# General Practitioner and Medical Prescription for DPD



## Big Ben (Dec 8, 2013)

Hey everyone

I need to tell you all about what happened at my GP today and for the last few months, as I cannot believe how incompetent and uncaring they can be. I recently posted about how I feel in touch with reality again which in the day time I still have pockets of this happening which is positive but night times are worse,

So I went to my doctors a few months ago because my DPD was so bad at night that I was not sleeping but just waking up as soon as I drifted off in an extreme DP state.

My wife came with me and we told the Doctor that I was so bad I felt suicidal and was not sleeping and it was affecting my work. Get this..."There isn't a lot I can do" the doctors says. My wife says she has heard Lamotrigine can help DPD and the doctor just went "hmmmmm."

So my wife and I was firm and said "we really need some help." So the Doc said they would refer me to a psychiatrists and for now put me on Escitalopram as that had helped me a bit in the past and also gave me some Beta Blockers. He said "lets try this approach for a month and then I will put you on Lamotrigine."

So we went back in a month and I told the Doctor I was worse at night and the Escitalopram helped with anxiety in the day and OCD etc but I was suicidal at night. He just ignored me (again) and said "well things seem to be improving, so come back in a month and I will start you on Lamotrigine." He also doubled my Escitalopram.

So today I went back and told him night time had got so bad I cant cope any more and I am having suicidal thoughts, He literally just sighed and went "hmmm" and said "well I think we will just wait and see what the psychiatrists says" (which I still don't have an appointment for yet.) I wanted to just reach across the room and slap him into having a proper bedside manner and some kind of caring understanding at least. Even if he doesn't understand what I am going through (which he clearly doesn't) he could still be kind and listen and take me seriously. Anyway I am a peaceful man so I just firmly said to him "when can I start the Lamotrigine?" Get this,,,, He said "I am not licensed to prescribe this medication. I know you have read it can help DPD but it would be illegal for me to give it to you." By this point I was bubbling right up inside. How could he now be saying this, when 3 months ago and every month since he has said he would prescribe me this!

Now for the cherry on top: My wife was so upset she said "is there anything you can do now to help Ben get some sleep?" He said "well I can give him some sleeping tablets." So he prescribed me my normal 20mg Escitalopram and a sleeping tablet called Zopiclone. So I looked at the prescription and said to the Doctor "what about the Beta Blockers you have been prescribing me?" Wait for it..........."You dont need those Ben, they *don't do anything when your on Escitalopram!*" So why had he been prescribing me them for the last 3 months along with Escitalopram?!! I couldn't believe it. So he 'dismissed me' and said come back in a month for a checkup.

As I walked out with my wife I said there is no way I am ever going back to that doctor again.

Anyway I am going to try these sleeping tablets to see if they can help me sleep as I always feel better when I am sleeping OK.

Thanks for listening I really needed to vent!

Take care

Ben


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## Big Ben (Dec 8, 2013)

Thanks Bill


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## odisa (Sep 2, 2013)

Your doc sounds like a quack. Ditch him and find a new one.
Zopiclone sucks; it's a dissociative. Ditch it. And his Escitalopram/Beta Blocker statement is nonsense.. Escitalopram doesn't work on beta-adrenergic receptors, hence you should ask him how in the hell he came to this conclusion that they wouldn't work with Escitalopram in your system?

As for Lamotrigine; it has been in my experience that GP's don't prescribe anti-epileptic drugs because they're not licensed to do so. You need a prescription from a neurologist or a psychiatrist.
Good luck!


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