I went to this doctor for several months at the beginning of this year (2017). I had moved from California, where I had an amazing psychiatrist, so the thought of changing to a new doctor, any new doctor was very anxiety inducing for me. I explained this (as did my previous doctor) to Dr. Marwah, and she was somewhat receptive to it. I spoke with Dr. Marwah prior to making my first appointment to make sure that she would be able to prescribe the same medications I was taking. She assured me that she would be able to do so without any problems.
After the first few visits, she changed her mind about prescribing one of the medications. She indicated that she would need to take me off of it as soon as possible. I spoke with her, made it clear that her sudden change/going against her word was making me uncomfortable, and tried to understand the suddenness of the change, but she was very vague in her answers. I decided to consult with my California doctor after the appointment with Dr. Marwah. I indicated to my California psychiatrist that Dr. Marwah wanted to take me off this particular medicine at X mg per week. My California psychiatrist indicated to me that this rate of tapering off of the medication was too fast and unsafe for an outpatient setting. My California psychiatrist noted that there was only one safe taper method for this particular medication and that I needed to speak with Dr. Marwah immediately. I gave Dr. Marwah the name of the taper, let her know that I had spoken with my previous psychiatrist, and that I was not comfortable going off of the medication at the rate she suggested and insisted on using the safer "Ashton taper." Dr. Marwah indicated that this was purely a difference of opinion. I relayed this information to my California psychiatrist, and she insisted that it was not a difference of opinion but TRULY the only safe method to go off of this medication. She let me know that I should keep taking my regular dosage, and that she would speak with Dr. Marwah.
That was the first major issue I had with Dr. Marwah.
I am a working professional, and it is difficult for me to go to Dr. Marwah's office in between visits to pick up a written prescription in between visits if needed. I made this clear to Dr. Marwah, and she assured me that I would only need to pick up written prescriptions in person for the first 1-2 months of seeing her. After about the 2 month mark, I called her office to have them call in a prescription for me. I left a message at about 8AM and did not think that there would be an issue doing so, as Dr. Marwah assured me at my last appointment that this would be no problem. Her staff called me back at 1:30PM and said that they would not call it in, and that I needed to come to the office to pick it up by 5PM. I was not able to listen to the message right away, as I work at a clinic and was seeing clients back to back all afternoon. At 2:15PM on that same day, her office left me another voicemail. Again, I was not able to listen to it right away. Her staff proceeded to call me 18 times in a row (no exaggeration, I promise) before I had to turn my phone off because the constant buzzing was disrupting my work with my patients. Apparently, they decided to close the office at 2:30 that day and indicated that I would need to arrive before then to pick up the prescription.
That was the next major issue I had with Dr. Marwah and her staff.
Another time, I had to call in on a Friday and ask Dr. Marwah's staff to call in 3 days worth of a medication, because I was going to run out before my Monday appointment with her. Her receptionist told me that Dr. Marwah was with a patient but would not likely agree to do so. The receptionist, without speaking to Dr. Marwah recommended that I cut my dosage in half for the 3 days to make it last for 3 days. EXTREMELY unprofessional and unsafe. I made it clear to the receptionist that this would not be safe for me to do, especially without the approval of an actual doctor. She finally agreed to call in the 3 day prescription.
Very unprofessional staff- the next issue I encountered.
I attended my appointment that Monday after speaking with the receptionist (who tried to have me half my dose of one medication). I relayed to Dr. Marwah what her staff had advised me to do. She assured me that the receptionist spoke to her while she was on the phone with me, because "she would never make that kind of recommendation" without approval from Dr. Marwah. I explained that this was not the case, as she remained on the phone with me the entire time and indicated that Dr. Marwah was with another patient. Dr. Marwah said, "well if that is the case, she has worked at pain management clinics, so she knows what she is talking about." WOW. A Dr. basically just told me that her receptionist, who had no medical degree, could make medication adjustments without her. I let Dr. Marwah how unprofessional that was and never returned. read more