Posted by greywolf on April 7, 2007, at 21:55:20
In reply to Re: Doctors irresponsible with Xanax » greywolf, posted by Phillipa on April 7, 2007, at 19:52:48
Well, maybe the psychiatrists in my area tend to conservatism. I've had two doctors mention concerns regarding long-term use of benzos, and my current doctor refuses to give more than 30 day prescriptions. Of course, I'm BP, and you can't use benzos in my situation like you can with GAD.My point is not that there is anything wrong with long-term use of benzos from a properly-managed care perspective. I'm concerned about dependency not in the sense of addictiveness, but in the context of a patient who relies primarily on benzos over a long period of time, and then runs into a doctor who does not subscribe to that philosophy. It's not like anyone can guarantee how long their relationship with a psychiatrist will last, so my only point is to suggest that thought be given to whether another approach would be more protective.
Also, what happens if there's a full review of this Anna Nicole Smith situation and the psychiatrists come under heavy criticism for their handling of benzo scrips? A couple weeks of Entertainment Tonight and CNN and Nancy Grace hammering the medical profession for laxity in prescribing benzos (which will inevitably be called "tranquilizers") is all it will take for our politicians to jump all over the issue. If something like that happens, I can't imagine that the response of the psychiatric profession will be to be more liberal in prescribing Xanax.
Greywolf
poster:greywolf
thread:747227
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070407/msgs/748005.html