# How to get a doctor to prescribe me a benzo?



## blahman123

would a general doctor prescribe me a benzo or would I have to see a specialist for that? should i just tell him i experience social anxiety? i'm not sure what to do. :sigh

i want to try out xanax.


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## UltraShy

blahman123 said:


> would a general doctor prescribe me a benzo or would I have to see a specialist for that?


Depends on the doctor. Lots of benzo prescriptions are written by GPs. The only reason I see a psychiatrist is because I require more benzos than my GP is brave enough to write a script for. My GP's limit is 4 mg a day of Xanax. My psychiatrist has no problem with giving me 10 mg a day, which is fully justified under my exceptional circumstances.



blahman123 said:


> should i just tell him i experience social anxiety?


Yes, absolutely. If you want a benzo any doc is surely going to want a reason why. And SA is a damn good reason.


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## ThirdEyeGrind

Agreed, just tell him how much your social anxiety is effecting you. Even tell him you get panic attacks if thats what it takes. And then if you wanna sound even more convincing, tell him your willing to see a counceler too. Oh, and I wouldn't bother asking my GP for benzo's. Mine is a middle aged Indian guy and he won't even prescribe me Ambien. I don't know your doc though so maybe I'm wrong.


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## korey

Hold a gun to his head :lol

I'M KIDDING, of course :b. You're more likely to receive a prescription for a psychiatric medication from a psychiatrist - which is a specialist - than a general physician; however, it is not unheard of for a general physician to prescribe benzodiazepines. If explaining your concerns along with your doctor's physical observations of your state whilst explaining isn't enough, then either 1) you have a benzophobe for a doctor (i.e. a doctor who has a fear and/or dislike over writing prescriptions for benzodiazepines, which can occur in both general physicians AND psychiatrists all the same), or 2) your anxiety just doesn't make the team this season for the World's Most Neurotic :troll. In either case, there's probably another self-proclaimed "well-qualified" MD just around the block, so: _"Tis a lesson you should heed, try, try again. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." - Thomas H. Palmer_

:sas


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## venusfruit

Some doctors are reluctant to prescribe a benzo, because of the addiction potential. My doctor knew my history with anxiety. He prescribed me valium before, but that never worked. I told him I wanted him to prescribe xanax and I couldn't believe he actually did it!


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## scotthallkevinnash

Tell s/him that you recently are experiencing panic attacks and constant social anxiety. 

More anxiety then usual. This is important because a normal GP wont prescribe benzos for long periods unless you know them well. 

Then tell them you've research the meds and ask about "benzodiazepines" and if the doctor thinks it would be useful for treating your symptoms. 

The doctor will agree and will likely name a few of their personal "faves".

After this, you tell the doc that your friend was prescribed "something called" Xanax for Panic Attacks and Social Phobia and it works well for s/him. Act like you don't know much about the med because doctors don't like to prescribe Xanax because it gets ya high. 

This should be good enough to get probably 6-7 refills of 30 of the .25-.5mg Xanax. Your GP will probly tell you to see a psychiatrist after s/him has received enough money from you. They will probly say something that due to the chronic nature of your illness, they feel a pdoc would be more appropriate. 

After this, your golden because pdocs have no trouble at all for blindly writing scripts for benzos if you have a prior history of using them. Most of your visits will be you telling the doc that its working well and the doc will write another 3 months worth of drugs. I suggest getting the highest dose possible because then you can use a little extra if your in a tough situation.


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## blahman123

i'm going to tell him i experience SA and panic attacks while taking tests in school. that might work =D. i'll exaggerate the symptoms


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## X33

That sounds like test anxiety, dunno if your doc. will put you on benzos for that.


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## ThirdEyeGrind

blahman123 said:


> i'm going to tell him i experience SA and panic attacks while taking tests in school. that might work =D. i'll exaggerate the symptoms


Just tell him *"**In school I've been having horrible social anxiety and also what I believe to be panic attacks. I don't know how much longer I can deal with this, I even had to miss school some days so I wouldn't have to feel this......And its not just school either, its pretty much every public place, and it never goes away.**" *Then when he asks you something like *"**What do you feel like when you are having these so called panic attacks?**" *just look it up on the net and tell him whatever you found. And if he doesn't ask you that question, just tell him all the symptoms anyway and that sometimes you even feel like your gonna die. If I was a doctor, that would sound convincing to me.


