****reminder*** Queen

[annarenai]

i have been on many psychiatric medications the ones that worked best i stayed on yesterday went to my doctor
he said wanted to change my meds no answer or reason other than “ it may cause parkinson’s” but no actual reason for me as an indivdual
i’m on clonazepam 1 mg twice day
been on it for 15 years ( i was off it for about 2-3 years at two different times
is this legal?
to just stop my medication?
i get panic attacks and seizures tried many meds this one works great keeps me calm but gives me energy
i’m having worst panic attacks of course my heart is beating super fast my eyes feel like their size of my face
he didn’t taper just stopped it! that medication helps me! why would do such a diservice and what do i do now?
thinking about going to the hospital

[Paxiled]

As a long-term user of clonazepam I was curious about this, and did a quick web search.  Found no information whatsoever indicating it causes Parkinson's, but there is information that people who take it get or have Parkinson's -- but this list from the FDA pretty much indicates a ton of meds are taken by people who get Parkinson's.  So you know, drug induced Parkinson's isn't the same as Parkinson's disease -- when it's caused by medication, you know it because you have a movement disorder that is LIKE Parkinson's, not IS Parkinson's, and generally goes away by stopping the medication.  I found more information, though, that indicates clonazepam is used for people with Parkinson's as it is helpful in reducing involuntary movements -- unlikely this would be done if it was a known cause of the disease, don't you think?  Here's my take -- I don't know how old you are but you've been on it a long time and you obviously aren't having involuntary movements that would indicate Parkinson's-like symptoms.  It's the only drug that has helped you.  No doctor has the power to do anything you don't agree to have him or her do -- you have to give informed consent to everything a doctor does.  Now, that's usually covered by forms you fill out before you see a doc, but in the case of abruptly quitting an addictive drug and one that causes seizures if you quit abruptly in some people, your doctor is, in my opinion, already guilty of gross malpractice.  You need to immediately contact his office and tell them you are never seeing this doctor again and he must put you back on the drug immediately because it is very dangerous to stop taking this drug without tapering off slowly at a pace that suits you.  Even if you don't get seizures from doing this, and most people don't but because you can it just isn't done by anyone with an ounce of sense, it is known to cause horrendous withdrawal problems even when tapered off of properly.  It's a hard drug to stop taking, one of the hardest, so you only do it very carefully with the guidance of a professional psychiatrist who knows how to do it and who has enormous respect for withdrawal problems -- many docs don't.  I would threaten the doctor with a lawsuit and a report of malpractice to the local disciplinary organization, which would be a branch of the AMA that is authorized by your state to discipline physicians.  This is especially egregious if you get seizures.  Any drug that targets GABA can cause seizures in those who stop taking them too abruptly even if they've never had one in their lives.  If you can't get through quickly to this doctor, contact your former doctor and tell him or her what's happening and get your prescription continued until you find a new doc -- in my opinion, you should never ever see this one again for any reason other than to threaten him or berate him.  Again, drug-induced Parkinson's isn't the same as Parkinson's.  If he doesn't even know that, he's no doctor.  If you can't get hold of your old doctor, explain what is happening to your regular pharmacist -- they might give you enough to tide you over based on your usage history if you explain what's going on while you find another doctor, hopefully a psychiatrist who knows what he or she is doing.  I have had this happen when my psychiatrist failed to call in a refill on time.  I'm so sorry you have to go through this, you have enough to worry about.  You must fight back.  You and only you get to decide what medical procedures and treatments you prefer -- you can only be forced when you are forcibly hospitalized, imprisoned, or have been declared incompetent to make your own decisions and have a guardian appointed to do it for you.  Fortunately you don't seem to be in that category.  

[Paxiled]

I forgot to add, and this is something I will have to look into now, just what I need, once you get back on the drug and things normalize, that's the time to investigate this.  Even if it does turn out to have some risk, you get to evaluate that risk, not your doctor -- all dugs are toxic and all are very risky to take.  Aspirin has killed more people than any other drug and it isn't even regulated by the FDA.  Acetaminophen is one of the most liver toxic of all meds -- this is Tylenol.  Statins, given to almost everyone these days, is highly liver toxic and can cause extreme joint pain.  You just can't find a medication that would appear to be safe to take out there -- we take them, or should take them, when we can't find any other remedy.  Ask this doctor is he's taken every one of his patients off every med he prescribes, as every one of them is associated with severe side effects in someone.  What a jerk.

[AnnieBrooke]

You certainly have the right to consult with another doctor and to explain that you are satisfied with this medication. You would probably have to sign an "informed consent" form regarding the risk of Parkinsons.