Pdoc tries to sell me on Prozac + Celexa tapering.

[ray34iyf]

Hey all,

Quick question. Had an appointment today with the p 'doc'. We came to the conclusion that being off of Celexa and all meds is the way to go for me (duh), and she tried selling me to take 2.5mg of Prozac to supplement the taper as I cut the Celexa 2.5mg every 2 weeks. LOL... yea so, has anyone's 'doc' tried to sell them on this?

According to her, the Prozac has a half life of 5-7 weeks and has 0 withdrawal. It will "fill up my serotonin receptors and keep me from having withdrawal from Celexa". I dared question this idea and she got extremely defensive and pissed off. Through out all the lines, "I know the literature and you don't" ... "I went to school and you didn't" ... basically telling me to let her do her job and not question her amazing and deep knowledge.. LOL, what a joke. I'm so sick of these doctors being so high and mighty and so sensitive at the same time.

So, back to the question. Has anyone heard of this and did it actually work? According to her, I am the most sensitive patient and she's never seen anyone have so much trouble with an ssri. I 'shouldn't be so stubborn and should just trust her'.

Any thoughts? How would I go about finding a pdoc or regular doc to just fill a Celexa prescription?

My plan is to stay on the Celexa until Christmas or thereabouts and then start to taper shortly after... may take a break longer if I feel 100%... and I'm getting there..

[texgirl]

It's very common for doctors to prescribe Prozac to "buffer" withdrawal from other SSRIs; there must be dozens of threads about it. The switch rarely works, though we have one long-time member (can't recall who) who had good results. The only thing that will "fill up your serotonin receptors" during w/d from Celexa is Celexa.

Why are you looking for a new doc to prescribe Celexa? Will the current (rude, arrogant) pdoc not let you stay on it until Christmas? Or are you just sick of her attitude and want a new doc? (Can't blame you there.)

[rain]

The "buffer" approach worked for me... maybe not for everyone, but it did work for me. Prozac helped me get off Paxil several years ago.

[ray34iyf]

Originally Posted by texgirl

It's very common for doctors to prescribe Prozac to "buffer" withdrawal from other SSRIs; there must be dozens of threads about it. The switch rarely works, though we have one long-time member (can't recall who) who had good results. The only thing that will "fill up your serotonin receptors" during w/d from Celexa is Celexa.

Why are you looking for a new doc to prescribe Celexa? Will the current (rude, arrogant) pdoc not let you stay on it until Christmas? Or are you just sick of her attitude and want a new doc? (Can't blame you there.)

To be honest, I see going to a pdoc for appointments as next to useless and I just need someone to fill a script for me. It's more the rudeness of the doctor that pissed me off, but I think I'll be able to get her to comply with me at least until Christmas. She made a big deal about how she doesn't accept many college students who go to school like she was doing me a monumental favor, so I'm going to have to walk on eggshells for a while, because today got somewhat heated. Also, I'm never allowing my mom to accompany me to one of those again. She simply ate up everything the doc said and pressured me to do what she stated. Urgh... i hope this works out.

[ray34iyf]

Originally Posted by rain

The "buffer" approach worked for me... maybe not for everyone, but it did work for me. Prozac helped me get off Paxil several years ago.

Could you expand on this? What was your experience like?

[texgirl]

Originally Posted by ray34iyf

To be honest, I see going to a pdoc for appointments as next to useless and I just need someone to fill a script for me. It's more the rudeness of the doctor that pissed me off, but I think I'll be able to get her to comply with me at least until Christmas. She made a big deal about how she doesn't accept many college students who go to school like she was doing me a monumental favor, so I'm going to have to walk on eggshells for a while, because today got somewhat heated. Also, I'm never allowing my mom to accompany me to one of those again. She simply ate up everything the doc said and pressured me to do what she stated. Urgh... i hope this works out.

That's what I figured.