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## CopadoMexicano

Better to see at least three different doctors psychiatrists or not than to have a bunch of different opinions on the internet. Oh, and if you dont have insurance good luck my friend because it can be very expensive depending on what type of drug.


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## ThirdEyeGrind

Yea, if you don't have insurance you will go broke. You definitely need insurance to take medication.


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## UltraShy

AprilEthereal said:


> Yea, if you don't have insurance you will go broke. You definitely need insurance to take medication.


Benzos are generic & cheap. Other meds, well, many of them are simply obscene.


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## korey

UltraShy said:


> AprilEthereal said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yea, if you don't have insurance you will go broke. You definitely need insurance to take medication.
> 
> 
> 
> Benzos are generic & cheap. Other meds, well, many of them are simply obscene.
Click to expand...

Even with insurance, the cost of these new drugs on the market is ... disgusting. Some examples from the BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama Rx database:


- INVEGA 9 MG ER TABLET - #30 - $518.46 _(It's just a metabolite of Risperdal! jeez... I feel sorry for those suffering from psychosis because they'll probably be turning over their rent/mortgage and car note to their pharmacy each month.)_
- LUVOX CR 150 MG CAPSULE - #30 - $109.25 _(Apparently slapping a time-released mechanism was the SECRET to unleashing fluvoxamine's potential for treating social anxiety disorder because regular fluvoxamine is not indicated for social anxiety disorder, yet Luvox CR is. Hmm. I call bull_sh*t.)_
- XYREM 500 MG/ML ORAL SOLUTION - 540mL - $1,041.50 _(F :eek CK. THAT. If I ever develop narcolepsy, I'll try my hand at crack before shelling out over a grand each month for a bottle of prescription date-rape cocktail.)_
- ADDERALL XR 30 MG CAPSULE - #60 - $274.51 _(Remove the 7 and you'll be within $1 of the price of generic Adderall IR 30mg #60 count, which is refunded 100% because it's generic, so it's technically free. The Adderall XR, however, is not. :con )_

Yet those without any health insurance at all are sure to pay much more than what's listed above - those prices are simply "insurance-adjusted" prices, which is another way of saying that they are what BCBSAL thinks best/most reasonably affordable for everyone covered in the insurance group my dad is a part of. But there are plenty of people who have $5, $10, $20, etc. copays, which means that once they meet their yearly deductible (just as I have to first meet mine before benefits kick in each year), they're practically getting these $200+ medications for less than the gas money spent driving to the pharmacy. I wonder what all these grossly cost-inflated medications are really worth. I'm betting they all cost close to $1 to manufacture, but I could be wrong  At any rate, the goal remains the same - _maximize profits without a care for the consumer!_ (What, did you think the goal was something sensible like _offer help to those in need *without* demanding their net worth and/or first born child in return_? Ha! :rofl), so the retail prices are increased by tens or even hundreds of thousands of percent.

Call me crazy (despite the fact that I actually am :troll), but I think doctors are starting to invent diseases just so drug companies can make and market new drugs (which invariably cause erectile dysfunction :b). Seriously! When I first saw a commercial for a drug that treats Restless Legs Syndrome, I thought it was a joke or a mockery of something, but I was wrong. Apparently hundreds of thousands of people lie awake at night due to _unbearable creepy-crawly leg sensations_ ( :roll ), so the obvious answer is to give them a drug originally designed for Parkinson's patients! :fall

I think I have Restless Left Ear Syndrome. Something for Alzheimer's should do the trick. 8) :doh

I now must retreat back into my cocoon away from the world or I'll further the mental damage that's already been done. :afr


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## UltraShy

^One reason such obscene prices exist is because most consumers (patients) are clueless and most doctors are quite clueless as well regarding drug costs. I suspect very few patients investigate the prices of the various medications that could treat their disorder to find the most cost effective way to get the job done. In many cases, there is a cheaper generic drug that works just as well as the new, expensive, and heavily advertised "wonder drug".

Pharmacists know drugs. Ask your pharmacist "is there a less expensive medication that could treat my condition". He'd probably be thrilled to finally use his vast knowledge for more than just making sure the tech put the right pills in the right bottle.


