put on them. My psychiatrist kinda plays up both sides so it kind of negates it to just being unclear how he feels about it. (e.g. "Don't be afraid to take them, they are there when you need them. I mean they are addictive and can ruin your life, but they are OK.") haha. Although he has never made ANY sense to me when he prescribes them. I most often tell him my anxiety is mainly managed but he insists on giving me like 5 pills either for emergencies or for like weird schedules like, take 1 everyday for a week. I haven't actually had any meds in a while but when I was regularly taking them I was often prescribed a benzo in small doses and small amounts.

Kentucky was hit hard with the opioid epidemic so they're extremely figity when it comes to that stuff here. Understandably so I guess.

I have severe anxiety, have taken Propanolol, BuSpar, and Vistaril. None of them did jack for me. Total waste.
I will add that my adult daughter has GAD and finds BuSpar helpful.

I was once on a fairly high dose of klonapin but now just take it prn. I have never had a pdoc that wouldn’t prescribe it.

I feel you.

However I have never been prescribed it before, and I've alluded to the fact that I need something to calm my mind in a very uncontrollable anxious state when the wheels won't quit turning. He's given me Buspar, which is a joke. Vistaril which is also worthless. I took it once at night and woke up feeling hungover like I do if I take bendaryl.

He then recently prescribed me prozac for anxiety and I felt a little irritated when I left and I just didn't fill the prescription. I'm a working professional with no addiction problems, and he won't offer this to me! I am afraid to be up front about it and just ask why he hasn't let me try it as an "as needed" thing.

I hate that the "drug crisis" sweeping the nation seems to have tainted the positives that some people may get from certain classes of drugs.

My psych nurse is taking me off lorazapam using diazepam. She's adamant that it causes early onset dementia. It sucks, but I have to do it. She recently switched over to diazepam. I went through some withdrawal being switched. Very anxious.

Just some Pdocs are against them. I didn't want to be put on them in the first place. I knew this would happen eventually. I'm starting the taper in November.

I'm sorry you deal with anxiety. I do too now and it sucks.