Posted by yxibow on January 9, 2006, at 12:32:15
In reply to Noncompliance, posted by Berberis on January 7, 2006, at 21:51:53
> I have a long history of noncompliance with meds my pdoc prescribes. By noncompliance I don't mean I don't take the drugs;
That's exactly what noncompliance means...
>I stop them and restart them or change the doseage without consulting him.
That can be dangerous with medications that one can get habituated to. Cold turkey is really not a fun thing.
>I don't tell him I'm messing with the meds because I don't want to *bother* him.
If a doctor doesn't have an emergency number, a page, or an answering service, they're doing their patients a disservice not to mention putting them in harm.
>Even when I feel I'm not doing well and may need a med tweaking, I think I can't possibly be bad enough to warrant a call to him.
I understand this, I've done this on a few occasions, but when I reveal this he may or may not be the most pleased. Suppose you took a major dose of a benzodiazepine or a barbiturate. What would the autopsy say ? How much would his malpractice insurance go up? And who would this decision be attributed to ? I may be exagerating but it happens, and that's the usual response I get, especially when I decide to pop a small dose of some expired thing we had tried before. Sure, it's a collaborative effort -- the doctor is driving the bus and you're looking at the road to see that he's in the right lane, but that's how it is.
>Usually when I make changes on my own, I regret it. I don't get why I don't learn from these mistakes. The latest go round is I stopped one drug and cut another in half.
One might want to reflect, and I am not trying to be in an accusative case, whether its somewhat self-destructive behaviour. I mean that in the best of terms I can say it.
>I see pdoc the week after next and worry about whether to tell him or not.
You might as well, because whether they will lecture you or not, suppose they prescribe something that then mixes wrongly with what he or she thought was actually going on with you? Egads!
>I know how stupid this is but I can't seem to stop this behavior. I don't know what to do.
Just tell the doctor what is going on, and figure from then why you're doing it, what medications really set you off and if the doctor has any compassion which they ought to, maybe both of you will delve into something else that will make you feel better instead of a Didnt-Attend-Medical-School-Dr. You and Dr. Them decision strategy. I think that would be far better. And if your doctor is really not listening to what pains you and what really works for you, maybe its time for a new doctor.
I hope that helps.
Cheers.
- J
poster:yxibow
thread:596366
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060108/msgs/597148.html