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## Mracid

blahman123 said:


> i'm going to tell him i experience SA and panic attacks while taking tests in school. that might work =D. i'll exaggerate the symptoms


Just tell him that when people are around you just cant feel right. you cant be yourself and cant think normally. Tell him when you see people you want to kill them just so they stop making you anxious by living near you. And that made you super antisocial. im pretty damn sure no matter your age hes gonna give ya something good if its not xanax it will be another benzo. your only enemy is the ssri.


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## Smoke Eyes

Tell him/her the truth. If what you tell the doctor is true, they will know it. They are very good at sussing out pill poppers. 

The first doc who helped me simply listened to my story and he knew I was serious.


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## vicky11

I don't think its appropriate for a GP to prescribe such a strong and addictive drug like benzo. I think people should really go to a psychiatrist and be evaluated by them.


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## Noca

vicky11 said:


> I don't think its appropriate for a GP to prescribe such a strong and addictive drug like benzo. I think people should really go to a psychiatrist and be evaluated by them.


Many GP's think that they are mental health professionals and can juggle your physical AND mental health in just 5 minutes(often 4.5 minutes for your physical health and just 30 seconds for your mental health), once every 3-4 weeks. They have a superman complex that causes them to believe this delusion that they can do everything and do not need to refer their patients to any mental health professionals or outside help. To quote a past GP I saw "it's what we do as family physicians"[refering to treating/managing their patient's physical AND mental health]

When someone claims they are a "Jack-Of-All-Trades", they end up being good at nothing and just medicore at everything they do.


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## InFlames

UltraShy said:


> Depends on the doctor. Lots of benzo prescriptions are written by GPs. The only reason I see a psychiatrist is because I require more benzos than my GP is brave enough to write a script for. My GP's limit is 4 mg a day of Xanax. My psychiatrist has no problem with giving me 10 mg a day, which is fully justified under my exceptional circumstances.
> 
> Yes, absolutely. If you want a benzo any doc is surely going to want a reason why. And SA is a damn good reason.


Holy Sh*t 10mg a day! I told my psychiatrist I couldn't leave the house for years, have no friends and never had a GF and the highest any of them ever go is 2mg of Klonopin. I can't even get Xanax except on the black market.


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## InFlames

ThirdEyeGrind said:


> Agreed, just tell him how much your social anxiety is effecting you. Even tell him you get panic attacks if thats what it takes. And then if you wanna sound even more convincing, tell him your willing to see a counceler too. Oh, and I wouldn't bother asking my GP for benzo's. Mine is a middle aged Indian guy and he won't even prescribe me Ambien. I don't know your doc though so maybe I'm wrong.


Not to typecast but I've gone to 3 Indian doctors and 2 I walked out on as they do not believe in benzos at all. They will give you anything but benzos, anything. They would rather send you home with a blood pressure med and tell you it will help with anxiety.


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## Noca

InFlames said:


> Not to typecast but I've gone to 3 Indian doctors and 2 I walked out on as they do not believe in benzos at all. They will give you anything but benzos, anything. They would rather send you home with a blood pressure med and tell you it will help with anxiety.


I've seen over 200 doctors since 2005 and I have found no correlation with race and benzophobes whatsoever and I wouldn't expect there to be any. My current doctor is brown skin, foreign, and prescribes me 10 x 0.5mg Klonopin/month where as the last two white ones would only give me 2 ativan pills a year. In the past white doctors have given me scripts of 4mg Klonopin/day and 2mg Xanax at the same time.


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## InFlames

Noca said:


> I've seen over 200 doctors since 2005 and I have found no correlation with race and benzophobes whatsoever and I wouldn't expect there to be any. My current doctor is brown skin, foreign, and prescribes me 10 x 0.5mg Klonopin/month where as the last two white ones would only give me 2 ativan pills a year. In the past white doctors have given me scripts of 4mg Klonopin/day and 2mg Xanax at the same time.


I'm telling you the Indian doctors go to school where they don't believe in benzos. Or they are scared to prescribe a narcotic because they don't want to get in trouble. I will never see an Indian doctor again but I guarantee you if I went to 50 I would not get a benzo script.


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