The plaintiff, age fifty-five, went to a pharmacy in September 2003 to refill her prescription for Clonidine. She had taken Clonidine for years for hypertension. The plaintiff claimed that she developed an addiction to clonazepam after taking it for three weeks. The plaintiff claimed that the addiction caused cognitive and psychological problems, including difficulty concentrating, short-term memory dysfunction, headaches and depression. After unsuccessful efforts to taper off the clonazepam the plaintiff was referred for outpatient psychiatric treatment.

The defendant argued that the cognitive and psychological symptoms the plaintiff attributed to clonazepam were preexisting. The plaintiff had experienced anxiety issues five to ten years earlier and had taken a drug in clonazepam’s family without becoming addicted.

According to a published account a $250,000 settlement was reached.

With permission from Medical Malpractice Verdicts, Settlements & Experts; Lewis Laska, Editor, 901 Church St., Nashville, TN 37203-3411, 1-800-298-6288.