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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mair on July 18, 2004, at 21:46:36
Please bear with me - I need some advice.
Last night I went to take my usual bedtime cocktail (WB, Amiltriptyline and klonopin) and I noticed that a whole bottle of klonopin had disappeared. The prescription was about 2 weeks old I think and there were probably 20-25 pills, I'm guessing. I had it the night before. I turned my bathroom upside down, and although I can't ever recall taking it out of my bathroom, I searched pretty hard in my adjacent bedroom and in my handbag. There are only 3 alternatives I can see, and they all stink. Either I'm more forgetful and addled than even I think I am in the worst of times, or someone in my house took them (I have spouse, 2 teenagers and a couple of houseguests) or someone walked into my perpetually unlocked house while we were all at the movies and took them.
This is distressing in the extreme, and I sort of think I may never know what happened unless I happen to trip over them some day. However, selfishly my most immediate problem is how to replace them. I take very little klonopin but it's frequently pretty essential if I want to sleep.
This prescription was so new, I'm a ways off from a refill. I'm assuming my insurance won't cover more since I shouldn't have run out. I can quite figure out what to tell my pdoc, and I can't imagine what she's going to think - is she likely to refill this when I have no adequate explanation as to what happened to them?
Any advice as to how to handle this would be greatly appreciated.
mair
Posted by jlbl2l on July 18, 2004, at 21:56:24
In reply to I don't know how to handle this, posted by mair on July 18, 2004, at 21:46:36
lol klonopin can cause some memory loss! trust me! i dont remember my entire life in 2003 except i was with several women whom i dont remember ??? =O
Posted by gardenergirl on July 18, 2004, at 23:12:28
In reply to I don't know how to handle this, posted by mair on July 18, 2004, at 21:46:36
Mair,
I wish I knew what you can do. I'm so sorry this happened. Any chance of asking those who had access to it? I suppose if your pdoc would write another scrip, you could pay for it out of pocket. Since I think the refill rule is related to insurance paying, you may also be able to get a refill now and pay out of pocket. You might try calling the pharmacy where you get it filled and see what options there are.In the meantime, I hope you are able to sleep well.
Sending drowsy energy your way...I'll ask my dog to send her doggie sleep rays (quiet effective, let me tell you) your way, too.
Take care,
gg
Posted by SLS on July 18, 2004, at 23:24:19
In reply to I don't know how to handle this, posted by mair on July 18, 2004, at 21:46:36
Hi Mair.
As far as your doctor is concerned, I would just tell him the truth and say that your medication was misplaced and that you can't find it. Dealing with those whom you share your abode might require a more elegant strategy. Use the generic this one time if cost is an issue and insurance won't pay for it.
Good luck.
- Scott
Posted by Dinah on July 19, 2004, at 7:32:03
In reply to I don't know how to handle this, posted by mair on July 18, 2004, at 21:46:36
Mair, I think the only thing to do is to be honest, unless you have enough refills to tide you over till the next visit without notice from your pdoc. Then lock up your medications from now on. And maybe check with your kids. Maybe definitely check with your kids to see if they're feeling depressed or anxious and about perhaps about the dangers of nonprescribed drugs. I think when my son gets older I'm going to have to lock up my seemingly huge quantity of prescription drugs.
And I hate to nag, but you should really lock those doors, even in a safe town!
Posted by Larry Hoover on July 19, 2004, at 10:13:45
In reply to I don't know how to handle this, posted by mair on July 18, 2004, at 21:46:36
> Please bear with me - I need some advice.
>
> Last night I went to take my usual bedtime cocktail (WB, Amiltriptyline and klonopin) and I noticed that a whole bottle of klonopin had disappeared. The prescription was about 2 weeks old I think and there were probably 20-25 pills, I'm guessing. I had it the night before. I turned my bathroom upside down, and although I can't ever recall taking it out of my bathroom, I searched pretty hard in my adjacent bedroom and in my handbag. There are only 3 alternatives I can see, and they all stink. Either I'm more forgetful and addled than even I think I am in the worst of times, or someone in my house took them (I have spouse, 2 teenagers and a couple of houseguests) or someone walked into my perpetually unlocked house while we were all at the movies and took them.If you're going to have to see a doctor to get more klonopin, I would tell him/her exactly what you just did here. I would think that if you do not have a history of such unexplained events, there shouldn't be any problem. You'll likely have to pay for them, though.
As to point one, above, your search and the nature of habit itself would tend to rule out your own behaviour as a cause for the disappearance.
