I'm reposting this here just so more people can view my story about how Dr. Young almost cost me my life...
I am writing this review because I recently discovered that Dr. Carl Young is still practicing, and it brought back some extremely painful memories of what I experienced while under his care.
Dr. Young prescribed me 15 mg of Klonopin (clonazepam) per day for anxiety. Looking back, I am still shocked that I was prescribed such an extraordinarily high dose. The medication affected my life in ways that I never could have imagined.
After leaving Dr. Young's care, I had two or three different doctors who reviewed my medication history. Every one of them was completely shocked when they learned that I had been prescribed 15 mg of Klonopin a day. They repeatedly questioned how I had ever been maintained on a dose that high. Several of them went as far as telling me that, in their opinion, what happened to me was so extreme that Dr. Young should have been put in prison.
Eventually, I needed to come off Klonopin, but because I had been taking such a high dose for so long, I could not simply stop. I spent approximately seven months going through withdrawal and trying to get my life back. Finding someone willing to properly help me taper off the medication was incredibly difficult.
The consequences went far beyond physical withdrawal. My mental health deteriorated severely. At one point, I became suicidal and was hospitalized for 30 days. I ultimately came dangerously close to killing myself by overdosing on medication. I genuinely believe that the treatment I received and the dependence that developed played a major role in how severely my life deteriorated.
One of the most painful parts of this experience is knowing that Dr. Young is still practicing while I am left dealing with the consequences of what happened to me.
I understand that other patients may have different experiences, and I can only speak to my own. But my experience with Dr. Young was devastating. What was supposed to be treatment for anxiety ultimately led to years of consequences, an extremely difficult seven-month withdrawal, psychiatric hospitalization, and a point in my life where I nearly died.
I strongly encourage anyone considering treatment with Dr. Young to ask very detailed questions about any medication being prescribed, the dosage, the potential for dependence, and how the medication would eventually be tapered. I also encourage patients to seek a second opinion if something about their treatment does not seem right.
My experience nearly destroyed my life. I cannot change what happened, but I can tell my story and hope that other people never have to go through what I did.
And finally, Dr. Young, there is something I want you to know: I survived.
I am back in school, and I am doing remarkably well. I currently have a 4.0 GPA, and after years of suffering, I am finally proving to myself that I am capable of building the good life I once thought I had lost.
You did not destroy me.
I came back from what happened, rebuilt my life, and I'm succeeding despite everything I went through.
So, Dr. Young, after everything I endured, all I have left to say is: screw you. You don't get to define the rest of my life. I am taking my life back, and I'm doing damn well without you. read more