Posted by Bill L on March 29, 2001, at 8:33:52
In reply to Bad doctors (Dr. Bob, someone, help!), posted by PhoenixGirl on March 28, 2001, at 16:37:15
My advise is to call a teaching hospital and ask for a referral. That should not be any problem in Atlanta. Doesn't Emory have a medical school and hospital? If not, I'm sure there are others. I think that the teaching hospital docs keep up with things and see a high volume of patients which is important. Of course unfortunately there is still no guarantee that the doc will not be obnoxious.
If you want to switch docs, you should call for a referral right away since you might have to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment.
> I am really struggling to find a good doctor. The doctor-patient relationship can have a big power imbalance, which I don't like -- I want a doctor and I to work TOGETHER on helping me, I don't want to just do whatever he says. Yesterday I went to a doctor for the first time, and withing 15 minutes he thought he had everything all figured out, and wanted to change me over to Effexor. He said "Depression is treated with serotonin, not norepinepherine", even though I told him that the norepinepherine drugs tend to work better for me than the more serotonergic ones. Right now I take desipramine, levothroid, and Wellbutrin, and I wanted to switch the Wellbutrin to Provigil because Wellbutrin doesn't help my depression. He said "If you want me to help you, I can help you, but I won't fight with you. I'm not going to do what you want me to do. I've been a pharmacologist since before you were born." What the hell is this power struggle crap?! I was very shy and passive during the whole appointment, and I quietly said that I don't want to mess with serotonin drugs again (I've tried 4 without success), and that's the reaction I got! When we were walking out of the office, he told his
> receptionist to make an appointment for me with the therapist he works with, even though I never said I wanted a therapist, much less that one. Clearly, he is controlling, egotistical, and thinks he knows it all. I've had depression for 11 years, and a doctor should not make decisions about my treatment within 15 minutes of meeting me. What can I do? I need a doctor who will try new things with me and tailor the treatment to me, since I've tried at least a dozen antidepressants, all with insufficient effectiveness and awful side effects. I live in Atlanta, and need to find a doctor in the area. Psychiatrists shouldn't belittle you and leave you in tears. Please someone help if you can.
poster:Bill L
thread:57824
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010327/msgs/57895.html