Do you tell your shrink about your drug usage?

[nuttynutskin]

also in my experience doctors greatly enjoy my candid honesty and lack of shame, and that has often helped them trust me with benzos and painkillers WHEN I NEEDED THEM.

I couldn't get anything when I hurt my back because he knew of my past drug use when I did my psych evaluation. Looking back I really wish I wouldn't have mentioned opiates. It doesn't pay to be honest all the time, at least not about everything. Never trust someone just because they have a fancy degree.

 

[gavatron@oz]

I see a psych specialising in drug addiction/dependancy,he's worked in a rehab clinic and now owns the clinic.. Never bothered to lie,told him straight up, plus he's seen it all before, he could see me coming from a mile away..

Ive been there after benders,ive been there nailed... Because of the addiction specialty,he said he has patients he treats that he wouldnt be able to make sense of if they werent on their DOC..

The only downside was that because he's aware of my use,diagnosis for any depression,adhd or any dis order was delayed as i needed to be sober for a month... But i didnt go there to get benzo's or anti's. I went there to find what the underlying issues were,are behind my abuse.

You need to be comfortable with your psych.. Before him id lied to many, and it got me no where..depending on what you want to achieve by going to treatment??? each to there own..

 

[LogicSoDeveloped]

imo, you just need to feel your doctor out. if you feel like you want treatment, be honest. if you've had addiction problems, they have a right to be hesitant. however this shouldn't mean you shouldn't get meds if you need them. I have a lot of non drug related problems ( I had them before use) and told a psychiatrist. he said id need to be drug tested once a month and be sober for him to prescribe me anything.

 

[ControlDenied]

it ultimately depends on your doctor. if you dont have many options apart from the one Doc [if you live in the country or w/e] then it might be cool to keep it on the down low. for example i live in a small community, i told my [our] family doctor about my use, just because my parent pressured me to, i think they even called him lol, cuz i was literally looking or painkillers, and he even refused to prescribe me benzos, and even TRAZODONE. 'no fun drugs! NO! drug SEeeeker!!!" trazodone is not recreational! DUMBASS. but i can still avoid him most of the time. all the other doctors ive told were cool with it. except one, and since it was in a big town, i just switched to one who had no problem prescribing me flexeril for TMJ and valium for anxiety. around here, honestly, at least 75% of doctors are cool with drug abuse and wont really changethier treatment much. this is probly cuz so many people out here are on substances, lol.

and, of course, if you really want to keep the painkiller option open, just cuz you're a slimy fiend, you cant tell em SHEYIT. but personally, im not able to directly lie. ican only exaggerate. thus, wheneever i HAVE "conned" meds out of docsies, its a very minimal amount, cuz i cant literally lie and say things like "well im going on vacation soon so give me a two month amount." and shit like that

 

[**hAyzzZZ**]

My Doctor knows. She's never held it against me, she's a pretty chill Dr.

If I needed benzos or painkillers legitimately, I'd say she would probably prescribe them, yeah.

 

[Allein]

For me , only when the issue I'm going to the Doctor about may have some relation to my use, e.g. Depression and Anxiety I told the doc I was drinking, when he referred me to Drug and alcohol counseling i spilled the lot. I had already spilled my drug history to my now retired GP last year but this guy is new and there was no reason to get into as I was beign refered to specialised help.

But a word of caution from me regarding being to honest, year ago my partner ( I feel I should say and me but maybe thats not really correct?) was having having problems conceiving, We both admitted when talking to a doctor that we smoked Hash and then they just wouldn't stop going on about. We both really wished we had never mentioned it and ended up going for private IVF treatment.

 

[aac]

I've been honest with my shrink about my drug use, but I'm not sure I'd be fully honest with my GP because I'm not sure why they'd need to know.

I started seeing a shrink in 2009, and on my first visit I broke down and told her I was a heroin addict, that I couldn't stop, and that I needed help, etc. When I relapsed months later I told her too. I used to go in there blasted out of my mind, and she continued to let me come in for months like that until she finally confronted me and told me she couldn't "watch me kill myself anymore", and that I either needed to seek treatment or stop coming to see her. I chose treatment (again).