As to point two, I know people who absolutely 100% of the time go through other people's medicine cabinets. I also know that young people today are rather pharmacologically aware. You can't do much about the houseguest issue (other than not leaving meds in such a place; you shouldn't anyway, due to the heat and humidity generated from bathing). But the kids deserve a family meeting. Not accusatory. A talk about prescription meds, risks therefrom, and the danger created by yours going missing. Who knows, one of the kids might just "find" them, lying around.
As to point three, I think the answer is obvious, although locked doors only keep honest people out. At least a broken lock means your insurance will be valid. Without that evidence, you're self-insured. It would also be remarkable that a thief would only have stolen your klonopin.
> This is distressing in the extreme, and I sort of think I may never know what happened unless I happen to trip over them some day. However, selfishly my most immediate problem is how to replace them. I take very little klonopin but it's frequently pretty essential if I want to sleep.
>
> This prescription was so new, I'm a ways off from a refill. I'm assuming my insurance won't cover more since I shouldn't have run out. I can quite figure out what to tell my pdoc, and I can't imagine what she's going to think - is she likely to refill this when I have no adequate explanation as to what happened to them?If you give the doctor some assurances that you will take steps to protect your drugs from disappearing, I would imagine you'll have no trouble getting them replaced. Maybe your insurance even covers such incidents, if they are rare.
> Any advice as to how to handle this would be greatly appreciated.
>
> mairI'm sorry you're having to face these issues of trust and faith.
Lar
Posted by platinumbride on July 19, 2004, at 13:36:12
In reply to Re: I don't know how to handle this » mair, posted by Larry Hoover on July 19, 2004, at 10:13:45
In the event that insurance won;t pay for the klonopin, drugstore.com (if you are in the US) has the cheapest klonopin I have seen.
I literally used to pay about $30 US for 100 2 mg tabs.
Best of luck,
Diane
Posted by mair on July 19, 2004, at 16:42:59
In reply to Re: I don't know how to handle this, posted by platinumbride on July 19, 2004, at 13:36:12
Thanks everyone for your responses. I don't think my houseguests are likely suspects and I have spoken with my kids. They certainly seem innocent enough, although I guess parents can be guilty of seeing what they'd like to see.
Let's suppose that either one of my kids took them or an intruder, whom I'm assuming would be a neighborhood teen. I have no idea what the allure of klonopin is - I take a small amount of it only to help me get to sleep. I know it can be addictive, and I guess it has a "value" to others since I've seen newspaper accounts of people being arrested for trying to float forged prescriptions. Why to people like to abuse this drug? Stupid question, maybe, but I've never thought of it as something someone else would want.
Is it more likely someone would take this to use it or to sell it?
Thanks
Mair
PS: I guess I'm dreading talking to my pdoc about this because I actually favor the neighborhood intruder theory, although I know that seems like the least likely answer to a more rational person. So I don't want to be seen as the mother who has her head in the sand. Also, my pdoc knows my kids somewhat just because her kids go to the same high school. Her son and my daughter are actually pretty friendly. I don't know - it all just seems awkward.
Posted by jlbl2l on July 19, 2004, at 18:28:24
In reply to Questions about klonopin, posted by mair on July 19, 2004, at 16:42:59
well, you know how VALIUM was/is abused? Klonopin is in the same class of medicine as valium and can make a person feel "high" similar to alcohol but much more than valium.
It is very valuable as a street drug, date rape drug and just recreational drug overall.
Posted by Dinah on July 19, 2004, at 19:16:05
In reply to Questions about klonopin, posted by mair on July 19, 2004, at 16:42:59
Mair, I honestly wasn't worried your kids were abusing so much as worried that they might be having troubles - feeling anxious or depressed.
Perhaps that's because I have a son who I would probably never assume the worst of. :) But I would worry that he was having girl trouble or something like that.
I don't see the abuse potential of Klonopin myself. It does calm me, but not in such a way that I'd imagine using it if I weren't anxious. And it never makes me feel *good*, just keeps me from feeling bad. Maybe different people process it differently. Or maybe it's in the doseage?
Posted by linkadge on July 19, 2004, at 20:06:59
In reply to Re: Questions about klonopin » mair, posted by Dinah on July 19, 2004, at 19:16:05
klonazepam has some abuse potential. If you take too much it can make you feel kind of drug and/or disinhibited. It's not really a pleasurable drug per se. I would say the street abuse potential is more for addicted individuals substituting it adicted to other tranuilizers like GHB.
I would ask your kids in a loving way. Really emphasize that if they are having emotional problems then you would like to know so that you can get help together.
Linkadge
This is the end of the thread.
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