NEVER... EVER.... AGAIN!
So, I initially treated with Dr. Ventre - told him my entire past, current situation and issues(s).
He seemed like the first doctor to actually LISTEN to my complaints, and thoroughly explain things to me and a course of treatment, all of which I was included in. He wrote me my prescriptions and I was on my way with a follow up appointment a month later.
I arrive for my follow up appointment to be informed my Doctor had change and I would now be treating with Dr. Hicks. I was in and out, with now three more months of prescriptions and a follow up for three months out.
A week or so before its time to refill my first prescription I notice how the way the days fell I would be a couple short, it was like 3 days. I had never been prescribed this medication so I followed up with the office for the office staff to tell me "Well, Dr. Hicks says you should take a break, she wont be re-writing and you will have to fill on the day its already written for."
When I was initially prescribed the medication by Dr. Ventre, he told me to take it everyday - there was no, maybe you should take a break on weekends or anything of the nature, it was prescribed to take first thing in the morning, every morning and I did JUST THAT.
It was a week before my follow up appointment and I get a call from the office to be informed that the Dr. is really busy and wont be able to see me for another two months, I would just need to come into the office and they would have more prescriptions waiting for me.
Do to things coming up, I was unable to keep that appointment and had to reschedule, there was no sympathy from the doctor - she didn't write me a new prescription to cover until I could get in there, I just had to wait it out. This wasn't entirely their fault, but had they kept my first appointment I wouldn't have gone un-medicated for two and a half months before they could get me back in.
I finally arrive for what is now my third appointment in now 9 months, only my second time EVER treating with Dr. Hicks, and let me remind you that first appointment I was maybe in with her for a whole 5 minutes.
The appointment started off OK, normally you visit with an intern first and then you go into the Doctors office. I explained to her, how the medication towards the end of the 7 months wasn't as effective as when I had first started taking it (It was a low dose of this particular medication, for my size and weight - even Dr. Ventre had said on my first appointment this was a starting dose and it may need a slight increase). She agreed with, asked me a few other questions, and then I opened my mouth, and was honest about some things going on in my life - LIKE EVERY PATIENT SHOULD BE WITH THEIR PSYCH DOCTOR.
At this point the whole mood of the appointment changed, she basically admitted to not reading my file before prescribing me medication - she just wrote it and continued to write it without reading any of the notes from Dr. Ventre.
That woman has no Compassion, No Sympathy, and is a major TOOL BAG.I haven't been to see a psychiatrist since! All the ones I've seen down here just want to write you a shit ton of meds and send you on your way - I did not feel like that with Dr. Ventre, but with Dr. Hicks it was the same thing all over again.
She really shouldn't be allowed to practice medicine with her 'God-Like' complex. read more