I agree that if you are trying to get clean, or get help on issues, that it's important to be honest about your drug use that may or may not have a significant impact on the issues you are having. It's hard to get the appropriate help you need when they are not fully aware of the situation. Just my two cents.

 

[anterrabae]

I haven't been honest in fear that my klonopin prescription will be taken away, just about the only drug I'm taking now that I think does anything at all.

 

[Z Y G G Y]

I agree that honesty is much more important with psychiatrists than with GP's.

But it seems you have to balance 1) the harm to your relationship and the potential for contra-indicated drugs and physical danger (which follows upon dishonesty) with 2) the possibility that you will get a stamp in your file saying 'drug addict' and not be able to get meds you need in the future (if you tell the truth).

In my opinion, though, anyone who is really serious about getting clean will just be totally candid. It is drug addict behaviour to be thinking "shit, what if I need pain meds in the future?". Normal people don't think like that, and it's less about pain than it is about pleasure. There are shitloads of pain-meds that are not opiates, like NSAIDs or even ketamine. And shitloads of stuff for anxiety which is not benzos.

It's about trust: keeping secrets, scheming and being your own practitioner are all things which stand in the way of recovery, IMO anyway.

I agree.

I pretty much only go to a doctor that I can be totally honest with. He knows the deep extent of my drug use, 99% of it pretty much. And I get what I need. Be it benzos or stimulants or ambien.

But he won't stand abuse of his medications. Which is fine with me. I don't want it either.

BUT

GP's I never tell them. No reason. I don't think they have the understanding needed to treat me anyways. I only go to them for stuff like an antibiotic or physical things.

 

[wooger]

Yeah, in retrospect being honest with my doctor was a huge mistake...

especially with my regular GP (I told him how much I was drinking...) anyway, after that, I went in with awful pain in my tooth (had to have it taken out) as I contacted a dentist and they said go get some painkillers from your doctor and I can see you monday...

anyway, he wouldnt prescribe me any painkillers cus they 'are addictive'. I also asked about bupropion on another occasion and wouldn't consider that either, claiming it was addictive.

Big mistake, I will always lie to doctors in the future, I doubt it will make much difference cus they can see my medical records but I'm not telling them shit from this point on..

Oh I was just thinking about this, as I am supposed to go back tommorow...

but anyway, the lady I was speaking to, she asked me if I smoke weed and I was like 'no, I've never liked it' and anyway, later on we were just kinda talking casually, and I mentioned I was growing some plants and immediately she was like 'cannabis plants?!?!?!'

I just looked at her like 'no, just like melons and stuff'...

I doubt I'm gunna bother going back, it seems she has already judged me as some druggy who fucked his brain up..such a shame I was honest .

 

[silvercrimson]

no

 

[purple_cloud]

I originally posted in a thread in CD that I would be honest, but it bit me in the ass really bad. I'm now making up a new web of lies with new people on board, but I don't have the option to go 'elsewhere' if it doesn't work out and I got really tired begging for benzos, especially since lorazepam seems to help without me abusing it. I can't really walk in and say, "hey doc, what about just keeping me on ativan since it's the only benzo I seem to not abuse?" because it'll count against me. Substance abuse seems to get tied in closely to mental illness so the doctors are often very curious if it's there...

To be honest, I feel awful about lying, I wish I could tell the truth, but unfortunately without a choice of doctors to go to (yay US making people go without health insurance!) I'd rather know that if I hurt my back I could still get painkillers, and while I guess the benzos aren't "necessary" they really do help quite a lot when taken as directed in my case.

 

[monstah]

I'll admit to cannabis (and they always ask) but I play down how often I use it. They always seem satisfied with that answer. I'm honest about alcohol, but I don't abuse it. Anything else I might ingest? No, they don't know

 

[Shvibzik]

I originally posted in a thread in CD that I would be honest, but it bit me in the ass really bad. I'm now making up a new web of lies with new people on board, but I don't have the option to go 'elsewhere' if it doesn't work out and I got really tired begging for benzos, especially since lorazepam seems to help without me abusing it. I can't really walk in and say, "hey doc, what about just keeping me on ativan since it's the only benzo I seem to not abuse?" because it'll count against me. Substance abuse seems to get tied in closely to mental illness so the doctors are often very curious if it's there...

