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How Can I Convince The Doctor To Prescribe Xanax For Anxiety?
Question: I am doing better, but i am from the US, visiting Australia for another 3 months. I take Xanax for ease of sleep and anxiety with a hiatal hernia, and of course, Austraiia no longer prescribes this. I was given one prescription of Valium to last a week, but ran out 2 weeks ago. I wasn't sure if this service issues prescriptions by faxing pharmacies or if I will have to just "deal with it", when I have these chest pains. I have had an EKG and a stress test so they know that it is the hernia, and anxiety that is causing this.
Brief Answer:
We can't prescribe rxs, but see a dr there who can.
Detailed Answer:
I am sorry you are having to deal with this issue while you are away in another country.
Here are some ideas of what you can do:
1. See a doctor in Australia for ongoing treatment of anxiety. One week of Valium is just an urgent care type of patch up treatment to get you by briefly. It is a "safe" thing for a doctor to do who doesn't know you and your medical history yet.
Xanax is in the family of benzodiazepines. Valium is too. There are other meds in this family that they can prescribe if they no longer prescribe Xanax, such as lorazepam (Ativan).
2. Prescriptions written in the US may not be honored in another country, but having your medical history from your US doctor available to provide to the Australian doctor may greatly ease the process. I am thinking the Australian doctor may have only given you one week of Valium because he/she doesn't know you or your medical history.
So please ask your doctor to fax your history including the office visits and cardiac tests results which show:
a) that you have been cleared for cardiac causes of your chest pain, and
b) why your (US) doctor was prescribing an antianxiety medicine on an ongoing basis.
Doctors who are seeing a new patient for the first time are hesitant to prescribe a lengthy prescription of benzodiazepines because they have abuse potential/street market value. But if the Australian doctor sees that the US doctor regarded you as a low risk for this, they might be more at ease with doing so too.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with on this subject.
Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, MD
We can't prescribe rxs, but see a dr there who can.
Detailed Answer:
I am sorry you are having to deal with this issue while you are away in another country.
Here are some ideas of what you can do:
1. See a doctor in Australia for ongoing treatment of anxiety. One week of Valium is just an urgent care type of patch up treatment to get you by briefly. It is a "safe" thing for a doctor to do who doesn't know you and your medical history yet.
Xanax is in the family of benzodiazepines. Valium is too. There are other meds in this family that they can prescribe if they no longer prescribe Xanax, such as lorazepam (Ativan).
2. Prescriptions written in the US may not be honored in another country, but having your medical history from your US doctor available to provide to the Australian doctor may greatly ease the process. I am thinking the Australian doctor may have only given you one week of Valium because he/she doesn't know you or your medical history.
So please ask your doctor to fax your history including the office visits and cardiac tests results which show:
a) that you have been cleared for cardiac causes of your chest pain, and
b) why your (US) doctor was prescribing an antianxiety medicine on an ongoing basis.
Doctors who are seeing a new patient for the first time are hesitant to prescribe a lengthy prescription of benzodiazepines because they have abuse potential/street market value. But if the Australian doctor sees that the US doctor regarded you as a low risk for this, they might be more at ease with doing so too.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with on this subject.
Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, MD
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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