# How wrong was I about my psychiatrist?



## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Okay so bad psychiatrist appointment experiences are common, but at 320.00 an hour i would have expected not only a level of compassion for someone with mental illness but a bit of professionalism too.
First off, he got it into his head i had ADHD-I and gave me a list of symptoms which did describe me well. He then put me on concerta to augment my Effexor and levothryrozxine without warning me that stimulants such as Ritalin,concerta etc can play havoc for people with thyroid problems so needless to say the side effects were very painful for me physically and mentally, i felt bipolar, erratic, crazy, jaded, depressed and suicidal.
Did i get an apology? NOPE he just said "that did not work"
So then he explains his findings and assesses that i have dysthymia and from what other docs and pdocs have said on my notes, Major depression
so what does he give me? Beta blockers to augment effexor
They are not working, its been two weeks and all i feel is tired and i get dizzy and faint when i stand up and as for the depression well its severe and i doubt these beta blockers are going to work as an antidepressant because i did not think that was what they were used for

I called him today to see if he would be reopening after the big earthquake
He was very sharp and said "why wouldn't i be open next week?"
I was thinking "hello, massive earthquake, 123 people killed"
But yeah he was very brash and then called me impatient because i asked to be put on the dothiapine which HE suggested and told me i could go on.
He turns around and says "give the beta blockers a chance to work" 
"you are far too impatient"

i actually got angry and told him i have been patient since i have been on effexor for nearly six years.
He replied "well i did not know u for those years did i?"
"let the beta blockers kick in and on Wednesday we will see"

so he knows the severity of my depression and how i was affected by the earthquake but still refuses to help me, so if he does not change me on to Dothiapine when i see him weds, i will not be seeing him again

I have had no relief from beta blockers in the past and effexor is not working anymore.

Should i just see my GP? They often suggest new medication if something is not working after a long period of time

I also feel he thinks i am making a lot of this up and am not sick at all, i hate that. for the amount i pay him, it should be better than this


----------



## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

320 an hour? Maybe NZ has a weak currency. Otherwise we should all move there and become filthy rich pill doctors.


----------



## eek a mouse (Apr 14, 2010)

I went through something similar. Same fukin bullsh1t. It was one medication after another, telling me to give it time, changing dosage, changing brand and super expensive. I finally realized this was just a huge fukin scam and went to a counselor and gave up on all medications. Best decision I could have made, all this psychiatrist crap wasted 2 years of my life where I didnt get any progress. One year in just regular counsling and a lot of hard work has gotten me a lot further along....


I hate psychiatrists....they dole out pills like its candy and never tell the patient what they should and different alternatives. Its a pitiful job.


----------



## robtyl (Sep 2, 2010)

LALoner said:


> 320 an hour? Maybe NZ has a weak currency. Otherwise we should all move there and become filthy rich pill doctors.


I'm in Australia and mine charges $500 per hour ($250 per half-hour)... am I getting ripped off? Since the Aussie dollar has just eclipsed the Greenback, thats about US$510 per hour.

Government rebates for half-hour sessions come to about $120, but I'm still paying $130 out of pocket (almost my entire part-time job wage is going towards this).

Granted, I would have to wait about two months to see a cheaper pdoc and just couldn't be bothered waiting - in hindsight, that was probably a stupid idea :/

My pdoc does seem to be ace though - quite arrogant, but he seems to know what he's doing...maybe I'll give it a couple more sessions and line his filthy rich pockets some more before deciding whether to switch.

x


----------



## TenYears (Jan 15, 2010)

I'm going through something similar. I fired the pschiatrist I've had the last 4 months or so. He charged $350/hour. He wrote out prescriptions, spent most of the hour f*kcing with his computer, which he always had probs with, and cut me off all time. I'd throw something out there that was a very serious issue, something that was really causing me a lot of anxiety or depression, and he would cut me off, and dismiss it with a quick answer, basically "everythings gonna be alright". He had me so, so sedated...I was a walking zombie. Now the search is on for a new one.


