Question:
I’ve been on Klonipin for about 10 years: mostly for sleep because I have bipolar disorder, but as a precaution in case of manic psychosis, I could use it to stop the psychosis or mania once it began. I take 1-5 0.5 tablets. Am now taking 3 (=1.5). Increase if I am having trouble sleeping or very anxious and can’t sleep. I’m in an HMO and have a new "Nurse Prescriber" who is concerned about "addiction" and whether or not I should be taking this drug. I would be willing to transition off of it, but probably not willing to try anything else for sleep–too many potential side effect. I have PTSD and white coat anxiety and have been using regular valium for about 1 1/2 years to get through medical tests and exams. Many more tests coming up as I get older; I’m 50. Oh yes, I’ve had the "pseudo" seizures during anxiety, mostly when I was younger, but one very dramatic one during a fire drill 5 years ago (they say we have the loudest klaxons in our company). Anxiety is definitely an issue-but I don’t use the klonipin for it except to sleep. Really helped me get sleep during both parents’ funerals. Anyone have experience along these lines? Pros and cons of Klonipin/Clonazepam? Could you suggest where to get information a lay person can understand to evaluate the long term effects of this drug/ and whatever the nurse prescriber recommends –thought I should get a second opinion, maybe, but it costs a lot anxiety-wise whenever I see a medical professional. Can knock me out a day or two before and after: very unpleasant. Thanks. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.
Response:
During fairly "normal" times I have benefited from trazodone at bedtime. It’s not a good anti-d but it does relax me, it’s non-addictive and has no side effects. I can’t tell you much about klonapin except that I went on it for a short time 4 yrs. ago my son said"Wow, that’s got street value"….so of course I had to keep them under lock and key. Dave
Response:
I’ve been on Klonopin for about 6 years. It’s an anti-seizure drug, helpful in inducing sleep and helps me shake off my nightmares rather quickly in the morning (I’ve had nightmares for 10+ years, and much difficulty in getting a restful sleep). It apparently is short-lived in the body, and not very addictive. My sleep aid of choice is Xanax which worked wonders for me, but I needed larger doses of it for it for be effective, and my physician wisely made the switch. ma…@dnaco.net On Mon, 13 Mar 2000 16:06:12 -0500, "David York" – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<kroy1…@email.msn.com> wrote: >During fairly "normal" times I have benefited from trazodone at bedtime. >It’s not a good anti-d but it does relax me, it’s non-addictive and has no >side effects. I can’t tell you much about klonapin except that I went on it >for a short time 4 yrs. ago my son said"Wow, that’s got street value"….so >of course I had to keep them under lock and key. >Dave
Response:
i have used klonopin personally as well as prescribing it to patients. i too used it for sleep and panic attacks-was a life saver for me. is klonopin addictive? yes-it belongs to a family of drugs that is addictive (some more than others within the class). it is less addictive than drugs like valium and xanax b/c of the longer time it takes for it to work and b/c it has such a long half life that it doesn’t cause the same kind of effects seen with valium or xanax (much shorter half life-quicker onset of action and produces more of a high than klonopin). i can’t say don’t worry about addiction. i can say that if you are willing to go without the drug, i tend to be less likely to say you are addicted. the addicted people i’ve met will not consider going without it and will do anything to get the drug. some people take klonopin for life as an antiseizure medication. do you have withdrawal effects if you suddently stop? yes, you will but you would if you suddenly stopped most drugs. if you decide to go without the klonopin, make sure you have a taper. the withdrawal side effects tend to be less severe than valium or xanax. my philosophy tends to be "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it". if the klonopin helps you and you are functional on it-then do what you feel you need to. we tend to stop people from taking valium and xanax (ativan to a lesser extent) and switch them to something like klonopin b/c it is less addictive and it lasts longer. here’s a link to read more about klonopin. take care. http://www.druginfonet.com/klonopin.htm
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