Mental Health Alcohol, anxiety and psychiatrist

[Survival0200]

I have a psychiatrist's appointment coming up. The psychiatrist is quite anti-benzo, so I have mainly been prescribed antipsychotics

I was wondering what if I told him that I'm going to start drinking alcohol to treat my anxiety if he doesn't prescribe benzos. What would happen?

Do you have any experience with a similar situation?

 

[n3ophy7e]

I have a psychiatrist's appointment coming up. The psychiatrist is quite anti-benzo, so I have mainly been prescribed antipsychotics

I was wondering what if I told him that I'm going to start drinking alcohol to treat my anxiety if he doesn't prescribe benzos. What would happen?

Do you have any experience with a similar situation?

That is a very bad idea, to say it out-right like that. That's almost like threatening your psych or giving them an ultimatum. It will absolutely NOT work in your favour.

How bad is your anxiety? Are you on an antidepressant medication? Or just the antipsychotics that your psych has prescribed?

If you want to broach the subject of your anxiety being under-managed, I'd say that your anxiety is so bad and debilitating that you're wanting to self-medicate with alcohol, and see what they say. Don't say anything about benzos.

I have to say, your psych has a good reason to be hesitant about prescribing benzos, as they are super addictive and are just a band-aid for anxiety, they don't actually FIX the anxiety. Here in Australia, getting prescribed any benzos is like getting blood out of a stone. NO ONE prescribes them here any more.

 

[Survival0200]

^Yeah, I'm on both an antidepressant and an antipsychotic.

Thanks for the opinion!

I'm sad to hear about your benzo situation in Australia.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

What n3oph7e said. Doctors do not look kindly on efforts to force their hand, and especially with controlled substances. But that's not the same as telling them honestly about self-destructive thoughts that you've identified, and want to fix.

Curious as to what you take and the doses, mostly for sheer interest.

To be honest, virtually all antidepressants not only work for anxiety, but they're superior to benzos for anxiety in the long-run.

So in terms of forging trust with your provider. It really depends. There's no real easy answer. Trust is borne through proving yourself. Play by the rules long enough. Then, you might get more say in how you're treated.

If you've been addicted to substances, then that's tricky. If it helps, it's not so much meant to deny you as it is making sure that you're safe. Doctors are rigorously trained to do no harm. I do get that prohibition leads to more harms than goods, but it's what we have at this point, and it is for sure getting better.