Honestly, if your goal is to eventually get off this crap, I'd find a new doctor and simply go to the appointment(s), get the script(s), and never say a word about tapering, since it's practically a given that they'll be dismissive, negative, and condescending and will try to talk you out of it. And leave your mom at home!

[ray34iyf]

Originally Posted by texgirl

That's what I figured.

Honestly, if your goal is to eventually get off this crap, I'd find a new doctor and simply go to the appointment(s), get the script(s), and never say a word about tapering, since it's practically a given that they'll be dismissive, negative, and condescending and will try to talk you out of it. And leave your mom at home!

Thanks.. and yeah, the mom thing wasn't a good thing.. lol. There was no good that came of that. I'm going to start looking for a new doctor so I at least have a backup plan if things with my current one start getting dicey.

[texgirl]

Unfortunately, you've already antagonized this doc by daring to have an opinion that didn't jibe with hers. The only way she's going to cooperate now is if you pretend you're going along with her recommendations, keep getting the scripts filled, and taper at your own pace. Then, when you're finally med-free, you stop going and let her figure it out (if she cares enough to wonder, which she probably doesn't--it would be insulting to her ego).

This reminds me that I always planned to write my former pdoc a letter once I was finally 100% recovered and doing well without meds and without anxiety. I need to do that now!

[ray34iyf]

The only problem with that is that she would expect me to be off in 2-4 months time, and she would start writing scripts of lesser and lesser amount to correspond to a lowered dose that I'd be taking. So after that, she'd be all pissed that I'd dare go against her "well documented studies". I mean, I never read the "medical literature and she HAS". LOL

So... I'm going to have to play this off really cool.. or I'm going to find a new doctor.

[ray34iyf]

Well, ridiculousness ensues. My parents are AGAIN pressuring me to take the risky, unproven, dangerous route in regards to this simply because the idiot pdoc endorsed it. Apparently, my dad feels that if he were me (thank God he isn't), he would simply follow the doctors advice and taper her way. No regard for the fact that I'm really turning a corner, or for the fact that I've been down that risky, dangerous route and have paid dearly. Where is the common sense? I told both my parents that I wasn't comfortable with my mom going to my sessions anymore, and because I'm under my parent's insurance, my dad is telling me 'too bad' basically... that he wouldn't support me through this is I didn't allow it. How convenient. I was put into this position essentially because of my parent's idea that a pdoc would be a good idea, and now I'm having trouble going about getting off the right way because of them. How should I handle this? I haven't been able to work at all due to this, therefore I am at a major disadvantage... although if I stay on the Celexa a bit longer I will be able to work in no time... and make bucks.

I'm in a bit of a sitch. I have about 2 weeks worth of Celexa left and then one refill for a month. I want to tell my pdoc that I'm not comfortable with my mom being there, and I will... she then has no choice but to tell my mom to not come, right?.. otherwise she's breaching confidentiality.

I don't know. Nobody is acting with any kind of reason or good rationale. This is become much more difficult than it has to be.

[Lucy]

Can you get refills or a referral to a new doc through the student health center at school?

[NoRx4me]

What I would do; Tell her you want to stay on Celexa for now, when you decide to taper, use a scale and do a 10% drop (without telling her). Maybe when you get to the halfway mark, if you want to try the Prozac switch you can tell her that you want to but that you want to reduce monthly not biweekly or based on how you feel. Just word things very carefully (I really HATE that we have to do this!). I think this is your best bet because honestly, I think you could easily do worse. Scary, isn't it?!

I had to tell my doctor at my last appointment that I needed Lamictal 25mg pills becuase I was going to reduce to 100 for a month to 75, then 50, etc.
I had to be assertive yet not aggressive, I knew this was my last appointment and I knew exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. It was really hard and she wasn't happy, it was downright scary actually. I had just Cold turkeyed Cymbalta, Vyvanse and Lithium and cut Lamictal in half. I was a mess! Yet, I had to watch my words so as not to upset the doctor!