Dr. Ruben Mendez, MD

• Psychiatrist

"Rude, does not listen to patients and ask what medication you want without paying your well-being no mind. He will also prescribe you medication that is not aupposed to for a long time and not let you know the side effect in the long-term."

"I waited in a Dr.'s office minutes before he came and took me to his own shabby office where he seemed to pick medications out of thin air for me to try. He chose one that made me more depressed than ever and in addition, it made my hair fall out in clumps. What could I expect for a decision that took about three minutes. When I called and asked to go back to my previous medication, he of course wanted to see me for another $ out-of-pocket experience before allowing me to go back. This is the worst psychiatrist I have ever seen or heard of. He likes the appointment money more than he likes actually helping people."

"Despicable!! This doctor needs to be investigated by the Texas State Medical Board and I am working on it! I came to this doctor for insomnia and anxiety. This was my first time seeing a psychiatrist. For my anxiety he prescribed Lamotrigine (an anti-seizure medication). When I went to the pharmacy they said I CAN NOT take this drug because It will cut my hormonal estrogen medication in half!!! There is a severe drug interaction with hormonal estrogen containing medications and anti-seizure medications. This renders both drugs ineffective due to faster metabolism response. I told the doctor what medication I was taking before he wrote the prescription! It was his job to check this!! This is why all doctors ask you about your current medications!! I then called to be given another medication. After one week of constant calling he finally called and prescribed another medication called Trileptal. When I went to the pharmacy, they told me THE SAME EXACT THING!! He prescribed me another drug from the same category!! This doctor is negligent and could have seriously hurt me. I take hormonal estrogen to treat a medical condition and for him to prescribe the same medication twice is absurd, and demonstrates patient negligence. I called the office again for 7 days and got no response so I was forced to show up the the office in person and demand a prescription change for the second time. The receptionist said the doctor has some spare time so he would speak with me directly. (GO FIGURE...lucky me) When I sat down, he was so disrespectful !! He interrupted me several times and told me to be silent while he was on his computer researching medication like what he was supposed to do at first before he put my safety at risk! After he finally allowed me to speak, I explained to him what the pharmacist said and showed him the medication insert....He interrupted me for a third time and accused me of rambling! I politely reprimanded him for his tone and he tried to catch himself and readjust his attitude. I left and submitted a formal complaint to the medical director. I can tell this doctor is used to dealing with low income, elderly, and otherwise disenfranchised persons (one of his offices in the heart of the Greenspoint area and this is the bulk of his patients there). He is used to treating patients this way and when I reprimanded him he looked shocked!! Yes some of us actually stand up for ourselves. Also, for my Insomnia he prescribed Seroquel, which I later learned from my primary care physician is a drug for schizophrenics!! She told me to immediately find another psychiatrist and she prescribed me Trazadone which is the CORRECT medication for insomnia. She gave a 1 month's supply until I could get in with another psychiatrist. CONCLUSION: people please do not be desperate when looking for a psychiatrist. I know it is very hard to get an appointment with mental health professionals because there are long waiting list, however be patient and work with your insurance company to find a psychiatrist that has your best interest. I learned that if you offer to do "self pay" or "cash pay" then you will be able to get an appointment instantly and you will be moved to the top of the list. (This is true for all psychiatrist). Try it and see for yourself. The reason is because psychiatrist have trouble getting paid from the insurance companies so they prefer self pay patients. I realize not everyone has money but I just wanted to let you guys know how this works just in case. Peace, Love, and Harmony :)"