i am so flipping frustrated with my doctors office

my doctor scripted cymbalta and restoril at my last visit. my insurance will not pay for cymbalta, so they said they'd call in something else when i ran out of samples....well, i called the medical assistant and left a message about it and asked about refilling the restoril...she called back and said that i have to see the doctor first and there's no appt until november!

how am i supposed to just stop taking an antidepressant? and how am i supposed to sleep until then?

finally she said they will call in another antidepressant tomorrow, but i am still very frustrated by this whole situation. it makes me wonder if my doctor even remembers who i am or what was talked about at my last visit

In a perfect world we should not have to run out of meds, especially those that state "do not stop taking this medication without consulting your doctor". However, I have been in a situation at least twice in the past year when my doctor was either on vacation, or sick, and I had driven 100 miles to see him and I was out of one of those meds one isn't supposed to stop taking abruptly. In one instance, when this happened I stood my ground and insisted I needed to see whatever doctor there that day who could see me. Well, was that a major mistake. I ended up seeing this doctor who lectured me about my pain meds, wrote a large prescription for anti-anxiety meds and told me to "lose weight". My doctor was back two weeks later (from vacation, I guess) and then he too, lectured me for forty-five minutes about essentially double doctoring. He had me in tears, literally. I felt like some common criminal. He said "you just don't have any tolerance for pain". Well, like, yeah Doc, isn't that the key to fibromyalgia, we don't process pain signals normally, that doesnt make the pain any less real. I was really close to the edge following that meeting. I would have fired him but we have a real Doctor shortage, and heavens knows when I'll find another.Soooo, now I try to stay ahead of the running out problem buy keeping extra meds on hand for another impromptu vacation by my doc. 

That does seem to be a problem, they have so many patients and can't remember from one month to the next. My doc goes over everything that I take and my different diagnosis, so I guess he pretty well stays on top on that. But sometimes I feel like we don't gain any ground, though maybe that is as far as it goes. Always checks my heart and lungs. It just seems so repetitious. But I guess that is just the case with fibro. Same old pain and fatigue. It will probably never go away. And I know I shouldn't say this, but, I guess it could be worse than it is, so I don't complain too much.

Hugs, Karen

Alicat,
Is cymbalta like effexor: a norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor? I wanted to get off effexor because when I forgot to take it, I felt like my brain was loose bouncing around in my head and I was breathing car fumes. The doc gave me prozac to take in place of it and that worked. It was just 10 mg of prozac and when I eventually stopped taking that with no ill effects.
Good luck,
Sue

Hi,

I'm new here and I just read this thread. The reason I am here is exactly because of the way I have been treated by doctors. It seems that many people have had bad experiences but I really feel that I have had way too many and now I am on the verge of giving up. I have fibro, treatment resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD and Degenerative disc disease at L4/L5 which requires surgery.

I have had so many doctors treat me as If my life and well being are just not important. Over a month ago I started back on cymbalta and provigil and am not seeing any results yet. I didnt see great results before but figured I had less side effects than the other meds so I decided to go back on them. I don't know what if it matters really.

After seeing a few surgeons and being treated like I was not worthy of feeling better I decided I can not take the chance of having surgery when I know for a fact that the doctors don't care about what happens to me. They are cold and unfeeling. They act like I'm stupid and one says I need a fusion and another says I need a disc replacement. One says its no big deal another says its major surgery etc.... It makes me feel worse about everything.

The last surgeon referred me to a pain clininc. This is a first but also the last resort. The pain clinic is supposed to be where I can find help and people who will work with me to find a solution for the ungodly amount of pain I am in that just gets worse. It is not turning out to be this way at all.

I had told my regular NP that my first appointment at the pain clinic, which lasted over two hours of mostly waiting, was unproductive and by the time I got in there I couldn't think, was sore from sitting, confused, tired, brain fog, hungry, whatever. I told the NP that because I am on medicaid that I did not think I was going to get the help I needed. This is always the case. I told her something has GOT to be done to help me manage this because I am not doing well and am on the edge. She told me when I went back to the pain clinic to discuss this with them. They would listen. have things prepared to talk about etc...

Ok so...I had my pain clinic appointment last week and here's what happened.

Saw a NP different from the last one. Went over the meds, told her my story like I have to every time I go to any doctor. She asked questions that were on the page they just made me fill out blah blah. In addition to the chronic, unrelenting pain I have every day of my life  I told her about the flare-ups I get. At least 3 times a month I get these episodes where I am so sick and in so much pain that I am    .  I never use that word but it fits here. I do not think rationally, I have three different headaches all at the same time, every muscle in my entire body is on FIRE. I am sick to my stomach. I can't see, talk or communicate. I have involuntary tremors mostly in my hands and face. I throw up. It lasts for hours. sometimes days and I lose days of my life...literally! I live in fear of the next one. I don't know what causes them and nothing and I mean NOTHING helps them. This is exactly what I told her. I asked her if there was anything at all she could do. Prescibe something to get me through them? I don't know how to put it. what can I do ya know?

She said "so you have an exacerbation of pain?"

Yeah to put it mildly i guess. So she asks if I have ever been to aqua therapy and I told her the last time I looked into it medicaid did not cover it. She asked me if I had been on lyrica. Again, I told her I tried but Medicaid would not cover it.

She left the room and came back with two scripts. They were for aqua therapy and Lyrica!!!!! I told her again that I have tried these both and that they were not covered by medicaid. She said nothing and handed them to me along with a pamphlet about fibromyalgia and how bad it can affect people's lives.

I said "what about the flare-ups? I'm not sure you really understood what I was saying, its hard to put into words"

She said "We don't prescribe medications to make people unconscious...that's not how we treat it"

I said well I didn't ask for that I just want something to help me through and she said "See how the aqua therapy works" and she walked out the door and just left me standing there.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I really feel that this is the way its going to be for me. I am a fighter but I am tired. I am not sure it makes a difference to try if this is all I ever get. Just wanted to put it out there. I really don't know what to do.

Post Edited By Moderator (Sherrine) : 9/25/2008 12:32:13 PM (GMT-6)