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Controlled substances for sleep
I am 86 years old and have been taking sleep medications for 24 years. Some have been controlled substances and right now that is Lunesta. I have also taken other controlled substances for pain but not any more. Lunesta is the only one I take. Since I moved to my present state I find that doctors are very reluctant to prescribe a controlled substance even if the patient needs it. One, a so called neurologist sleep specialist, absolutely refused to even if nothing else worked. I’ve even received flack from pharmacists. It’s almost as if they think I’m like a street drug user and I’ve never taken an illegal drug in my life. Of course they’re not all like this or I’d probably have to move. My question is, has anyone else on this site had to put up with this where you live?
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I had the same experience with my medication, I’ve been taking Ativan for over 20 years and I never had any issues with him until the last five years, I knew he was close to retiring and I think he wanted to pressure me to stop taking it but he didn’t know how to help me with that and I really didn’t want to stop because they work very well for me. He decided to let the pharmacy handle my medication and when I could get a new prescription, they were so rude to me and if I came in too early they would talk to me like I was a moron or a child, it was utterly demeaning, I had to keep accurate count of my pills and make sure I kept on schedule, I hated how I felt but I was stuck until something else came up to change this arrangement. I find that seniors are often more victimized than others in many situations but I don’t feel like arguing with them, I just think to myself that they will have to deal with this issue one day and it might be even worse than we have to deal with.