Opinions - Doctors: How to get SWIM's prescription increased?

[thechimpo]

Ok, I've been to a shrink and I've been prescribed xanax XR at .5mg...



First of all, I want to say that I dont use them all for rec purposes.. I typically take them how im supposed too...



But the question I have is how should I ask my doc to either A) Up my
dose from the .5 to something higher, or B) Get him to switch me to
generics.



Mostly becuase the .5s work... but i think they could be working a lot
better, and also becuase on the times i do want to get barred out I
dont want to have to take 10 of my 30 pills to even feel anything.



if anyone can answer this question I would very much appreciate it.



Thank you.

[als5555]

that's a tough one. maybe you could say that you want to swith to generics because they are cheaper. tell him or her that you're not sure the money is worth what the pills do for you, and could you switch to generics. you probably have a better chance at the generics than asking a doctor to increase the dose of xanax they prescribed you, but u never know.

[greener]

SWIM experienced a somewhat similar situation, and this is sort of how he handled it...



First, SWIM basically did what is reccomended above, and the doctor had
no issue switching him over to generics. If you've been taking
the XR for awhile now, the doctor is not going to suspect you of
anything wrong, and what you're asking for is perfectly reasonable,
especially given that for most people, the instant release works a lot
better anyhow. Secondly, 0.5 mg XR is a very low dose, and very
few shrinks are going to see that as even a potential problem, simply
because by the time you started abusing the pills, you'd be out, like
you point out. After SWIM got moved from the XR pills, the doc
bumped his dosage down to .25 mg, which, although better than the XR,
still didn't help nearly as much as a higher dose would have. The
best course of action is to be honest about that. SWIM simply
told the doctor that he really appreciated the switch to generic,
because it is cheaper AND works better. That said, SWIM explained
that in the midst of a full panic attack, he found that one .25 mg tab
really didn't cut it, and took two, which worked wonders without
impairing him. Again, I would be very surprised if the doctor had
any issue with raising the dose to that which the patient says is most
beneficial, so long as it is a reasonable increase still within
therapuetic ranges, which such a raise certainly is. 0.5-1 mg/day
is still on the low end of a normal daily dose, and it is unlikely that
any doctor would see this as an abuse risk, unless he has previous
reason to do so.



All this was years ago, however, and perhaps doctors have become more
paranoid even with benzos in the midst of the DEA crackdowns..
SWIM wouldn't know, to be honest, as he's been working with his doctor
to find a treatment plan for his panic disorder for years, and thus has
built enough trust that paranoia regarding the DEA wouldn't really
affect his treatment. Until several months ago, SWIM was
prescribed up to 6 mg/day, when he decided to stop. I only
mention this to show that, if you give a doctor reason to trust you, it
is unlikely that you will fall under suspicion, even if you do reach
doses that are more easily abused. I mean, they make higher dose
pills for a reason, and it's not at all out of line to tell your doctor
that taking the lowest possible dose (0.25 mg) just isn't cutting it
for what you're dealing with; you are doing nothing wrong if you ask
for a reasonable increase.