Lawsuit over withheld meds

Photo: file photo

A woman is suing Interior Health, several doctors and nurses at Penticton Regional Hospital and a Keremeos pharmacy for allegedly cutting her off her bipolar meds, leading to heavy withdrawal symptoms.

The woman, who Castanet is not naming, claims in a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Vancouver that her doctor at PRH abruptly ended her clonazepam prescription in Sept. 2016 without any tapering or withdrawal protocol.

The lawsuit says the same doctor previously bumped up her daily clonazepam dose from one milligram a day to six in Jan. 2016. The plaintiff had been on clonazepam since 2013.

Around the same time the woman was cut off, her doctor left PRH and her care was transferred to other hospital employees.

“Following the withdrawal of the clonazepam, the plaintiff developed severe withdrawal symptoms with body aches, cramps and pains,” the lawsuit reads, adding she was eventually admitted to PRH where she was diagnosed with conversion disorder.

Clonazepam is in the benzodiazepine class of drugs. Symptoms of “benzo withdrawal” are documented to be severe for two weeks, with some symptoms persisting until treatment is reinstated. 

At a result of the withdrawal, the lawsuit claims the woman has sustained seizures, uncontrollable shaking, pain, insomnia, difficulty walking, inability to drive and more.

She is seeking damages, costs for future care, loss of earning capacity and housekeeping capacity for alleged negligence.

The lawsuit claims the doctors and nurses failed to prescribe medications in a safe manner, failed to taper her off clonazepam safely, failed to “hand-off” her case to new doctors and failed to warn her of the risks of abruptly ending her medication.

Interior Health has not filed a response to any of the above claims, which have not been proven in court.