Is it possible to have a PDOC for therapy and a PDOC for meds?

I found a guy who is a PDOC who does therapy and I'd like to try therapy with him and keep my PDOC who does my meds. Would this work out? I've already called the new PDOC to see if he was taking new patients and I emailed him details about my situation.

I don't think it's not allowed, but that sounds like it would be expensive to me, since MDs often charge more than therapists. And why not just move the meds over to the therapy psychiatrist?

Also I have to say my impression of psychiatrists I've met or seen who also do therapy is that they suck at it. To quote DBC, "Most psychiatrists I know became psychiatrists so they could legally be mean to people."

No reason why it wouldn't work out, that I can see.

My therapist is a pdoc. I first saw him for medication issues and then asked if I could see him for therapy - I've now been in therapy with him for over four years. He is very good at his job, and much better as a T than either of the two Ts I've seen previously, at least for me, and it has been super useful to have a MD as a T. Other people on PC have also had really great Ts who were also pdocs. Like everything else, it depends 100% on the people involved.

I have before, and it worked great.

In my experience, most psychiatrists who do therapy had psychoanalytic training, which is a long process, including years of their own therapy. They do therapy because they know meds arent really a solution.

Those that had this training are experts in transference, if thats the sort of thing you are looking for.

Can you afford it? I would guess therapy with a pdoc might be quite a bit more expensive than a regular therapist, and I know you struggle financially.

Sometimes it can be cheaper because psychiatrists are more likely to be on insurance panels than therapists. That's how it was where I lived-therapists wouldn't take insurance, but most psychiatrist did. Then it only costs the copay vs. paying a therapist's fee.

I don't think Hope has insurance though if I remember correctly.

The PDOC I go to for my meds charges $110 a month for about 40 minutes (sometimes, depending on how complex my problems are).

not sure of what the other PDOCs fees are.

I need to be able to hold down a job and I've had problems with my last two jobs because of panic attacks on the way to work.

Wow, assuming that's the full rate (not adjusted by insurance), that's cheap for a p-doc! Granted, I live in a fairly pricey metropolitan area, but I think my previous p-doc charged more than that for a 25-minute med check appointment. And I just saw a new p-doc, and she charged $300 for a 75-minute intake appointment. Insurance reimburses part of that.

Also, my T is $130 for 50 minutes (though she charges new clients $150--I get the rate I started with), and marriage counselor is $175 (not sure if that's because he's a PhD--T is a social worker--or because he's seeing 2 of us at the same time).

I think I got lucky with my PDOC. I saw other pdocs and Ts that charge the same amounts that you mention. This PDOC was recommended to me by one of the Ts that I saw a few times. They're in the same practice.

The only downside is that it's hard to get in touch with that office to get a medicine refill.

I wasn't able to get an appointment with him in December and I tried to call the receptionist 3 times to leave a message about needing 3 of my meds. No one ever called them into the pharmacy. Finally, I called the pharmacy to ask them to try to call the dr.'s office for the refills and then they did the refills.

I almost had a job with insurance. But I started having panic attacks on the morning that I was supposed to go back to training. I messed up a really good job.

3 jobs overall were messed up because of panic attacks.

For future reference, you generally don't call the doctor about med refills. You call the pharmacy and they call/fax the doctor about the refill. Unless you need to discuss an actual change in your prescription, most doctors would rather deal directly with the pharmacy. Probably why the doctor didn't return your call. All of our doctors work that way, from general practitioners to specialists. Save the phone calls for emergencies and med changes.

Thanks lolagrace, that's good information to know. I didn't know that. The recording at the dr's office said if you're calling about a refill, leave your name, birthdate, and pharmacy information so I thought that was what I should do. But as I saw last time, calling the pharmacy was the easiest way.

You might want to ask your doctor the next time you see him; for your own safety. If they wanted you to contact the pharmacy directly, it seems the recording at the dr. office would state their preference.

Calling them instead of the pharmacy gives them the chance to see if you are taking more than you were prescribed, to check in with you to assess if they should revise the dose for the refill, and to see if you might be taking new medications for which there might be interactions. Pharmacists can't usually check drug interactions as they don't know if you are taking meds from a different pharmacy. Your doctor's office would also enter the request in the medical records so they have a complete history for you.

If the phamacy calls them directly instead of you, they may just assume they have already checked your record and spoken to you about it at that point in the process.

However, I like Lolagrace's idea, that is a good idea and one that I will try next time around to get my rx more quickly.

You said you had bad side effects or medication in the past, so putting this out there for you if safety is a concern.

I think that's so awesome you found an affordable psychiatrist. I've also found they sometimes can be more affordable than therapists who aside from the costly initial assessment, often charge more than medical doctors.

Sorry to hear about losing your job due to the anxiety. Can you take a benzodiazepene when starting new jobs? Many people have adjustment disorder with change, and temporarily need an extra medication during transitions.

It was definitely quicker to get the pharmacy to call. Usually, it's not an issue because I'm scheduled for monthly appointments so I see pdoc once a month and he gives me a prescription when I see him. However, they couldn't get me in for December because they are booked. So my next Pdoc appointment is January 8th. I can't wait. I can't believe I made it through the holiday season with no therapist and without my pdoc appointment.

I can take a benzodiazepine for my jobs but now I wish I hadn't blown it. One was a great company with good benefits including medical.