Stevie Nicks Says 'Stupid' Doctor 'Ruined My Life for Eight Years'

By PopEater Staff Posted May 10th 2011 10:15AM

Fleetwood Mac icon Stevie Nicks regrets taking medication to help her drug addiction because it "ruined" a large chunk of her life.

The singer, 62, who battled substance abuse in the 1980s, entered the Betty Ford Clinic in 1986 to overcome an addiction to cocaine. That same year a psychiatrist prescribed her Klonopin which is usually for seizures and panic disorders. The results were almost fatal.

"That ruined my life for eight years," she told FOX411's Pop Tarts. "That was just a stupid doctor making a groupie mistake and just wanting me to come in there, tell him about all my music friends and young Hollywood, and that nearly ruined my life and nearly killed me."

Nicks laments the loss of eight years of her life.

"God knows, maybe I would have met someone, maybe I would have had a baby," she said. "That was my prime eight years. That was a big mistake. Everything else was exactly how it should have been."

Nicks, who has a new album out called 'In Your Dreams' had a surprising dinner guest while she was recording her first studio album since 2001: Reese Witherspoon. The two met when Nicks sat next to Witherspoon's mother on a flight to Nashville -- "she's darling" -- and invited her and her husband to watch her record.

The actress, who won an Oscar for portraying a singer, June Carter Cash, even came up with a name for one of the tracks on Nicks' new album: 'Cheaper Than Free.'

Tags: Klonopin, Stevie Nicks

Comments

(128)

Tuesday 10 May

By polly

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that chick had an extra hole in her nose from cocain. that doctor didnt stop her from anything.what a loser. she is and to blame it on others is because it makes her feel better about her biCh slapp rapping and her cocain tounge, she got nothing done... guns & roses.

By mysweeterheart

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Re: her aging badly ~ she's in her mid-60's and in my opinion looks darn good! Does anyone remember how their grandma's looked at that age? LOL And have you noticed lots of the aging male rockers? Talk about looking old! ;)

By Addie

Did someone hold a gun to her head and made her take the pills?
She's her own person and should have realized NOT to take the pills the doctor gave her!
She was not a child, she was an adult!
There is always someone else to blame isn't there?

By Lee Liebet

I remember watching a biographical show where Stevie said something to the effect that a baby would have slowed her musical career and she just couldn't do it. Was that the Klonopin talking? Yeah, wink wink. I like Stevie's art. As a person, she's hard to take. And a little full of it.

By Dee

When will people start taking responsibilty for their own actions and stop putting the blame on everyone else?

By LARRY

No one"s perfect...Right...Right

By Kat

Or for smoking 3 packs a day. Love you Stevie but at 37 you were reproductively about 47 because of the drugs, not the Klonopin.

Also? Klonopin is physically addictive. You couldn't have been that zonked all the time. You'd eventually develop a tolerance for it and need to continually increase the dose to achieve the same effect. This just doesn't add up.

By babs98019

I have an anxiety disorder. My Psychiatrist prescribes small doses of Klonopin. I no longer have to worry about panic attacks. If she didn't have bad anxiety,or a risk of seizures, I don't know why the doctor gave it to her.

By Choperia

What does taking Klonopin have to do with meeting someone and having a baby? She was 37 years old when she checked in at BFC, had only a few years of her biological clock left to tick. She needs to go back to a Dr. and find out why she won't take responsibility for her own actions. Why doesn't she adopt? I thought that was the "in" thing to do in Hollywood. Well, don't adopt in Hollyweird but go to another country and do it.

By TT

How the hell does klonopin mess up 8 years of someones life?

Wednesday 11 May

By shakesome

I think she is also saying that she relied on medication to solve her addiction problem, which kept her medicated and not thinking clearly? and also therefore she missed out on the benefits of pursuing a spiritual program of recovery? I know these doctors often think they are God and that they can cure addicts with medicine. It rarely works. In a self-help (12 Step-type program) a sponsor would have helped her to stop taking medication.

By DAN

EVERY YEAR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIE DUE TO DOCTORS WHO SCREW UP.
HERE IS THE DEAL IT TOOK YOU EIGHT YEARS TO FIGURE OUT THE DOCTORS WERE NOT HELPING YOU ? I LIKE YOUR MUSIC BUT STEVIE SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO FACE THE FACT THE BLAME ALSO LIES WITH YOU.

By Louis

I agree with Jackie. She made the choice to do cocaine, now she blames the Dr for ruining 8 years of her life? What stupidity. I also agree that most Drs today don't know their behinds from their elbows, but thats still not a reason to blame the Dr in this case.

What I fail to understand is that everyone, everywhere, knows that many of our musical superstars are into heavy frug use, so why aren't they busted at/or before concerts? Why doesn't the law keep tabs on them? If it were you or me, we'd have been busted and locked up with the key thrown away.

By RYAN

So its someone elses fault she used coke?WOW....

By Averagedancer

I think she looks awesome, considering she's in her mid-sixties. Hope I look as good at her age. I've been enjoying her incredible voice for the better part of three decades; the woman has belted out some fantastic tunes in her time. They don't make them like her anymore. Very sad about the drugs, though. I'm happy at least they didn't kill her, as they have so many of her fellow musicians. God speed, Stevie.

By Jon deleon

I think the story is bewitching!

By indianatimster

I am a huge Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac fan for the first part of this... the second thing is this... Stevie was swept up in to this world of cocaine and fame and all..I think she may...MAY..mind you..have had a chance to say no to drugs..but the culture was SOOOO strong... so then she tried it and got addicted. It is AMAZING that she even wanted help...Addiction is a strong strong thing !! She was wanting to fight in the 80's...and I think she was given the wrong treatment.. has anyone checked to see if they still give that Klonpin or whatever crap that is...to anyone NOW !!! Heeeeloooohh ??? anyone home??? Rock ON Stevie. I do have your new lp... and its AWESOME.. ROCK on Girl !!! Love you Lady !!! Tim B. OHIO...

By ltwiggycrk

They do still prescribe it. It helped me tremendously

By beechmomie

Exactly how did this prescribed drug ruin her 8 years??

By Bones Rhodes

Right, Stevie, because it was that doctors fault that you were / may still be a junkie. Fact is, if anyone should be pissed at someone "ruining" something, it would be Jeremy Spencer, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, and Christine Perfect for your screwing up a previously fantastic group.

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