Shortages of Prescription Drugs

03Oct10

I have Multiple System Atrophy, most of my symptoms are autonomic, made worse by a brain stem infact some ten years ago. I no longer have a circadian rhythm. In order no to suffer from extreme sleep deprivation I have been taking .125 triazolam to sleep and 10mg Dexadrine to wake up for most of those ten years,

It seems no week passes without the high drama of another shoe falling. On Thursday while renewing a prescription of triazolam (Xanax) my sleep medication for nearly ten years, I was told there was no more of it to be had, not now and not anymore. No explanation for it. There was no more of it, no generic or name brand, no other strengths of it either. No warning, despite warnings that suddenly topping it may be harmful, no, nothing.

I have spend quite a few hours up and down the internets trying to find out why. Pfizer and Upjohn still list it as a product.

There were no announcements in the news that it had been discontinued, not in Canada (which is where I find myself). The pharmacist managed to find me 6 tablets of half the usual strengths, which will take me to next Tuesday. If I am lucky I can see or talk to my doctor by then. I dread this, I remember ten years ago all the different sleep aids we tried only to find that the original triazolam was the best and most efficient for me. How monstrous to just take from people what works for them, without warning. It might mean months of trying meds that don’t work, back to sleep deprivation, blackouts and hallucination, weight loss and increased pain levels.

I am livid, but I am also far to worn, still fevered from the upper respiratory infection that will not go away, I have no fight left in me. Cowards always pick on on the ones who cannot fight back.