Things have been a little hairy at our house lately. The kitchen renos have come to an abrupt halt due to the fact that PD is dealing with some issues.
In case you don’t know, my husband suffers from Meniere’s Disease. He was diagnosed, if I remember correctly, in 2003. He’s been a Bilateral Meniere’s patient since 2000. He’s on a pretty good selection of medications for the dizziness and other symptoms that go along with the disease. He’s had surgeries that were temporary fixes. Meniere’s isn’t a well-known disease and there is not a lot of research being done. There is no cure but it can go into remission.
Sleep disturbances are a big part of life for PD. He’s was on 4 medications alone to deal with that issue. We’ve been trying to get him off some of his meds which don’t seem to be helping and/or are not covered by his medical insurance plan. One of those meds is Clonazepam (Klonipin) and he’s been taking it for about 10 years. After discussing it with his doctor, he followed her instructions for weaning off the drug. That was three weeks ago and he’s been having a terrible time since. It breaks my heart to see him come downstairs, bleary-eyed and edgy from spending hours trying to get some sleep. I now know first-hand what drug users must go through in detox, except without the benefit of other drugs to help with the withdrawal. He’s adamant about not going back on the Klonopin and is limited in what he can take to ease the symptoms because of the other drugs he must stay on. Just today I came across this article and will be giving it a good read.
I’m not only concerned about the hell he’s going through, as the days go by I’m getting more and more irate with the non-chalance with which some doctors prescribe these drugs. From all the research I’ve been doing it seems to be a common problem. I’ve also learned that he probably should not have been taking the drug for as long as he has been. It was a low dose but taking it for so long has made the withdrawal that much more difficult.
I could make this a more lengthy diatribe on the insensitivity of the medical community but I won’t. And don’t even get me started on the negligence of drug companies or the FDA. What I need to stress to you is that before you start taking any medication, please please please discuss it in depth with your doctor and do some research. Often times the “fix” is more dire than the actual problem.
And if you are so inclined, a prayer or two for PD would be much appreciated.
One Wink at a Time 