Dr. Won't Refill Prazosin Because It's A Controlled Substance?

[desiderata310]

Prazosin regulates BLOOD PRESSURE. The way I figure is it gives our system a punchers chance at calming down. It's original purpose was to help with prostate issues in men. They discovered by accident that it helps with nightmares. Now like someone said above it's something they give out at the VA.

If he won't give you that can he give you clonidine? AGAIN, it's a blood pressure med.
It's an Alpha-Blocker.

 

[scout86]

and his response was to get off the internet,

Yep, he definitely got his diploma out of a Cracker Jack box. :tdown:

 

[Lucycat]

I am supposed to get my blood tested weekly. He is saying I don't need to do that anymore...

He has a point here. Checking your blood weekly won't make it go up. But by repeatedly removing some blood albeit a little bit it, it wastes a little. Your Hb will take longer to go up, than if it is checked monthly or 2 monthly, all things being equal. I assume you are on medication to improve your Hb and he is giving the prescriptions for that?

How are things progressing with registering with a new doctor?

 

[Fadeaway]

@Lucycat No I am not on medication for it.(Well I am taking Iron) I am supposed to be monitored closely due to internal bleeding. This was a condition of release from the hospital because I am at such high risk of bleeding out.

ETA: I just pulled out my Anti-anxiety from the bag from the pharmacy to take before bed. I just noticed he reduced my dose from 150 mg possible a day too 50mg a day. I was previously allowed up to 5 pills a day , although needing that much is rare. I rarely exceed 3 in one day, but the 5 is a safe guard. He changed it to a max of 2 a day.

Yup, I need to make more phone calls tomorrow. It's hard to find someone who takes Medicare though in reasonable distance.

 

[Ocean5]

@Lucycat I am at such high risk of bleeding out.

For several weeks they had me taking blood test every 2 days to check if my bleeding factor was increasing or decreasing. I was happy when it went to once a week (as were my arms.)

 

[PTSDbegone]

Finding a new doctor sounds like the best plan.

I have been on Prazosin for 2 years now. Originally I didn't think it was helping at all. I still continued to have nightmares. Then there came a time when I couldn't find a pharmacy in the city that had the medication in stock. This went on for almost 6 weeks. In the meantime I tried Clonidine and the nightmares intensified. I guess the Prazosin was taking the edge off the nightmares, and not making them as bad. I am still on the Prazosin, and hope I never have to go off it again. Yes I still have nightmares, but they aren't as bad as they are when I'm not taking the Prazosin.

I wish you luck in finding a new doctor. I know how difficult that can be, and frustrating. Hang in there.

 

[desiderata310]

Yep. I can certainly say that while I still have nightmares they are nowhere NEAR as bad as they were. I thought this was a somewhat subjective analysis at first but I wear a garmin watch for running which I was happy to discover also tracks my sleep.Since I started taking Prazosin, I still have nightmares but I can certainly see that generally, my quality and duration of sleep has gone up.
I used to be 3-4 hours a night, lots of thrashing about, etc. Now I have bad nights- sometimes bad weeks but I have noticed that the trend is more towards 5-6 hours.
I hope you find a new doctor soon.

 

[Ocean5]

I couldn't find a pharmacy in the city that had the medication in stock. This went on for almost 6 weeks.

In the US I had to go to over 4 pharmacies to find it in a major city. First one told me they had in stock, but since it was expiring in 6 months they couldn't sell it. Every other place, "we can order it for you." I was hopeful - then spent hours just trying to find a place with it in stock. Finally CVS had it.

I plan to try again once off 2 other medicines.

 

[Lucycat]

"we can order it for you."

That is normal practice here for almost all medication. Very little is kept in stock except the very common medications. We are advised to allow 5 working days from requesting a prescription from the doctor to collecting it from the pharmacy (the doctor sends it directly to the pharmacy). It works well so long as you know and always plan ahead.

 

[Ocean5]

@Link Removed I've rarely been on any prescription medicine until recently except for antibiotics in past - even that was rare. Everything was always available within 30 minutes in U.S.

Makes me wonder why in the U.S. they always have Benzos and SSRIs available.Yet not a high-blood pressure medicine. Wonder which one is more profitable....? Or which ones are over-prescribed?

Then again, I think I read prescription use in U.S. is highest in world (don't quote me on that.) Yet our age of living is declining.

 

[.45 Princess]

Prazosin is an Alpha blocker. I'm surprised a Dr. let alone a GP doesn't know that...

 

[Justmehere]

I can see a clueless GP who is on a mini vigilante quest to take people off meds who would also mix up Prazosin with Prosom, which is also used for insomnia and is a class 4 substance... But it's not Prazosin!

Either way, it's just bad medicine all the way around.