Dr dropped me as he’s afraid of being “audited” in court

[[Ia...]]

I have a doctor that prescribes me Ativan in Florida. (I have been on since 2013 since I was first prescribed for a severe case of MCS and EMF sensitivity, not anxiety.)

He’s been my doctor for over five years. Today he dropped me as a patient saying his mother went to a psychiatric conference in California and said it wasn’t safe to prescribe benzos as doctors will soon be audited if they’re not tapering their patients. 

lI am very upset and flipping out that I do not have a doctor to give me my dose and have to find a new doctor. This doctor and I had discussed the Ashton manual and how are we were going to taper together as soon as my kids were old enough as I don’t have help. On top of that I have long Covid and don’t need any stress because it will make me bedbound again when I’ve been finally making huge strides in my health and gaining my energy back after months.

Does anybody know if the laws are about to change or have changed? What is this doctor talking about being sent to court if he doesn’t taper his patients? I haven’t heard of any laws changing. Does he just not want to bother with a patient with a high Ativan dose? 

Today was very frightening day.

 

Edited April 18 by [Ia...]

[[kn...]]

I don't know much about the laws concerning this, but I do know that I've had to change med providers twice during my 2.5 year taper with diazepam.  I was told here on BB by an administrator that new Dr.'s are being told that they should not Rx Benzos in the first place, and if they "inherit" a patient on them, that they should taper them off as soon as possible.  This is nothing but pharmaceutical blackmail.  It's morally unethical and professionally irresponsible.  If your provider is still getting his medical advice from his mother, he needs to seriously grow up.  If this is his attitude, your'e best leaving on your own.  Having said that, he should give you a script that will carry you over until you can find a new provider.  Does the clinic you're attending have an administrative staff?  If so, you may try that avenue.  It worked for me.  

[[Li...]]

I’m sorry this happened to you, @[Ia...].  I am unaware of any legislation about auditing doctors if they are not tapering their patients.  Is it possible your doctor was using this as an excuse to fire you as a patient? 

I also wonder if your case meets the criteria for patient abandonment?

In your shoes, I’d give strong consideration to @[kn...]’s suggestion to contact someone higher up in the doctor’s chain of command.

[[An...]]

I have not heard of any new laws regarding benzodiazepine prescribing mandates. The prescribing guidelines still recommend short-term (2-4 weeks) use at the lowest possible dose for severe anxiety or insomnia. Ofc course, no doctor has to adhere to this.

@[kn...] said>>>

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 I was told here on BB by an administrator that new Dr.'s are being told that they should not Rx Benzos in the first place, and if they "inherit" a patient on them, that they should taper them off as soon as possible.

 

This is what is actually happening nowadays IMO. Where I live, most PCPs will not Rx you benzos and if you are already on them, they will insist that you get off them. Many will not even help you to taper by refusing to prescribe. This has to be the long-term benzo patient's worst nightmare, esp. for patients who are not having a problem with tolerance and want to stay on these drugs. Yikes!

However, most will freely Rx SSRIs long-term to patients for anxiety and depression.

The only thing you can really do if you are not ready to detox your benzo is to doctor shop until hopefully you can find another prescriber. Pdocs and Psychiatric NPs and PAs are your best bet IMO but now you will have the added medical expense of seeing your PCP for other things and the mental health specialist for your continued benzo prescriptions.

[[An...]]

@[Ia...] said>>>

Quote

Today he dropped me as a patient saying his mother went to a psychiatric conference in California and said it wasn’t safe to prescribe benzos as doctors will soon be audited if they’re not tapering their patients. 

Why would he listen to his mother? Is she also a doctor? How much Ativan are you on? How much have you got onhand before you completely run out?

[[Ia...]]

Hello everyone - I want to express my sincere appreciation for all your responses! Your support is incredibly meaningful to me.

I find myself deeply troubled by the current situation. How is it possible for a doctor to prioritize hearsay from a conference attended by his MD mommy in California (one he deliberately obscured with a generic name, likely underestimating my capabilities as an educated and proficient researcher) over the urgent needs of a patient here in Florida? It's simply unacceptable. From my perspective, this displays a glaring deficiency in both courage and integrity on his part. The fundamental tenet of medicine is to do no harm, yet it's painfully clear that he has failed to adhere to this principle. It feels as though he's callously disregarded my well-being, and I'm not just angry; I'm profoundly disappointed and triggered. It seems he's recklessly discarded all considerations, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I'm beyond livid.

