Hello. My Mother Has Been On Klonopin For Nearly Thirty

Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2020

Question: Hello. My mother has been on klonopin for nearly thirty years for severe panic and anxiety. Twelve years ago a doctor forced her into a dangerous taper and she nearly died. She got so dehydrated her heart went into SVT and she had to have her heart stopped in the back of an ambulance. Since then she's been completely agoraphobic, and hasn't left her house since....aside from two trips in an ambulance to the ER for more SVT issues.

She also has crohns disease and takes vicodin for pain management. She has been on the vicodin for ten years. Her doctor's are now refusing to fill either of them due to new guidelines about taking benzo's and opiods.

An opiod withdrawal could kill her.

A benzo withdrawal could kill her.

And her doctor's are currently pushing her into both.

I'm not sure what to do as I cannot get her to a different doctor's office.

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Please discuss with her treating physician

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Based on the history provided, your mother has been on long term opoid and benzodiazepine treatment.
Stopping them abruptly can cause withdrawal and can be detrimental to older people with other conditions like heart issues.
So ut is best to taper the dose slowly before stopping completey.
Please discuss these concerns with her treating physician to come up with an appropriate treatment plan.
Prescriptions cannot be provided through this platform.

Hope this answers your question
Please address additional questions here
Regards
Dr.Lekshmi Rita Venugopal

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T