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Carsten Maschmeyer: Doctors played off against each other to get the dose
Photo:
Henning Kaiser / dpa
As a manager, Carsten Maschmeyer led large financial companies.
But the now 62-year-old was stuck in a vicious circle of overwork, burnout - and an addiction to sleeping pills for a long time.
"The low point of my life was a pill addiction over ten years ago," wrote the husband of actress Veronica Ferres on Instagram.
He became addicted and took a higher and higher dose.
"A side effect of the pills was depression," Maschmeyer wrote in his post.
The businessman was also known as the coach of the Vox television show "The Lions' Den".
Maschmeyer told the "Bild" newspaper that it started after he had been prescribed Stilnox tablets for sleep problems.
At some point he took the pills "like tic-tac candies."
He did it "casually, so that no one noticed".
Veronica Ferres as anchor
“At that time, my private life was also in ruins.
The only anchor and ray of hope was my Veronica, «says Maschmeyer about the 56-year-old, who was an important support to him during the illness phase.
The rehab in a psychiatric clinic that his partner had found for him was hell for him.
Before that, he had experienced two failed attempts at withdrawal and also arguments with his wife, Maschmeyer told the media company "The Pioneer".
He also played off doctors, psychologists and pharmacists against each other and hired employees to get his daily dose.
"I tricked and cheated on those who could have helped me, and lied to them - that was my big mistake."
Maschmeyer grew up in poor circumstances in Hildesheim and started his career in Hanover.
He now lives with Veronica Ferres in Munich.
He makes his story public to save others from overwork, burnout and pill addiction.
apr / dpa / AFP