Due to my MCS issues, I have an extremely high sensitivity to medications, which would make any tapering process even more challenging. Consequently, I rely on getting my Ativan custom-made without fillers at a compounding pharmacy to ensure I can tolerate them. I've been on this medication for 11 years now, at a whopping dosage of 10 mg per day (divided into 5 capsules/day of 2 mg each.) However, I'm also concerned about the potential resurgence of strong sensitivities if I were to undergo an unusually lengthy and painful tapering process. This medication has been crucial for me, enabling me to function in the world when my health was severely compromised. In case you're not familiar with MCS, it causes me to be hypersensitive to virtually everything, including live EFMs, to the extent that I had to live in a tent outside at one point. And I'm a city girl from Manhattan and London. 

Despite being an educated individual, it's obvious that my doctor is reluctant to continue treating a patient on such a high dose for reasons unknown. I attempted to inquire more about the "conference" his mother attended, but as he provided me with such a vague name for the event it was laughable. It's clear to me that he's not being entirely truthful. 

He brings up this concern about being "audited," which is completely bewildering and adds an extra layer of distress to an already challenging situation. It's absurd that he would use this as a reason to consider ending our doctor-patient relationship. Despite this claim, I've conducted thorough research and found no evidence in Florida laws or reputable research papers to support his assertion.

What's even more alarming is during our last phone call, he told me he would document in my chart we had discussions about tapering. He said this was to protect himself in case he was brought to court - for WHAT? This raises the worrying possibility that the next doctor might assume I left because I was unwilling to comply with tapering, which is incredibly concerning. 

It's a frightening thought, considering how vital accurate medical records are. The fact that this doctor would falsify information in his chart, potentially to protect himself legally in the event of an audit, is deeply troubling. It makes me question his integrity and professionalism. Who in their right mind would resort to such dishonest practices?

What he told me about what he is going to put in his chart makes me deeply apprehensive that the next doctor may enforce a rushed forced tapering regimen, putting not only my job but also my children, my home, and ultimately, my life at risk. I am a single mother without any support, and I find myself in an incredibly frightening position. Despite this, I started diligently arranging consultations with new doctors (I have three appointments so far.) I hope to find a doctor who possesses genuine empathy and comprehends the serious consequences of tapering someone with such a high dosage. 

Should I bother reaching out to my former doctor again? Maybe to demand he not falsify my records? He also made a promise to text me the contact details of another doctor to see on that day, but guess what? He never texted (seriously, what the heck?) And as if that's not enough, he had the audacity to charge an ages-old credit card for my tele-visit, a card that hasn't been used in over two years - the correct one is on file. (He is a one-man show without a front desk so it was his fault.) It's beyond frustrating how little regard he seems to have for my situation. This isn't just some trivial matter; it's my life we're talking about here, and his blatant disregard is making me teeter on the edge of a full-blown panic.

 

 

 

[[Ia...]]

 

19 hours ago, [[A...] said:

This is what is actually happening nowadays IMO. Where I live, most PCPs will not Rx you benzos and if you are already on them, they will insist that you get off them. Many will not even help you to taper by refusing to prescribe. This has to be the long-term benzo patient's worst nightmare, esp. for patients who are not having a problem with tolerance and want to stay on these drugs. Yikes!

The only thing you can really do if you are not ready to detox your benzo is to doctor shop until hopefully you can find another prescriber. 

Very interesting if you are right about the trend. Where are you in the world? If that is true then people will soon be taken off their drugs left and right. Maybe that was discussed at the conference? IDK, but I can find no documentation anywhere. And I am a master researcher. Besides the stronger box warning, there have been no legal developments, at least not ones that they are sharing... yet.

We are on the same page r.e. Dr shopping - that is exactly what I am doing right now. It's my only hope.

I can't withdraw from a heavy dose now, my old doctor and I were in agreement, that as I am the sole caretaker of young children I wouldn't be able to care for them. So far I am lucky. 11 years, no side effects.