Lou Lou,

You already know that you must titrate down slowly if indeed that is what you are planning to do. Actually you'll probably have to unless you find another doctor to prescribe which might be difficult because I gather you have Parkinson's.

One problem is that if you have PD, benzodiaziapines should probably not have been prescribed in the first place. Some are a bit safer than others for a PwP or PLwP.

Did the doctor find liver, kidney or breathing problems? Glaucoma?
This class of meds can cause dependence or addiction - which explains why the titration must be very slow as withdrawal symptoms can last for months. This is not a 2 week withdrawal drug for anyone.

Is there a plan for dealing with anxiety symptoms in the future? Now would be a good time for that just in case. However, keep in mind that withdrawal symptoms can mimic the actual symptoms for which the drug was prescribed in the first place. The withdrawal symptom list is longer than the Parkinson's symptom list and can be even more extreme.

Make sure that your support group circles the wagons. You may need them. And take the good advice already given before you begin the down tiitration, gather your records, your symptom list, and consider the search for another medical team.

I too am surprised by the insensitive at best and uninformed at worst approach of your doctor...but perhaps we don't have the total picture.:

I do not know what would happen to me in the 7 day horrid - on my own
I was very scared and felt horrible without the thought of these my dystonia
whatever curls me up in a ball would kill me, because it is painful, I would not mind going down on a small titration period and then introduced back however they are causing me to have, like horrid jumping stomach from nerves - fear -
I believe I am /maybe poisoned to some degree by the 10 years of taking them.
all i have is medicaid, I was scared for my life - at the thought of 7 entire days, as I tried to follow a three pill titration and omgoodness crapola
i started curling up toes legs neck bacck= spinal cord....
it makes me cry even now, to take them makes me go into dystonia?
i cant remember which is which right now...
if it wasnt for that and my pain from sciatica, - I could leave the house more?
thank you!
i feellike crying -scared - this is not a hospital i would ever trustthey took me of cold turkey all of my 2 meds - sinemet - cd/ld for short a 12 hours after admitting me for a MRI and an EEG/ i was in a bad way - but only one nurse cared enough to allow me a bit of a fan blowing, as sweat was pouring off me, and she said that my face was very red? after that I felt like a rag doll, limp and horrid, and I was having dystonic periods still/ which she told a fellow watcher how I could stop it if i wanted, as it was all in my mind...I could not respond... too sick? but i have cried about a nurse saying this to another as I was hearing every word??
and the doctor I had, was nice but his associate cancelled my tests! as i was already gooded up red pencil marked forhead for the eeg when it was stopped - promiseed a konipin to relax for the test at 10 am never came - nor could i eat, finally after noon a pll for sinemet came. i had my friend bring my meds for panic -and sever cramping and dystonia, while they never ordered zip but wanted to put me on the 3rd floor the psych ward! this was told to me by the psychiatrist that was running the ward... and I was allowed to go home!
the doc and his team member neuro werent even going to medicate me???????????
as he had previously been my neuro before I moved to a different state anyway- that doctor never checked me by MRI but dealt
the sinemet -carbdopa/leva=odopa for years, since 2003 -same for the psychiatrist bit it was 2000 and
this med, is making me feel sickk ...
I wasnt told that, all i was told was the PD was all in the my head?

I titrated off so many drugs - mirapex
zoloft
just 2 because im exhausted... but there was 4 others

hey, have you another doc at your pratice you can see, its not good to come of benzos fast x

hey lavender lou,
may i ask what meds you are taking?

i am not a doctor. i have taken a variety of trial and error parky meds for 20 years.

tasmar made my liver enlarged, mirapex made my ocd tendencies worse, cleaning with q-tips, scrubbing with toothbrushes, and collecting colors of eye make up, beads, acrylic paints, pens, colored pencils, books and such, storing and cataloging in abc order.

comtan gave me anxiety attacks, eldepryl gave me asthma for a week in the hospital, sinemet cr and parlodel gave me flu like symptoms 20 minutes after i took it. cold sweat, nausea from hell, dry heaves, nasty stuff like that.

amantadine made me hallucinate, they were stored memories or images, at least i wasn't afraid of it.

anything sound familiar?

don't learn the hard way like i did. pay attention to your body, mind and soul.
learn to listen to what it is saying and take control, learn, accumulate knowledge, take responsibility for your treatments and check out your meds and their side effects.

as parkies, we take potent, powerful meds, toxic, meds that could make a "regular" person's heart stop, and the meds don't affect everyone in the same way.

what works for some, doesn't work for all.

hope it helps.

I cannot give you information if you cannot or are not willing to receive it. I would like your e-mail, to send you some information on the Med. evaluation at Coilumbia Med.center. There were even glad to answer some of my questions for you, and responded in my e-mail. You personal box is not receiving, and I tried to call this a.m. I am still here, and answer as quick as I could. ginnie

loulou-
Don't take this wrong, but if there is any chance that drug toxicity is giving you a distorted view of your ordeal, DO NOT take the suggestion that follows as it really could get you a bunk in that psych ward. Maybe there is someone who can tell you how it seems from outside the fray?

The suggestion, as a last resort, is to make contact with the local newspaper there, particularly with whomever covers health. It is, after all, PD month. Invite him or her to spend an afternoon with you to see what PD can be like. Fire up the pooter and bring them here. If the reporter gets fired up enough to start making phone calls, things might improve. But it is betting the Farm, thus my caution.

Dear Lou Lou, call friend if you need to. I have information coming to you. Get that Appt. and then you will find the dr. you need. Hang in there, there are ways off the meds that isn't this bad. You have had some great posts too from several people. Take care. ginnie

dear toadie, - two pd drugs- sinemet - generic / and klonopin /clonazepamm
i was told - the amount of clonazepam should be higher after 10 years -
and ginnie has been a great humane / lovely lady
I have my help...
god bless you all