Prescribing doctor retiring this summer, now therapist pushing detox again

[[Ni...]]

My doctor told me a week or so ago- after he stood up from speaking with me - that he was leaving in August, and taking back vacation in July.  The other doc in this practice I’ve been told will not prescribe benzo or other controlled substances. But he said maybe if I made an appointment with her and explained to her what I’ve been doing with his supervision, then maybe she would prescribe Valium for the remainder of my taper.

All he has ever advised is to go slow, so now I’m left with a new prescription with 5 refills. He said he’d give it to me when he left but it showed up on my May prescription.  I am beyond frustrated with this doctor. Several people close to me say that ethically he should help me arrange for care after he leaves. But how do I get him to do this?. He seems to have one foot out the door already.

I’d love to have a better PCP, but now I have to meet new doctors with questions on how they would handle prescribing for my taper, and knowing that policies can change at any time.

I’m angry and afraid, which seems to be typical wd state. But this really scares me.

Tapering is honestly hard enough.

Any advice on switching doctors mid taper?

Oh,,and is there nothing I can show this therapist about detoxing? I can’t find any positive accounts of it except one woman in a FB group that I recently dropped out of.  Therapist was supposed to be helping me deal with doctor dilemma, but threw this in because she says I should get my life back! 🤦‍♀️

[[Ma...]]

With 5 refills and you’re at .3 do you think you can cut by 5-10% each week? I’m terrible at math so calculate it before f catastrophizing! It just may be doable!!!

[[Ni...]]

.300 is my evening dose plus .250 in morning. (this week)

Prescriptions may stretch more than a month as I decrease, but I have never tolerated 5 or 10% decreases.

Good for you if you can. I've been trying to get closer to 3% but often it' more like 2%.

I'd love to be able to finish in the next 6 months, but based on my body and its issues, I don't think it's a reasonable expectation.

[[Ma...]]

Can you add Gabapentin or Pregabalin to help? Google the articles from PubMd and NIH-they are supposed to help….

[[Re...]]

My doctor told me a week or so ago- after he stood up from speaking with me - that he was leaving in August, and taking back vacation in July.  The other doc in this practice I’ve been told will not prescribe benzo or other controlled substances. But he said maybe if I made an appointment with her and explained to her what I’ve been doing with his supervision, then maybe she would prescribe Valium for the remainder of my taper.

All he has ever advised is to go slow, so now I’m left with a new prescription with 5 refills. He said he’d give it to me when he left but it showed up on my May prescription.  I am beyond frustrated with this doctor. Several people close to me say that ethically he should help me arrange for care after he leaves. But how do I get him to do this?. He seems to have one foot out the door already.

I’d love to have a better PCP, but now I have to meet new doctors with questions on how they would handle prescribing for my taper, and knowing that policies can change at any time.

I’m angry and afraid, which seems to be typical wd state. But this really scares me.

Tapering is honestly hard enough.

Any advice on switching doctors mid taper?

Oh,,and is there nothing I can show this therapist about detoxing? I can’t find any positive accounts of it except one woman in a FB group that I recently dropped out of.  Therapist was supposed to be helping me deal with doctor dilemma, but threw this in because she says I should get my life back! 🤦‍♀️

 

Where are you located?

[[Re...]]

Can you add Gabapentin or Pregabalin to help? Google the articles from PubMd and NIH-they are supposed to help….

 

No offense to Mary, but these drugs can be very difficult to taper off if you are in benzo wd. Lyrica (Pregabalin) acts on the same receptors as benzos -- go look up Lyrica withdrawal.

 

I recently got a genetic drug test done for adverse reactions, and it said, "Gabapentin is not appreciably metabolized in humans." My mouth dropped to the floor as I was put on this during benzo wd. Thankfully, I am no longer taking it.

[[Ha...]]

Can you add Gabapentin or Pregabalin to help? Google the articles from PubMd and NIH-they are supposed to help….

 

No offense to Mary, but these drugs can be very difficult to taper off if you are in benzo wd. Lyrica (Pregabalin) acts on the same receptors as benzos -- go look up Lyrica withdrawal.

 

I recently got a genetic drug test done for adverse reactions, and it said, "Gabapentin is not appreciably metabolized in humans." My mouth dropped to the floor as I was put on this during benzo wd. Thankfully, I am no longer taking it.

 

Lyrica doesn't bind to GABA or Benzo receptors. However I would agree that adding another med that needs tapering and can cause bad WD of its own isn't the best idea.

