kayjay Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Hello all, I have been taking Klonopin since May. I take it at bedtime ( the script says as needed) but I am worried about if I am harming myself long term. Should I even worry about becoming "hooked"? I have read that Klonopin is recommended for chronic fatigue syndrome- have that in the form of POTS! I do think Klonopin has stopped the nighttime surges I used to get when I turned over in bed.Will any of you tell me what you know or how long you have been on it. maybe I cam just worried about nothing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worththewords Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Hello all, I have been taking Klonopin since May. I take it at bedtime ( the script says as needed) but I am worried about if I am harming myself long term. Should I even worry about becoming "hooked"? I have read that Klonopin is recommended for chronic fatigue syndrome- have that in the form of POTS! I do think Klonopin has stopped the nighttime surges I used to get when I turned over in bed.Will any of you tell me what you know or how long you have been on it. maybe I cam just worried about nothing...I've been on it for YEARS. It's been the most helpful thing for me in terms of POTS. It stopped the night time surges, I get better sleep, and it does help keep my HR down some. I take the same dosage and it's a very low dose so I wouldn't worry about becoming addicted to it. If you take it awhile and do decide to stop it just make sure you taper off of it. Good luck. I hope it is as helpful to you as it has been for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia3 Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Been taking Klonopin for sleep since 1991..between ,5 or 1 mg as needed NIGHTLY.No problems. Been saving grace for MANY."NORMAL sleep meds" do not do squat for me. EVER. And klon been around for YEARS.Don't let anybody whip fear into you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipper Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 I have been taking Konopin for about 18 years. It was the med. that could help me sleep and stop those awful muscle jerks. They would jerk so hard that it would be painful and keep me from falling asleep. Don't worry about taking it, just be sure you take the same dose everyday. My dose has not been changed and it still does wonders after all these years. Hope this is helpful. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I love Klonopin. Of all the meds I've tried, it helped my POTS the most. After taking .5 mg for months followed by 1 mg for months, it stopped helping me sleep. So I decided to get off it (with my doctor's permission) and that was a "trip". I was a nervous wreck for a few days, not getting much sleep. Then it was over.So, like I said, I loved the stuff. For me, after a while, the usefulness wore off. Now, if they could only invent a pill that I love that much that stayed effective for me.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firewatcher Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I'm on .75mg daily in three divided doses. It works wonders for my headache and calms the whole ANS down. There are reasons that some people take medications, this one is absolutely medically valid for POTS. If you get hooked, well, diabetics are hooked on insulin! Need and abuse are totally different things. It is VERY hard to come off of, but at this point, I don't need or want to: it helps! I have been on Klonopin since April of 2008 with no side effects...yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue1234 Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I am on Xanax 1 mg. at bedtime. I would never sleep if I didn't take it. I proved that when we evacuated for Hurricane Rita back in '05 and I FORGOT my Xanax!! I bought some Benadryl and tried that--no sleep. The next day I bought some Unisom--an hour or two. The third night I dug deep in my purse and found a bottle with 1/2 xanax pill in it. Slept like a baby during stormy night. It is the only thing that keeps me sane. If I wouldn't sleep, I would be totally useless(well, kind of am anyway!!! Sitting at the computer or recliner don't amount to much). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Burschman Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 For some reason, klonopin, Xanax and sleeping pills do NOTHING for me. My doc and I think that I might be lacking the receptors that those drugs work on. Or something. Very weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyblu Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I'm going to add a different take on it so this is just my 2 cents.. I started taking Restoril for sleep in 1995 after having brain surgery. Restoril is a benzo used primarily for sleep. I tried to go off of it in 1998 without success so I was then put on 1.5 mg of Ativan for sleep. Sometimes I'll take 2 mg but never more. Through the years I've also found that .5 mg of Ativan was very helpful when I'd get those "autonomic storms".Now all of a sudden things have changed. I don't like the way I feel when I take the .5 mg. It actually makes my symptoms worse. And I'm also starting to not like how I feel when I take the 1.5 mg at bed time. I already have low BP and I'm wondering if the Ativan is contributing to that. I'm thinking of going off of it but I know it's going to be very difficult.... even if I slowly taper it. I wish I had never started taking a benzo every night after my brain surgery. I wish I had only taken it for a week or two until my normal sleep pattern had returned. There's nothing wrong with going on a benzo short term but the longer you stay on it it the harder its' going to be to get off of it should you ever need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayjay Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thank you all - I really am thankful for your imput. Also I forgot to ask... I am taking the