I'm not sure if what happened here was illegal, but either way it made my stomach churn. Dr Ferrill was an hour late for my son's and my first appointment. She seemed very busy and not interested in hearing about my sons diagnosis, despite needing to fill out an OHI form for the school and attest to how his diagnosis impacts him in the classroom. She cut me off while I was trying to tell her how his diagnosis impacts him in the classroom and wanted to know why he was on the medication he's on. I was a little speechless partly from being cut off and partly because she obviously had an opinion about what he was on. So I told her, "IDK, because it works?" She immediately tells me she's going to change it and proceeds to move onto my health issues. Also questioning my medication, that I've been on for 5 years without incident and wants to change that too...ok, sure we can try something else. I regret not saying something sooner, but I felt like I'd done something wrong and maybe she was right and we needed to make some changes. That night I loose sleep over switching my son's medication in the middle of his school testing, when he has a medication that works. I didn't fill his new prescription, as I want to talk with the Dr about it. I start my new medication the following day and within an hour feel awful, I can't get out of bed and it feels like I'm completely useless. I call the doctors office and ask to speak with the Dr. I'm told I can make an appt, however I haven't met my deductible (long story, but I lost my job and I don't have the greatest insurance) and I don't want to pay more to see the Dr to fix what didn't go well the day before. The receptionist is defensive and say's she'll pass my message and negative symptoms I'm having with the new medication onto the PA, however if I don't hear back in 48 hrs, I should call back....really!?!?! The PA does call later that day and plays go between between Dr Ferrill and I. She scoffs when I tell her of the symptoms I'm having after changing my medication, telling me, well that doesn't make sense. "Why don't you take it at night and maybe we can cut the dose in half". At this point, I feel so frustrated that she's not hearing me and so I tell her....I'm not going to keep taking a medication that makes me feel like this, when I had a medication that worked just fine before. I've also expressed concerns about changing my sons medication in the middle of testing and she's ignoring my concerns. I finally stopped the conversation and let her know we would be seeking medical care else where.
Here's where I question the ethical and possibly legal nature of what Dr Ferrill did. Once I established care with a new doctor, btw a completely opposite experience. This Dr was on time, listened and we discussed appropriate courses of treatment and I left feeling like so much differently than I did with Dr Ferrill. The new doctor agreed that yes, we should look to change my sons medication to an extended release, however she agreed that switching it during testing, wasn't the best course of action. Even suggested we wait until the holiday or summer break, so I could monitor its effects. So when I went to fill my son's original medication, at the pharmacy, the pharmacist accidentally filled the medication Dr Ferrill has prescribed. The pharmacist quoted me $162 for a month of this new medication, I was aghast! This was after insurance and we pay about $15 for 3 months of the original medication my son was prescribed. When I explained that we didn't need that medication and my shock at the cost, the pharmacist offered, without prompting, that Dr's get 'kick backs' from drug companies to prescribe their medications. That is exactly what it felt like with Dr Ferrill, that she was pushing a medication and using her position of power to assert herself for her own personal gain. I pray that you head this warning and seek care elsewhere. Whether illegal or not, she put my sons and my health in jeopardy to push her own agenda and likely line her own pockets. What kind of doctor does that??? She has the bedside manner of cranky Aunt Ida and I'm so thankful I found a doctor who will treat my family and our health with thoughtful and connective discussion. read more