Psychiatric prescription rules?

[max87]

Surely there are patients receiving benzodiazepines for "anxiety" or other psychiatric disorders.

Is that statement not true?

I am particularly seeking the law and VA rules, which must be written and available, if they state otherwise or who gets prescribed what by rule, I want to see that.  Please help me find the info. For example, I'm pretty sure you can google "VA weening PTSD benzodiazepines" or something similar and find that info. I AM NOT referring to PTSD patients.

For example: Where is it WRITTEN in VA rules/law that, eg: All VA patients (or all mental patients) are being weened from these drugs?

I need to see where in VA that is on the books, if it is. 

Any and all other comments are welcome. All clues wanted.

 

please do not badger me with questions and not answers or data. if you don't know what i'm talking about, move on.

[seminoles]

11 hours ago, max87 said:

Indeed. I knew my quest was ridiculous.

First, thank you for sharing. 

I knew this dr (psych) was lying. It was all through messaging and I went back (fall 2017) and I saved it all. He said ALL VETS are being weened off benzodiazepines by order of  FDA.

It took him weeks and numerous messages to NEVER answer my simple question to see the policy or directive (for him to cite it to me) ... I knew he was pulling it out of his a_s. (Not my first rodeo.) 

When I complained to Regional Director (asst dir) directly, I GOT A WARNING LETTER. 

The dr had accussed me of harassing him through the messages. He's a liar.

I didn't and don't really want the drugs, so this is about nothing but data/information... truthful information from dr to patient., in this case UNTRUTHFUL. ...Which jeopardized my health -- I almost had a heart-attack when he wrote simply: You have been reported to the proper authorities. ...That was just the immediate and unexpected jeopardy... I'm used to not getting treatment so that can be at least some tiny bit mitigated.

 

Thanks

 

WOW, that is ridiculous  I don't put up with the VA's crap.  I always use secure messaging and as bat crap crazy as I can be at times.........not literally but when I get frustrated and mad, I cry and ramble, and even with a Mensa level IQ it is incredibly difficult to talk to those jerks when they aren't treating you with common decency.  SO, I use secure messaging so that there is a record.  There is a rule that requires them to get back to you within so many business days, I believe it is 3.  I use that against them if/when they are behaving inappropriately.  They do it to us every single day so damn straight I will use it against them.  I am within 25 miles of a VA facility but I have community based care for both my primary and multiple other things.  I do not see a psychiatrist at my local VA because they got caught NOT providing me care and had and IG as well as Congressional Inquiry that they got busted, so I have telehealth but still with a VA provider for psychology and the last almost year a non va community based care psychiatrist.  His office has now closed and they are trying to get me to go back to that clinic and I refuse,  the head of that Psychiatry department called me Thursday because he has had the request for a new provider for community based care or telehealth approval waiting on HIM since October which he hasn't signed (electronically of course) and I know that it keeps popping up in his daily "not take care of crap" and he just ignores it.  SO, I called on him Monday or Tuesday last week and low and behold........I get a phone call, WOW shocking!!  He insists there is no telehealth in the entire country for psychiatry??  BS  He did renew all my meds, including my benzos and someone called from that clinic and was trying to schedule and appointment for me yesterday and I refused.  I said there is a reason I was given outside care and/or telehealth.  I am not setting foot in that clinic. Of course they are all freaking out about me not having care NOW..........but the head of psychiatry wasn't concerned for the 2 MONTHS plus that the sign off was sitting in his in box waiting on him.  I don't play their games.  I may have a ton of mh issues as well as physical ones but I am not dealing with incompetent providers nor ones that dismiss me and treat me like crap.  The woman was asking me, "so you don't want to use the VA at all?" I told her, "not at all, I have some really great providers at the VA and I named the many great specialists that I do have........and said it is the mental health clinic HERE that I have an issue with since my psychiatrist that I had for over 8 years left in 2015!"   I am not playing their game in that clinic because I know playing silly games, you will win silly prizes and I have had enough of those for a lifetime with crap care, once I let them be my provider again I will NEVER get outside care again that the VA pays for, I am no fool.  I hope you find better care.  I know there are great providers out there, my psycholigist is amazing via telehealth.  They stopped utilizing here at my local VA, even though there are so many  veterans waiting on individual therapy and now she is seeing me via telemed at HOME.  That is how the VA should work!  

[seminoles]

I have been on benzos for over a decade,  the VA has always prescribed them and often has increased them.  I have PTSD as well as panic disorder with agoraphobia, general anxiety disorder and bipolar II........pretty sure honestly all the crap between the PTSD and bipolar is PTSD but well you know the VA, they don't like to diagnose PTSD and it took them only 11 years to put that as a diagnosis in my records LOL gotta love em...I am actually weening myself off of them, I do not like the side effects, they don't actually work that great (I have gone from xanax to ativan to klonpin and back and forth) currently they actually prescribe them for not only anxiety but SLEEP???  NOT KIDDING. So, pretty sure there is no such thing as the VA saying no more benzos, I have experienced and witnessed the exact opposite.

[vetquest]

I think it depends on the doctor.  Ten years ago the VA cut me off of Ativan and I had to go to a private doctor. 

[max87]

5 hours ago, seminoles said:

I have been on benzos for over a decade,  the VA has always prescribed them and often has increased them.  I have PTSD as well as panic disorder with agoraphobia, general anxiety disorder and bipolar II........pretty sure honestly all the crap between the PTSD and bipolar is PTSD but well you know the VA, they don't like to diagnose PTSD and it took them only 11 years to put that as a diagnosis in my records LOL gotta love em...I am actually weening myself off of them, I do not like the side effects, they don't actually work that great (I have gone from xanax to ativan to klonpin and back and forth) currently they actually prescribe them for not only anxiety but SLEEP???  NOT KIDDING. So, pretty sure there is no such thing as the VA saying no more benzos, I have experienced and witnessed the exact opposite.

Indeed. I knew my quest was ridiculous.

First, thank you for sharing. 

I knew this dr (psych) was lying. It was all through messaging and I went back (fall 2017) and I saved it all. He said ALL VETS are being weened off benzodiazepines by order of  FDA.

It took him weeks and numerous messages to NEVER answer my simple question to see the policy or directive (for him to cite it to me) ... I knew he was pulling it out of his a_s. (Not my first rodeo.) 

When I complained to Regional Director (asst dir) directly, I GOT A WARNING LETTER. 

The dr had accussed me of harassing him through the messages. He's a liar.

I didn't and don't really want the drugs, so this is about nothing but data/information... truthful information from dr to patient., in this case UNTRUTHFUL. ...Which jeopardized my health -- I almost had a heart-attack when he wrote simply: You have been reported to the proper authorities. ...That was just the immediate and unexpected jeopardy... I'm used to not getting treatment so that can be at least some tiny bit mitigated.

 

Thanks

 

[max87]

4 hours ago, vetquest said:

I think it depends on the doctor.  Ten years ago the VA cut me off of Ativan and I had to go to a private doctor. 

Thank you, vetquest.

I hope you've found the health treatment and compassion you deserve.

[vetquest]

Max87

Getting what I need now.  Hopefully you can also find what you need.  It's ridiculous that they would give you a warning message.  I was once flagged, they never told me, just had a psychiatrist at all of my appointments and occasionally had VA police outside to.

Thanks,

vetquest