brand name- my dr. wants me to take the name brand it is close to $90 a month b.c insurance won't pay for it.Do all of you take the name brand?Thank you so very much for your help. This medication has done wonders for me though the night I doun't get those panic surges. but stopping ativan was horrible so I was worried!Skyblu, II took ativan first and had a real problem with it after a few weeks. For some reason klopnopin is much better for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I take the generic version of Klonopin, which is Clonazepam, and it seems to do the trick just the same. I really like it. Much cheaper!J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkoven Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I took klonopin for a couple months, but found it made me mentally dull, forgetful, etc.. when I tapered off, I had several weeks of a lot more pvcs/pacs. I sort of miss its calming effects, esp. for sleep, but I can't stand not having all my wits about me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worththewords Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thank you all - I really am thankful for your imput. Also I forgot to ask... I am taking the brand name- my dr. wants me to take the name brand it is close to $90 a month b.c insurance won't pay for it.Do all of you take the name brand?Thank you so very much for your help. This medication has done wonders for me though the night I doun't get those panic surges. but stopping ativan was horrible so I was worried!Skyblu, II took ativan first and had a real problem with it after a few weeks. For some reason klopnopin is much better for meNo, I've always taken the generic brand, Clonazepam. It's only around $6 a month for me. You might want to ask your doctor why the name brand is better than the generic.I believe a doctor once told me he only prescribed Klonopin to patients with seizures that take them at much higher dosages. It's worth asking your doctor about further if it means saving a significant amount of $. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxine Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I take the clonazapam also, and it's helped calm the adrenaline surges. I take half of a .50 nightly. I'm prescribed .50 once a day, but I take half unless I'm under a lot of stress, then I'll take a whole one. The generic is only 96 cents on our insurance. I'm thankful it's so cheap because this drug has served me well.I worry about addiction also, but if you think about it, we depend on different drugs for different reasons-----are we addicted to beta blockers, SSRIs, and other durgs we take to keep us going? It's just the way it is if we want to be at a more functional level. I've taken xanax years ago, and I only took it for about a year, or two---I can't remember. I tapered off on my own, and didn't notice any side affects from tapering. It think if we're mindful not to go over the prescribed dose we should be OK.I've also taken phenobarbitol in the past and it helped the old tachycardia attacks I used to get in the 80s-----clamed them right down. I took that for about 6 months. It seemed to have a long term therapeutic effect. For several years after that I didn't take any prescription drugs, and the attacks calmed to almost non -existent.Maxine :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia3 Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I take the generic and have since I lost my prescription coverage in 1993. generic is FINE.Also I only take it at bedtime so potential for addiction is not same than taking all day long.Either you are an ADDICT personality or you are not. funny nobody mentions true "addiction" properties of NEW drugs on the market and SSRI's etc.me I will try an older med with a long safe history over the junk now all over TV being PUSHED at peeps in advertising..or the latest posters at the doctors office. My doc even calls drug companies legalized drug pushers with their tactics.oh and benzos vary GREATLY...I tried Valium 25 years ago for muscle spasms and it changed my personality & made me crabby! My late brother in law, a doctor was given Ativan & was out of his mind on it and switched to xanax and was fine (when living in hospital waiting for hrt transplant, he needed some meds for testing)Yes there are horror stories but you just need to do your homework and see what works for you...our bodies are like fingerprints...unique experiences to same thing.Just be aware and never blindly take a med just because the doc tells you to..but most of us know better than that Good luck.Oh and my tip..always TRY a new med when your doctor's office is OPEN..even if it's a med for sleeping IF you are afraid of side effects...or call your pharmacist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 I have been on valium forever, the generic. Diazepam. I started it for an autoimmune inner ear disorder and found out it helps with my surges too. I've been on it at least 15 years. I took about 8 mg total a day till my surgery in July, now that is too much for some reason, too sedating. I dropped to 4 mg a day and did fine with that. If I need to go back up, I will. I am glad to see the positive input on here about benzos. I agree, they are like any other med. If they help, that's great, if they don't, toss em in the big pile of other things that don't work. We are all too different to suggest that something shouldn't be taken because of a "bad rap." And no one should be made to feel bad if it didn't work for them, or if it does and they take it regularly. That would be like saying, oh betas work for you, well you'd better stop it then!My doc says there are so few things that do help me he is more than happy to be my "dealer" We always laugh about that, since I take an infant dose... I'm glad you found something that helps, those surges blow....morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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