derekliz Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 I have been on Klonopin for about 1 1/2 yrs. and take .5mg at about 8pm. I am fighting daytime sleepiness till about 2 pm. I am going to speak to my nurse about cutting down to .25mg to see if that helps.Has anyone else experienced the same?Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 i've been on klonopin 4 over a year, and have not experienced that. whether I take .5 or 2 mg it doesn't seem to affect my sleepiness although other's on this forum seem to have a different experience. I would go very slow, maybe shaving off 1/4 of what you are currently taking at a time, wait 2 weeks and then see, since it seems to have such an effect on you......ask your doc? Also, unlike most I rarely take it at bedtime, usually in the a.m. when I am tachy with big bp flux's. But, like I said, it doesn't make me sleepy at all, just makes me relaxed and able to focus on the task at hand by calming my adrenal rushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekliz Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Thanks for responding Angela. I am waiting to hear back on the plan for weaning from my nurse. I only took 2.5 last nite and the same tonite. Not sure when/if I will feel any difference. What do adrenaline surges feel like? Does your BP or HR shoot up when you have them? I do not have problems with low bp but at times my BP will go up. I take Ivabradine for my HR and it works really wellLiz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniferlynne76 Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Definitely talk with your personal doc/nurse about this. I take 2mg of Klonopin at bedtime every night and never feel groggy the next day. Instead it just suppresses my adrenal surges and ensures me a good night's rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 derekliz, I am wondering why they have you on klonopin if you do not have adrenal surges? or are you just asking me what mine feel like when I do? If so, it's just basically what I would describe as a panic attack, a feeling of terror, doom, something's wrong but IDK what, shortness of breath, disorientation. i'm not sure it my bp or heart rate has much to do with the surges, they usually now only happen when I am trying to drive so I couldn't say exactly what is affecting my vitals, the noise distortion and confusion, or just my bp/hr going crazy affecting my vision and hearing, but I know klonopin helps me the most in the a.m. when both are up and I experiencing all the symptoms of first standing up after being flat for so long . I notice at night I feel most uncomfortable if I have unexplained tachy even when lying down-since recently when that happens my bp drops but not my hr and i don't know why. So that's when I take my occassional .5 at night- but that's not so often. when I used to wake up in early a.m. between 2 and 4 am with unexplained feelings of terror and rapid hr, I so wish I had klonopin then! but that symptom hasn't really happened since I've been on klonopin. Not sure if it's cause the klonopin is already in my system and has a long half life or just my pots ever changing? But, klonopin works so well for me and I won't try changing unless I start experiencing negative side effects or it stops working like it does....maybe you need to try out a different benzo or ssri? Also, I am on the generic of klonopin, not sure if that makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 I had a similar issue being sleepy/drowsy at 1 mg k a day. Then my dr decided to cut that to 0.5 mg a day and I paid the consequences, even though at that point I had been on k for only 3 months.The 'rule' for decreasing benzo doses is 5-10% every 10-14 days as per Dr Ashton - an expert in the field.In my opinion the cut from 0.5 to 0.25 is a bit steep.On the other hand, everyone reacts differently to meds, still your dr should be able to help you out.Best,Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekliz Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 I was prescribed Klonopin by my first pots specialist as a sleep aid. I spoke with the nurse with my current POTS specialst and she gave me the taper down dose and said I can take a small amount as needed.liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellgirl Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 I also take Klonopin .5mg at bedtime, at first for my awful tachy that woke me up at night, but I also have sleep apnea; then my doctor gave me a half tab in the morning, too,because of my rigidity in my jaw, so it takes the edge off in the morning, so I can get up and start moving, too. I also have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, too, so I'm on Neurontin for that, but they both do not affect the same pathways of the brain from what I understand chemically, so I'm fine with both of them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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