Plz Help! Psychiatrist won't refill prescription!

Hi. I contacted my psychiatrist because I was having really intense symptoms and wanted to prolong my taper so I needed to adjust to continuing to get pills for a long time. I thought I had more say in what happened so I just told her all my symptoms and told her I would like to continue with my .5 mg, half morning and night, but I'd be taking only .2 or .25 each day. But she said with the extent of my symptoms that I shouldn't be on the medication at all and that she won't refill it for me. She suggested to go to an in care withdrawal thing for 3 days?!?! With everything I've read here this all seems bonkers. I just kept saying my symptoms are so extreme because I've tapered too fast and she's like, well you are on a such low dose you could have done ct, thats what most practitioners do. She said my taper has been extremely long. So idk what to do. How do I continue my taper? Do I just need to find another psychiatrist? Will I be black listed somehow? This does not feel safe.

 

 

 

Edit: Profanity removed

I'm not in the US. I don't know where you are. Please contact people from the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition list to find another prescriber or call BIC or Dr Witt-Doerring to advocate for you on your behalf with your current doctor. Or go to an ER? US ERs seem to understand benzo withdrawal more than European ones. I was completely dehydrated and they sent me home wihtout anything and the message to ask for sleeping pills at a GP on duty for insomnia  It doesn't seem safe given your symptoms and it's not a low dose.

I am in michigan. There were no humans listed and it didn't seem there was a number to call.

There's a phone number on the Witt-Doerring website at the bottom. https://wittdoerringpsychiatry.com/contact/

Perhaps try to contact them to reason with your doctor?

 

Breeze, The answer is yes; find another provider in your state who will support a patient-led taper. Post on BB with the subject line: "Need benzo-wise prescriber in Michigan ASAP." Maybe someone here can help with referrals.

 

You can try reaching out to Dr. Jennifer Leigh at https://benzowithdrawalhelp.com/ or Angela Peacock at https://www.apeacockconsulting.com/ to see if they know providers in your area or have any ideas. They deal with hundreds of clients a month in benzo withdrawal from all over the world. Angela does a 15-minute free consult.

 

There is a California company called SafeTaper run by Dr. Nathaniel Lepp. Perhaps he has ideas for you as well. You can do a 15-minute consult with him. https://www.safetaper.com/about

 

 

 

Yes, I meant WD more as maybe they are able/willing to talk doctor to doctor about tapering you know. I don't think they can prescribe without seeing you in person. But I'm not in the US.

Yes, I meant WD more as maybe they are able/willing to talk doctor to doctor about tapering you know. I don't think they can prescribe without seeing you in person. But I'm not in the US.

 

Cocodot,

 

Doctors in the US can't just call another doctor to educate them about tapering without knowing the patient or sharing a patient. I believe the pandemic rules for telemedicine are extended until November for controlled substances so you do not need an in-person visit.

Ooooh. Here they do. They were both awful and lied cause this stuff was clearly not non habit forming but at least the psychiatrist called my GP to tell her no way I could taper that fast. Even the pharmacist called the doctor to put her in her place about prescribing halcion. Unfortunately a benzo still happened but anyway.

 

I thought maybe it could help.

Breeze4: I’m sorry you are facing this difficult situation.  Have you shared the FDA Black Box warning with your prescriber regarding the dangers of abrupt discontinuation of clonazepam?  (See the warning below plus a link to the FDA drug label from Teva, one of the generic manufacturers of clonazepam.)

 

I agree with Rebecca29 that you would be wise to start looking for another prescriber.  She’s given you several excellent suggestions on how to do so.

 

Unfortunately, it does not appear that Dr. Witt-Doerring will be an option for you.  According to his practice website (link below), neither he nor his wife are currently licensed in Michigan.

 

For other readers of this thread: There appears to be some confusion about the services offered by Witt-Doerring Psychiatry.  I encourage anyone interested in learning more to visit the practice website.  Be sure to check out the FAQ page (link below) —  it answers important questions including:

 

- What are your fees?

- Do you accept insurance?

- Where do I need to be located for an appointment?

- What states are you licensed in?

- Do you prescribe controlled substances?

 

 

FDA Black Box Warning

The continued use of benzodiazepines, including clonazepam tablets, may lead to clinically significant physical dependence. The risks of dependence and withdrawal increase with longer treatment duration and higher daily dose. Abrupt discontinuation or rapid dosage reduction of clonazepam tablets after continued use may precipitate acute withdrawal reactions, which can be life-threatening. To reduce the risk of withdrawal reactions, use a gradual taper to discontinue clonazepam tablets or reduce the dosage (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION and WARNINGS).

 

Source: DailyMed - CLONAZEPAM tablet

https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8069b1a0-7c06-4252-b44e-e2eef065d9b8

 

Links:

Witt-Doerring Psychiatry

https://wittdoerringpsychiatry.com/

 

Frequently Asked Questions | Witt-Doerring Psychiatry

https://wittdoerringpsychiatry.com/faq/

Docs in the US will do a doc-to-doc consult, but only for established patients. With the status of medical malpractice claims, it wouldn't be a reasonable expectation that Dr. WD could speak on a patient's behalf.

 

In agreement with looking for a different prescriber. In the meantime, I think you should print the FDA's black box warning and some info from BIC, including these docs:

  - 10 tips to help patients through benzodiazepine withdrawals

  - Benzodiazepine peer support document

 

Some docs are attached. Also reference Dr. Ashton's manual. Hopefully this will garner some cooperation. In the end, I feel a valid question is... "What harm is there in choosing to be safe and tapering slow???"

10-Tips-to-Help-Patients-Through-Benzodiazepine-Withdrawal.pdf

Benzo-Peer-Support.pdf

FDA_Black_Box_Warning_-_Benzos.pdf