Posted by shar on February 26, 2003, at 1:55:47
In reply to Re: Take psych meds from a DOCTOR only, posted by viridis on February 25, 2003, at 11:56:39
Good points, V. I agree that in the more simple cases, family docs might be ok. But, if one is treatment resistant or needs something more complex, a pdoc is a better bet. There are so many psychotropic meds, and so many meds used for things they weren't originally designed for, I don't see how a GP would be able to keep up with all of that PLUS everything else he or she sees in their practice.
Shar
> There's so much variation among doctors -- both GPs and psychiatrists -- that it's hard to predict who will provide the best treatment. I do think, though, that the chances are greater that a psychiatrist will try schedule II drugs, combinations, unorthodox treatments, etc. (at least based on my limited experience).
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> If you're lucky enough to respond to "standard" treatments like SSRI monotherapy etc., it probably doesn't matter much which kind of doctor you see, and then it's just a matter of finding someone sensible and compassionate, and probably some trial and error. But if you require something a little more risky (or perceived as such) -- say, long-term benzo or stimulant therapy, a somewhat complex combo, and so on -- then the chances are that a psychiatrist will be more willing to try it. After all, they are specialists, whereas GPs by definition have more general training and have to deal with a huge range of conditions, so few have time to learn the ins and outs of psychiatric meds in particular.
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> That doesn't mean that all psychiatrists are good (I've seen some who were terrible), but I'd put my money/time on them, even if you have to see several before you find one you connect with.
poster:shar
thread:201988
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030224/msgs/203913.html