Mental Health Should i tell psychiatrist about past drug use?

[onaga]

So i have an appointment to see a psychiatrist privately in a week for an assessment (UK) i'm seeing them for severe anxiety obviously hoping for some medication that will help.

But i'm torn on whether i should be honest about my drug use... when i turned teenager i went to several GP to get help for anxiety and was given no help atall basically shown the door, so i said screw the NHS i'll try and sort it myself, experimented with nearly every drug for 10+ years, found diazepam which got rid of my anxiety completely and had an on/off addiction with it for 5-6 years.

I have been clean of all drugs for a year now (except cannabis, clean for 6 months) but i don't want to be labelled and treated differently if i tell the psychiatrist about my past drug use... even though i am now clean, is it really that important that he knows about this?

if i am honest about my past use isn't there more of a chance i will be treated differently and not given certain medications that could be much more beneficial to me? such as other types of benzos that are safer to take than diazepam?

really struggling with what i should do here, any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

just to add my GP are aware of my past drug use as i was in rehab for a while... i'm assuming this will be on my medical record... will my psychiatrist have access to this? i am seeing them privately but they have asked for my GP name and practice - is this so they can get my medical record? (from UK btw)

 

[Boku_]

I'm not 100 percent about the UK but i've been in the mental health system in Australia since 2002 dealing with a host of case manager's psychiatrist's and GP's and as far as i am aware every medical professional that i have been to discharged or transferred to has had a look at my medical records so i'd say it would be a safe bet your new psychiatrist will be reading your medical records either before or when he meets you for the consultation. IF by chance your new psychiatrist doesn't get access to your medical records then it is up to you if you want to disclose past drug use but you'd be surprised how well mental health professional's can read their patients.

If you don't mind me asking when you were taking the daizepam and it was working to help you with your anxiety were you also taking stimulants like amphetamines or MDMA because that kind of routine/behaviour is a red flag to pretty much all doctors. Developing a benzo addiction is so much more probable if your a party drug user too. How much Daizepam were you using when you had a problem with it and did you have to go to a hospital psych ward to cut down and cease taking benzo's. Did you doctor shop for this type of medication?

Also onaga you need to be realistic about your daizepam use, yes benzo's are a life saver if you are experiencing extreme anxiety or psychosis but daizepam is a medication that should only be used in the short term, it's not a responsible long term treatment. It's too additive. If the doctors in the UK are anything like the doctors in Australia if they are a sensible and responsible doctor they will not be giving you endless repeat scripts for daizepam, valium xanax etc. It's not the 80's anymore and psychiatrist's are more aware these days that a patient with anxiety can build up a benzo dependence and addiction which in the end is more trouble than what the meds are worth.

 

[HeadHigh]

I didnt have time to read through your whole post, but as a psychologist myself, i would highly advise sharing your past drug use. It REALLY helps us diagnose you a lot easier, which, in the end, works out in your favor.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

if i am honest about my past use isn't there more of a chance i will be treated differently and not given certain medications that could be much more beneficial to me? such as other types of benzos that are safer to take than diazepam?

^ This is the key issue.

Only tell them about your former issues with substance (ab)use if you're comfortable with not being prescribed any "potential drugs of abuse". Telling them about a substance use disorder in your past will limit the kind of care you'll be capable of receiving...so I'd personally advise against it, if you feel that benzodiazepines would be in your interest.

Then again, from everything I've read about the NHS and diazepam on here, your chances of getting a benzodiazepine tranquilizer prescribed by a GP are very, very slim. Chances are they'll give you some kind of shut-the-fuck-up pill (a.k.a. a serotonin-based anti-depressant) and send you on your way

 

[HeadHigh]

Being genuine and honest with your psychiatrist will most likely help you. He may be hesitant to prescribe something like diazepam, but they will no doubtedly help you. Obviously it depends on the doc, but most will give you what you need. You just have to be honest with them and realize that they will be a little more cautious.

Also, as mentioned earlier, most psychiatrists and psychologists are incredibly good at reading people, so unless youre a professional actor, they will probably recognize that you may not be the best candidate for something like diazepam, but they may still give you something similar.

 

[onaga]

Boku - yes i was still taking party drugs at weekends when i was using diazepam, the only real addiction issue i had was with diazepam though. Buying it on the streets makes it nigh on impossible to get a therapeutic dose when all you can buy is 10mg pills and to be honest i was pretty uninformed so was popping 10mg pills left and right to start with. At the peak of my use i was probably taking up to 40 pills a day, when tolerance gets so high you could take 100 of them and not get any difference in effect. I went to a residential rehab centre to come off them in the end not a hospital psych ward (or is it same thing), doctor has never shopped for anything for me, have never asked a GP for help getting off something and never asked for a script for diazepam before.

Burnt_Offerings - I'm not going to see the GP (through with that shit) going to see a psychiatrist and i have tried every SSRI, SNRI and couple anti-psychotics so i doubt he will recommend i try any of them - if he does i will tell him to shove them up his arse. Also i'm seeing them privately so im not sure if thats still even a part of the NHS? What i would like is a benzo that is safer to take than diazepam (if that exists, clonazepam?) or anything else that can help as much - already on pregabalin.

Hmmm so when i first meet the psych should i just ask him if he has my medical records lol?

I don't know i may just be honest, drug use has been such a huge chunk of my life it feels like it would be extremely hard to leave it out, although i could if i wanted to i guess. Anyone else got some suggestions how to go about all this?

Just to make it clear - i am not going to this appointment just to fish for drug scripts, i honestly believe that certain drugs (benzos) could seriously help me if taken in a controlled and managed way - i'm past the days of drug abuse i'm ready to use responsibly and as prescribed.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

Also, as mentioned earlier, most psychiatrists and psychologists are incredibly good at reading people, so unless youre a professional actor, they will probably recognize that you may not be the best candidate for something like diazepam, but they may still give you something similar.

Maybe in England or Australia...I've been able to play every doctor I've seen like a fiddle, lol

(Not that I even want any of the drugs that they prescribe...not into Rx drugs. I've been prescribed quite a few controlled substances over the course of my life though, including a number of benzodiazepines, and I don't even consider my anxiety to be that bad.)

 

[Burnt Offerings]

OP, I'd urge you to treat your anxiety/whatever you feel is wrong with your mind without medication if at all possible...benzodiazepines are a pretty effective class of drug, but it's very liberating when you can generate a calmative effect in your brain on your own, without drugs. I used to deal with anxiety, or at least that's what doctors told me, I've taken a variety of drugs for anxiety & insomnia but over the years it's gotten a lot better for me and I don't take any psychiatric medications anymore.

Regardless I can't take benzodiazepines anymore, they make me very depressed for some reason, I feel better when I'm NOT on them so there's no point in taking them...

 

[HeadHigh]

Also, if you are on pregabalin, make sure that your psychiatrist knows this because it strongly potentiates benzos, so youll be able to use a lower dose and still get the calmative effects

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

The answer is yes. I don't see much further value in this thread...