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I have been in Clonazepam 0.5mg TID for 18 years
My psychiatrist retired and I was left to find a replacement. It seems there are a majority of nurse practitioners these days taking patients as providers, many do not take insurance. I found a nurse practitioner with a very good educational background. I saw her in person and she renewed the medications I was in for 6 months. Next month we had a zoom meeting and she told me she wanted me off the Ambien and Clonazepam because I would get dementia or Alzheimer’s with long term use. She insisted I start tapering against my will. I had school phobia in grade school, began having depression symptoms in my 20’s, and in my late 20’s had two major panic attacks. I have been depressed with anxiety most of my adult life. I have been hospitalized twice because of this. I have never asked for an increase in dosage of Ambien or Clonazepam fur 18 years after I found a wonderful psychiatrist who was so good at medication management.
Now, tapering Ambien and Clonazepam I have started self mutilating by picking my fingers raw until they bleed. I can’t sleep at night, I have become socially phobic. I have become isolative and often think of suicide with no plan. I am 73 years old and I think it is so cruel to put me through this when all I want is to have quality of life, not quantity. I live with my husband in adult senior living which I have not adjusted to. Taking these meds away has decreased my desire to exercise and my endurance is decreasing. My new provider told me if I didn’t want to taper my medication that I should find a new one provider. I did manage to taper the Ambien but I am down to half of the Clonazepam and feel like I can’t go on. Please help me. I am on Paxil and Wellbutrin for depression but it is anxiety and insomnia making my life miserable. I am not the same person I was a year ago.
I feel miserable, she has destroyed any quality of life I had. I really don’t want to live anymore.
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My PA-C suggested I see the psychiatrist in their practice. Right now I am on medication management. I will deal with that at my next appointment nine week. I don’t know if it will make a difference because Colorado is a progressive state in scheduled
meds. The practitioners follow the regulations to keep from getting in trouble.
My situation is the same as Sears. One of the best decisions I made.
This new nurse practitioner is not doing you any favors. You should try hard to find another, because this one has her own agenda in mind and not your best health in mind. She's on a power trip. I agree with the person who answered back to you above, that the side effects of dementia are grossly exaggerated. Yet, if you just cannot find a doctor willing to prescribe you the meds you want, you do not necessarily need a psychiatrist for treatment. They can be really insensitive to your needs. You could try trazadone for sleep which is not notorious for side effects. My wife takes both trazadone and temazepam before sleep, because she was abused growing up and needs those meds to be able sleep normally. At your age, if you have no signs of dementia, you are not going to get it. I'd suggest emphasizing the ambien versus a benzo if you just do not find a cooperative prescriber. Just keep trying your best, make it daily challenge. I hope you live in a metropolitan area that offers more choices for doctors and nurse practitioners. And try some melatonin, like 3 mgs and see if it helps with sleep. I'm not a doctor, make your own decisions and do not give up.
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2 Reactions@jeanne51 ‘how are you doing? I am in a similar situation to yours. I fear that my future is gone.
Claudia
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2 ReactionsPlease find a new provider. I totally understand what you are feeling. With your history, similar to mine btw, though no hospitalizations, you require those meds. You are not a thirty-something year old that may or may not become addicted. You said your dose has been stable so I don’t see the problem. If I weren’t on my meds I’d be on the couch afraid to move… my anti-anxiety meds and ssri’s always enabled me to keep working for 40 yrs thank God otherwise I would’ve turned into a vegetable without any quality of life. I got my masters, raised my son and was able to control my panic attacks, anxiety and depression. Sending prayers your way.
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2 ReactionsThank you. I feel the same as you. I bloomed when I got out of the confines of high school. I excelled in nursing school because of the confidence built. Being a nurse enabled me to feel confident and overcome my shyness and low self esteem. I still was intimidated by the male physicians. I functioned in society with medications, until I retired. I lost my purpose. I found this psychiatrist who helped me function again with the medications he prescribed for 18 years, then he retired. I have been miserable and have been reduced to how I felt as a kid. Shy, social phobia, extremely anxious with horrible insomnia. The quality of my life has deteriorated. I am trying to convince my current provider to at least resume the Clonazepam to 3 times a day. So far she hasn’t budged, but at least I get it prescribed 2 times a day. I got a temporary fill of Zolipidem when I went on a recent trip to Mexico. It was heavenly to be able to sleep again. “They”just don’t get it. I don’t know what will happen at my next visit, but I am hopeful. No herbs, melatonin, etc. They don’t work.
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1 ReactionPlease read the recent thread . I am not doing well but I will keep trying to convince my provider to reinstate the Clonazepam 3 times a day.
To @jeanne51
I have started to have feelings of rage. I don’t know if it’s from improperly stopping the Effexor or the Ativan.
Claudia
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2 ReactionsDo not EVER stop these meds “cold turkey” You must taper them off slowly, the Effexor a longer taper than the Ativan. I just quit Ativan and it took me three days before I felt OK. I was anxious, had goose bumps, couldn’t sit still, just basically sat in bed until the symptoms subsided. The SSRI’s take much longer and could be the source of your rage but stopping two is a bad idea.
@jeanne51
Unfortunately, the damage is done. I had no help or input from anyone. I was taking .25 of the Ativan for about 3 weeks. I guess I thought that was a low enough dose to stop from. Did your doctor tell you what to do? I tried to restart the Venlafaxine and only took 37.5 for about 5 days. I don’t know what to do. I was just sitting in bed and had to get up. There are no safe places here in Phoenix. They are all like jails.
Claudia