To be honest, I feel awful about lying, I wish I could tell the truth, but unfortunately without a choice of doctors to go to (yay US making people go without health insurance!) I'd rather know that if I hurt my back I could still get painkillers, and while I guess the benzos aren't "necessary" they really do help quite a lot when taken as directed in my case.

I used to shoot dope, and my psychiatrist/Sub doctor knows about it and still prescribes me benzos (at a VERY low dose 15 mg temazepam/night). I take drug tests, and he doesn't even care about weed.

He prescribes them because he KNOWS I don't abuse them! They send all urine to a lab with GC/MS and the whole nine. If he wanted levels he could have them. I don't want to make any judgements, but maybe benzos really aren't good for you if you can't take them as directed. If you've really got the Ativan under control though, then more power to you. Being addicted to a pill bottle 1-2x a day sucks. Any more than that REALLY sucks. I wish I could take painkillers. I cannot because I am incapable of taking them as prescribed.

I just wanted to throw that out there..maybe it isn't the best thing for you. No judgement, and I mean that because I am not trying to offend.

 

[Mugz]

I don't have a shrink, but the last time I went to my GP, who actually is a qualified psychiatrist too, she had a letter there from the ER as I had recently been admitted for psychosis and during that psychosis I ended up in the ER with all of my drug collection in my pockets and handed it over to them so they could get rid of them.

My doctor read the letter and was quite baffled at the range of drugs, she is currently treating me for a diazepam taper and other problems, but she was really interested to hear about what 2C-I and 2C-E and Methylone and some of the other drugs I had on the list were, she also wondered why I took ketamine. She didn't judge me at all, she just asked why I take them, and I just told her the exact same thing I tell anyone else that finds out, 'for the exact same reason people take alcohol, to alter my mind' She was quite understanding of that philosophy which surprised me, she agreed with it even, just mentioned that when the use turns to abuse with alcohol or other drugs then it becomes a problem.

I am going to be 100% honest with her from now on after she was so understanding about that. She still continued to prescribe my benzos and I have another appointment with her this afternoon.

 

[transitioneer]

I just recently opened up to my therapist about my drug use after the urging of a close friend... I'm not sure if it was a good idea honestly. I was told I couldn't get prescribed anything if I tried again, which isn't really much of a bother, just more of a lol seeing as I was told I would have to take a regimen of lexapro before I got vyvanse... which was for "school" lol.
They claimed I have anxiety/depression and would need to "cure" them using the lexapro before I got anything else... but like...wtf is a regimen of an SSRI?

I no longer see that nurse practitioner... lol but from this point forward I guess I'd tell my therapist about my drug use if he asked, but I feel a bit weird walking in there and giving him a trip report or like rundown of all the chemicals I've consumed in the past week. Especially cos I do RCs/ketamine and occasionally IM. I feel like these things are much more of a stigma to most non-drug users, if not just my therapist.

 

[Saber44]

Back when I was in high school I did a lot of xanax one day and came to school. I don't remember it but evidently I got caught, confessed, and spilled my guts over how depressed I was and how I wanted to kill myself. The next day I went to the doctor's and he put me on anti-depressants. I assume I was labeled as having drug-seeking behavior because when I went to the sleep specialist's for insomnia and anxiety that was keeping me awake, he prescribed me some bullshit restless leg syndrome medication (which doesn't help for shit) and told me to come back in 2 weeks. We'll see where we go from there, but I am so sick of not sleeping and not receiving real help.

 

[Saber44]

Ugh. This medicine they gave me for RLS gives me body pains, nightmares and nausea

 

[thugpassion]

Have I been honest about my drug use with my shrink/bupe Dr. .......no way!

 

[ahint]

No. There's no point - I don't feel like my usage affects my general wellbeing, and I'm not there to discuss my drug use. If I ever had a problem with alcohol addiction again (no relapses for around six months now with barely any cravings, yippee!), I would, because then it would be affecting my wellbeing.