I was prescribed clonazepam by my psychiatrist (I was sent to her as my primary care doctor wasn't comfortable with prescribing some of the medications I was taking). I broke my back and had three surgeries to try and help the pain (didn't help much). My primary care doctor prescribed 60mg of Cymbalta once a day for my chronic back pain and my depression. Miramax for my severe Restless Legs Syndrome, 10mg of Valium once a day for my anxiety and panic attacks, 2.5 mg of Amerge as needed for my migraines, a pain medication for my back, I don't remember which one, I been on so many and various meds for minor things. My primary doctor for some reason became "uncomfortable" with some of the meds she was prescribing me and sent me to a psychiatrist of all people.
The psychiatrist kept me on the Cymbalta, took me off of the valium and replaced it with 1mg of Clonazepam once a day and 25mg of hydroxyzine once in the morning and once at night for those times when I felt as if I was going to climb the walls. Thus, my psychiatrist was prescribing 60mg of Cymbalta once a day, 1mg of clonazepam once a day and 25mg of Hydroxyzine twice a day, although I didn't always take it as I didn't need it.
In the meantime, my primary care doctor sent me to a pain management doctor for my chronic back pain. He prescribed 10/300 hydrocodone three times a day. I took that along with Gabapentin and Mirapex and other meds I can't even remember. At one time I was taking 15 different prescriptions a day and then I was diagnosed with a prolapsed mitro valve with regurgitation and had to have open heart surgery, but that's another story.
I had been seeing this psychiatrist for 5+ years, she wasn't doing anything for me except writing 3 prescriptions, making me come in to see her every other month and take my money. In the meantime I was also seeing my pain management doctor. He is also a neurologist. I asked him if he could write my prescriptions for my Cymbalta and my Hydroxyzine. He said yes and I started having him write them. I was having him write them because the psychiatrist would hold my meds over my head every time I needed to reschedule my appointments, which I rarely did, but her office would call me and reschedule as the doctor was out of town. Whenever I needed to reschedule the office staff would tell me "doctor isn't going to refill your prescription." This went on for 5+ years until my pain management doctor started writing my prescriptions for my Cymbalta and Hydroxyzine which he increased for my Restless Legs Syndrome which I have had for years and the back surgeries has made even worse.
The psychiatrist finally figured out she wasn't refilling my Cymbalta and hydroxyzine and wanted to know if I was still taking them. I told her I was. Of course she wanted to know where I was getting them and I told her my pain management doctor. She was NOT happy. She didn't say anything except "I see he increased your hydroxyzine." I could tell she was upset by her facial expressions, the tone of her voice and her body language.
I kept going to her as I needed the clonazepam as my pain management doctor said he couldn't write a prescription for it.
January of 2020 I had an appointment with the psychiatrist. Prior to this, approximately 6 months, she had decreased my clonazepam to 0.5mg once a day and I was doing fine on that.
In December of 2019 I called my pharmacy to have my clonazepam refilled, the psychiatrist wouldn't give me any refills so the pharmacy had to call the psychiatrist's office every month. When I picked it up the prescription was for 1mg. So, I paid for it, took it home and cut the tablets in half which gave me the .5mg. In January of 2020 I went to my appointment with the psychiatrist. No sooner had I sat down and she said "I'm not going to refill your clonazepam." I asked her why not?
She said "It causes Alzheimer's."
I said research doesn't point in that direction and there isn't any concrete evidence to back that up.
She said, "Well, I'm still not going to refill your clonazepam. The pharmacy filled it for 1mg and you are only suppose to get .5mg. I don't know what's wrong with that pharmacy."
I said to her, YOUR office phoned in the prescription for the 1mg. All the pharmacy did was call your office to get the prescription refilled like it does every month. YOUR office is the one who made the mistake. I cut the tablets in half.
By this time it was obvious she was mad and she again said, "I'm not going to refill your clonazepam."
Remember, I had been on clonazepam for 5+ years. I also knew clonazepam stayed in your system for 50 hours after each dose, but once it was out of my system I knew I would need it and would need to take it. I knew from researching this medication shortly after she gave it to me it was addictive and I just couldn't stop taking it cold turkey, I had to ease off of it.
I said to the psychiatrist, so, just like that you're going to take me off of it after me being on it for 5+ years. No warning, no chance for my body to gradually ease off of it, just bam! Cold turkey and too bad if I have to deal with withdrawals. What am I suppose to do about my anxiety?
"ROCK," she said. ROCK? I said. "ROCK," she said.
I got up and started out of her office. She said, " I want to see you back in my office in a month." I made the appointment and went home. I had enough clonazepam for 3 more days.
WOW!!! I had no idea my life was going to be turned into a living hell and my migraines that had been under control became completely out of control. I thought I was going to loose my mind. My Restless Legs Syndrome has become so bad I can't sleep. I go for 48 hours without sleeping and then I will crash for 2 or 3 hours and then I'm back up for another 24 hours and then I really crash and I sleep for 24-30 hours.
I cancelled my appointment with the psychiatrist since I had been without my Clonazepam for almost a month and was in no condition to go anywhere. I try to sleep as much as I possibly can by taking 4 Advil at a time or taking one of my muscle relaxants.
It has been 7 1/2 months since I have had clonazepam and I am dying inside. I am so miserable. Last week I found 1clonazepam tablet that had escaped from the bottle and fell to the bottom of my purse. I almost cried. I cut it in half and took a half of the tablet. Oh heavenly days! For the next 2 days I felt human. I was able to sleep at night, I was able to do some housework, wash clothes and even went outside for the first time in weeks. I saved the other half of the tablet for when I just couldn't take it anymore, which was about a week.
I cannot understand WHY a psychiatrist would do that to a patient except she was MAD because another doctor was prescribing 2 of the 3 medications she had been prescribing. I caught her in a lie. Her office screwed up and refilled my prescription for 1mg instead of .5 and I called her on cutting a patient off of a Addictive drug which she prescribed 5+ years ago for me.
Now, my question is this: Has anyone ever heard of clonazepam being PROVEN to CAUSE Alzheimer's?
And has anyone ever had this happen to them and if so, what did you do? Is there a medical board I can report this psychiatrist to?
I do NOT want anyone else to have to go through this.
I am in the process of trying to find a primary care doctor, however, with COVID-19 it is not easy, especially since California has been shut down Again. I tried one of those online doctors being advertised as being able to fill your prescriptions, however, I was told they cannot write prescriptions for a "controlled substance."
If anyone has any suggestions as to how I can deal with this train wreck the psychiatrist dealt me I would be ever so grateful.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and for taking the time to answer.
