Trouble getting into a psychiatrist
 

Hello. My doctor put me on 50mg Zoloft and referred me to a psychiatrist for medication management. I got the number for the referral a week after that appointment (and a week ago today, actually), and I have not been able to get ahold of this office. I've tried calling multiple times, all during business hours, but it always rings to voicemail. I leave messages but never get a callback. I've also submitted an online appointment request with no follow-up.

My therapist said that all psychiatrists are like this, that they're hard to reach and get an appointment with. Is there something I'm missing? I can't imagine what else I can do to get ahold of this woman. I was going to ask my doctor for a different referral, but I'm not sure if it'll do anything given what my therapist said about all of them. What do you think?

Honestly I would ask for another referral - they are not ALL like this. Though it can be tough to get an appointment you usually can get acknowledgement of at least contacting them after several voicemails/contact attempts.

Thanks for the response! I took your advice and got another office number. Totally different vibe. I submitted an online request with them (since it was Sunday, and their office was closed), and they called back the next morning. Can't get an appointment until late May, but a much different experience from the first time. Thanks again!

That makes sense. Typically new patient appointments have to be longer, and so they have to be scheduled further out as psychiatrists often don't have large chunks of free time. Once you're in they should be able to get you set up with regular appointments that are shorter. Do you have enough meds to last you until then, or can you contact your GP to get refills if needed? I'm glad your second experience was better and I hope it goes well for you.

Thanks! I don't, I know for a fact I'm going to run out before then. I'm going to try to request from my GP. I feel like my dosage needs to be upped, but I think I can wait until May for that to happen. My GP is a really sweet lady, but I don't fully trust her judgment when it comes to prescribing for mental health.

Definitely contact your GP well enough in advance of running out to get a refill. You can always explain that your appointment is on x date, so you need enough to last until then. If she's nice she should be willing to work with you on that. Antidepressants can often take a while (typically 4-6 weeks) to build up in your system enough to work, so it does sound like you might want to wait until you see the psych to ask about changing dose.