 

Here's a quote from a study from the NIH, taken from another thread, provide by new0girl

Conclusion: Based on the current available evidence, pregabalin is not recommended for use in benzodiazepine discontinuation, as the majority of studies did not find a significant difference in benzodiazepine discontinuation rates between pregabalin and comparatory groups despite an improvement in withdrawal and anxiety symptoms.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29317396/

 

 

OP, have you considered trying to find a nurse practitioner rather than a doctor to prescribe you? Quite a few members have had a problem with their doctors in the past and managed to find a NP. Apparently they are usually more aware of BWD and more understanding of the situation. I think there's also a list of Benzo wise doctors on 1 of the Benzo websites, Benzoinfo maybe? I'll see if I can dig it out for you

 

edit. You may find some doctor information here. There's also things to help explain WD to a doctor

 

https://www.benzoinfo.com/doctors/

 

http://www.benzosupport.org/benzo_wise_doctors.htm

 

https://benzoreform.org/speaking-with-your-medical-provider/

[[Ni...]]

I’m in Eastern Pennsylvania. I will be meeting with the other doctor in the practice; they also have a nurse practitioner, so I will check on her as well.

I’ve been doing this from ago 65-68, and also have a rare genetic disorder that is nearly impossible to find a knowledgeable doctor to oversee my condition.  I have a pt who is the only one who gets the whole picture.

I was put on this drug by the chief of neurology at the dominant hospital system in my area a number of years ago. I was then shuffled from doc to doc as regulations tightened on these drugs.

 

Mostly I just focus on the positives I can still enjoy in life, and keep on decreasing my dose as best I can.

This is a curve ball I wasn’t expecting. 

 

Since I’m over 65 doctor appointments are even more formulaic and based on a computerized checklist of tests and immunizations they want you to get. Because I won’t take more medication I get very frustrated that I’m in such a struggle yet the doctor seems oblivious.

 

I was hoping for support or understanding. If you’re in your 30s or 40s it’s not the same at all.

 

I was reading on Benzo Information Coalition yesterday. Only posted because I’m so discouraged and feel like c**p which is not the best way to present to a new doc. Maybe I feel this way bc I’ve had to stand in doctor offices while my pills were counted, and another time be subjected to an appointment with a psychiatrist who interviewed me while the conversation was piped into another room for residents “education” , only to be told there were no recommendations or benefits to me, it was for teaching purposes that I was asked to recount my life story. 

I’m not very trusting of the medical profession, especially after 2 back surgeries that made everything worse.

 

Having a Mare thanks for the links, I will look at them.

[[jo...]]

 

 

 

 

I recently got a genetic drug test done for adverse reactions, and it said, "Gabapentin is not appreciably metabolized in humans." My mouth dropped to the floor as I was put on this during benzo wd. Thankfully, I am no longer taking it.

 

Im my opinion this is not a bad thing. It only means it is not changed in the liver. The advantage of this is that in case of liver failure it does not affect the efficacy. Lorazepam, oxazepam and temazepam are also less metabolized in the liver than other benzo's and I quote from Wikipedia:

 

Lorazepam may be safer than most benzodiazepines in people with impaired liver function. Like oxazepam, it does not require liver oxidation, but only liver glucuronidation into lorazepam-glucuronide. Therefore, impaired liver function is unlikely to result in lorazepam accumulation to an extent causing adverse reactions

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorazepam#Specific_groups

 

[[ia...]]

Nigella,

I hope this reaches you - I know you posted this some time ago but I was reading through previous threads and came upon yours. I want to share with you, that I experienced the SAME thing. Literally the same thing happened to me: My psychiatrist of 5 years, literally retired after perscribing me two benzodiazepines for years. He is not at fault - I should have said something sooner when I realized I was dependent. However.... he offered very little transition when he retired - and very little 'notice' upon his departure.

 

The new psychiatrist during our first zoom call, said...'Is it ok if we get you off the benzos?"..

 

ummm ...'SURE?' < As you can imagine this COMPLETELY blind sided me.

 

There's more to this story - but I eventually stood up for myself and advoated for myself knowing I would need to taper SLOWLY.

If you need support or help on this topic, please feel free to DM/message me. The thing is: I say this respecfully, but these physicians need to take responsibility - EVEN if they are not the original perscriber. They have an obligation to safely help us get off these meds. Hang in there. I hope your new psychiatrist supports you through this. Here if you need an ear. -F

[[Ni...]]

Thank you for the replies and ideas. This has been a hard process but I did a lot of investigating my options and prepared for appointments with information and documentation. I was able to find a new PCP who is a respected old school “ listener.” (Such a huge relief!) At the appointment, I was given the time to explain my situation and how it developed. I’m especially grateful that he seems to understand my overall health concerns much better than the doc I have been going to.  I realize, now that I have found someone else,  that I felt unsafe with my previous doctor for a number of reasons, but was sticking with him because of the taper, the “contract” I signed etc etc.  As I explained the severity of my symptoms he agreed that going slow is necessary and didn’t dismiss my hypermobility as normal arthritis, at my age. There’s so much wrapped up in this for me, after years of dealing with an invisible and painful condition, and being treated as if I were exaggerating. 

I offered my new doctor a printed tapering guidance from the Benzo Information Coalition which he gladly took and was interested in reading. I am really so grateful.

 

[[Ha...]]

Sorry for late reply. That's great news, I wish I had a doctor who was willing to listen.

 

Wishing you luck on your taper