[luvyrself]

I dont want to suggest something that could be really dangerous for people who dont have decades of experience with using meds and professionals for bipolar. However, I am experiencing so much disrespecting of boundaries with psychiatrists that I feel I am forced to have my family doctor, who respects my wishes so much that we diagnosed a proven (with scans)neurological disorder together. At a Banner office here in Phoenix, two different psychiatrists years apart proscribed major med dosage increases without telling me. I experienced serious side effects from both. I was not in an acute condition requiring hospitalization. Banner also does not respect confidentiality about my disorder tho I am family caregiver to someone with many disorders. Stigma could really reduce my credibility in speaking to his doctors. They have lost multi-million dollar lawsuits about privacy rights. Sharing medical records is great sometimes, but not for me in this situation. There is a shortage of psychiatrists here, but the woman it took me forever to find is billing me without notice tho she took my insurance for two initial sessions. I think she doesnt want me as a patient, but that's a nasty way to convey that since it's not viable and inflation has hit us all very hard. Folks, please get a psychiatrist experienced with bipolar unless you have had years of experience using meds at the very least. Doctors are not gods, and we have rights. I have saved my husbands life many times leaving self serving doctors. Sorry to be cynical but I just have no more time searching for the right person. Nurse practitioners here can prescribe medications WITH NO SUPERVISION. After the isolation caused by covid, we need a better behavioral health system, not such nonsense. Hugs!

[Blueberrybook]

I think the key is finding a doctor you trust and one who understands bipolar & psych meds, whether it's a pdoc or a family doc. I've had some very bad pdocs in the past (one flat-out told me if I quit psych meds, I was sure to commit suicide), but I've also had some very good pdocs and one truly exceptional pdoc. As with any doctor, there are good and bad doctors though I have noticed the practice of psychiatry tends to have more than its fair share of bad apples.

But really the ideal is to trust all the doctors on your care team who prescribe you any meds, be it a family doc prescribing a statin for high cholesterol or a pdoc prescribing meds for bipolar.

It's when you have to keep looking and looking and looking for a good doc (and often those will have insanely long waitlists) that it gets frustrating.

[unaluna]

I am on my 2nd gp precribing my psych meds. The first had me attend a "final" diagnostic session and got a letter. I am stable in my meds. Time flies when your old!

[Nammu]

When I first moved back to my home town there were no pdocs available. So my regular doctor continued my meds that I had been on. Fortunately I was already on a good regime of meds and stable. Then the clinic hired three more pdocs. I picked the geriatric specialist as I’m a senior. He helped me wean down off the sleeping pills and left everything else alone. Sometimes I see him more often but mostly once every 6 months. I figure as long as I’m stable why mess with the cocktail.

[MuddyBoots]

I'd say if your cocktail isn't super complicated and/or needs to be adjusted all the time and your primary is comfortable with it, yeah, good for it. A good doc is a good doc. Bad apples in every specialty, and there's no rule saying a PCP with very basic knowledge of psych meds, but is probably more humble and can accept when a patient with angency disagrees with them is always worse than a psychiatrist with a God complex thinking his prescribing philosophy that is clearly advised against by practically everybody that's researched the subject you don't trust that's already proved they are an irresponsible prescriber and caused harm.

Primary might not have enough specialized knowledge of meds and their effects and the effects on different conditions to be competent or comfortable with messing with a regime though.

[raspberrytorte]

I wouldn't trust my GP to prescribe my meds. I'm on a lot and they constantly need changing and she's a fukking moron (no offense to her, but seriously).

My trusted psychiatrist is retiring and I'm seeing a new one in August. 😭 😭 😭

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

I wouldn't trust my GP to prescribe my meds. I'm on a lot and they constantly need changing and she's a fukking moron (no offense to her, but seriously).

My trusted psychiatrist is retiring and I'm seeing a new one in August. 😭 😭 😭

That sucks that your psychiatrist is leaving. My favorite Pdoc left last year and even though my new one is nice she did look up meds on the fly from a book- maybe the dsm5..- last time I saw her. I am notoriously famous for being difficult to treat with meds. Always having to be switched and we are running out of options.