----------



## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

320.00NZD is 280 or round about's USA dollar
still, he is not worth ten dollars. He doesn't want me to stop seeing him, well sorry mate
another thing i read was that one of the side effects of beta blockers which he prescribed me two weeks ago is DEPRESSION, shock horror, the severe depression hit me recently after i started taking those crappy beta blockers which have only made me dizzy and lower my already low blood pressure.

So now i need to see the doctor to have my heart rate and blood pressure tested as the side effects are hypotensive and i already have problems with hypotension, man he is a dimwit, do these shrinks not read the existing conditions and list of things u cannot take before prescribing? Or do they just throw pills that are not meant to be used with your other pills and hope for the best??? :mum


----------



## Ramondo (Feb 16, 2011)

Arisa1536 said:


> Okay so bad psychiatrist appointment experiences are common, but at 320.00 an hour i would have expected not only a level of compassion for someone with mental illness but a bit of professionalism too.


That does seem like a lot. Remember he has to take rent and wages out of that.
He must be trying to save expenses by doing without a receptionist on weekends.


----------



## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Ramondo said:


> That does seem like a lot. Remember he has to take rent and wages out of that.
> He must be trying to save expenses by doing without a receptionist on weekends.


Rent and wages?
he has one receptionist, he sees on average ten people a day, because he charges 90.00 for ten minutes and 110.00 for half an hour, no i think he is being unreasonable and the way he spoke to me and misdiagnosed was unprofessional.

He had suggested i take effexor and dothiapine at the same time, which according to my doctor who i saw today is Dangerous :afr
i understand tapering but even then its not wise to mix a TCA with effexor in any amount, my doc suggested two days of withdrawal instead then add the TCA


----------



## Ramondo (Feb 16, 2011)

OK, I'm going to risk saying a few things you might not like. I'm not trying to insult or criticise you. 



Arisa1536 said:


> no i think he is being unreasonable and the way he spoke to me and misdiagnosed was unprofessional.
> 
> Possibly, but do you think he might have had at least some justification for calling you impatient if you called him on Saturday to discuss a change of medication when you already have an appointment with him on Wednesday?
> As far as being abrupt, yes that's not ideal. But he's human, and if he's been through the earthquake, perhaps his house is damaged; he might have lost relatives; his workload is almost certainly heavier now with grieving patients. I'm not saying that _excuses_ his reaction, but it might _explain_ it.
> ...


Well, you can hate me too if you like. But if you do have BPD, it might be beneficial for you to try to understand the traits.
On the other hand of course, your psych might be the arsehole that you say he is.


----------



## Pam (Feb 14, 2009)

eek a mouse said:


> I went through something similar. Same fukin bullsh1t. It was one medication after another, telling me to give it time, changing dosage, changing brand and super expensive. I finally realized this was just a huge fukin scam and went to a counselor and gave up on all medications. Best decision I could have made, all this psychiatrist crap wasted 2 years of my life where I didnt get any progress. One year in just regular counsling and a lot of hard work has gotten me a lot further along....
> 
> I hate psychiatrists....they dole out pills like its candy and never tell the patient what they should and different alternatives. Its a pitiful job.


I share your view and types of experiences. I gave up on meds and the dealers who push them. All they do--assuming they even work for the person--is cover up symptoms that can be taken care of in a permanent way thru psychotherapies of various kinds and even thru new corrective experiences in one's regular life.


----------



## straightarrows (Jun 18, 2010)

the best thing in all this: thanks god u r fine after that earthquake

this man just want ur money,,


----------



## Hello22 (Feb 10, 2010)

Ya my psychaitrist isnt great either, but i have no choice. Everytime i go its a different pdoc, and they just dish out pills and increase the dose. I am sick of telling them about my insomnia, they just ignore me when i talk about that, they reckon its cos i work evening shift which is bull****.


----------



## sapphire21 (Mar 14, 2011)

I have learned the hard way that it is VERY difficult to find the right doctor. Luckily, I recently found a great one and she even told me that if I did not feel that she was working out to let her know, and not to be scared to go to a new doctor! I suggest going to a new doctor. But, it is very expensive...especially when you have to keep trying new doctors. Good luck!


----------

