Posted by BRC on July 13, 2004, at 18:42:58
In reply to Re: Is Klonopin working?Or Has my body become addicted, posted by Guy on July 13, 2004, at 15:48:22
Don't mind the questions at all as matter of fact I welcome them. I am stable at 4mg of Klonopin for my anxiety (which is pretty intense). When I take my Klonopin I do not feel sleepy, drugged out, confused, etc. The medication just takes away my physical symptoms of anxiety. I also take the SSRI Lexapro for depression and OCD. So, both meds together complement each other.
A brief history of Klonopin (if you already know this just ignore it but if you don't here it is).
Klonopin is used as an anxiety reducer, for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social phobias. Klonopin was originally and still is used to treat seizures in patients with seizure disorders. Klonopin is in a class of drugs known as benzodiazapines. The medicine works on the chemical GABA in the brain. This chemical becomes out of balance when we get anxious, nervous, panicky, etc.If you are prone to addiction or think that you would have a tendancy to abuse a prescription medication, then Klonopin may not be the long term answer for you. But if you truley have an axiety disorder then the Klonopin in the theraputic dose will simply help take away the symptoms and you should have limited side effects. I have been taking it for over five years and I just turned 28. Klonopin allowed me to finish college and recently graduated with a double major from a large university. So, used properly it does help.
As for the sleeping problem. My pdoc prescribes the antidepressant Remeron. It is a newer antidepressant. One of the side effects is that it makes you very sleepy. So, I take a 30mg tablet at night and sleep like a baby. Which is a godsend because I used to have terrible insomnia. One of the drawbacks of Remeron is that it causes weight gain in some patients. Because it works on chemicals in the brain that can cause an increase in appetite. Fortunately for me I have not gained any weight. I weigh appox. 160-165lbs. Another antidepressant that doctors use for sleep aids is Trazadone. It causes you to sleep and is very inexpensive because it is available in generic form.
Sorry for such a long post. But talk to your doctors about the treatments I mentioned. I wish you the best and God Bless. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask.
poster:BRC
thread:365388
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040712/msgs/365781.html