There was a Klonopin post already, but I wanted to elaborate on this. Is there anyone who is currently taking Klonopin and seeing some good results? What about dosages and so on. Has anyone's doc indicated that dosages have to be increased over time. What about getting off the drug? I am just wondering as I am in week two of taking the medications and so far I am not seeing any significant improvement. I would like to hear about other people's experience with this medication. Thanks!
Julianne

I have been on the klonopin for almost a year, in my opinion, it masks the symptoms more than anything, i was giving the diagnosis of MAV and BPPV after all the other tests came back normal, from everything i've read, MAV is basically a diagnosis you get when everything else has been ruled out. I would say the klonopin helps me feel about 90% or better on most days, although there are still days that pop up and everything feels a little off when in busy places or around bright colors, but whereas before the klonopin, i would have let anxiety take over and went home the klonopin keeps it under control. I spent yesterday at my 4 year old daughters birthday party with about 15-20 4 year olds running around, don't think i could have managed that last year before the klonopin. My original dose was .5mg at night which did nothing, then i started taking the .5mg at night and then breaking one in half first thing in the morning and then taking the other half at lunch, this is what finally made it where i could start doing normal activities. I am told by my doctor that this dosage is no more than having a glass of wine a day and will have no problems coming off of it if my brain ever compensates for what ever problem i'm having. I am still searching for answers myself though, i have always been healthy and just woke up in the middle of the night with BPPV, this subsided after a week, but i was then left with the spacey/dizzy feeling which never went away completely, and if migraines are causing my current problem, i just don't believe it, i still believe the BPPV may have done some damage in my ear or something. Klonopin works best when it is in your system steady (trial and error), taking it pretty much at the same time everyday really does make a difference in the beginning, i am at a point now where i still take the dosage at night and first thing in the morning, but skip the one at lunch. hope this helps...

Dizzydude, you're great, thanks for all the info! Very helpful for me. Like I think I mentioned, I have been on this stuff for almost two weeks, .25 mg 2x a day. I am having mixed results. Somedays like today were pretty good, but I have had a lot of days that were just as bad as ever. I am not sure what i have. My neuro otologist says some sort of vestibular disturbance, possibly from Lab attack and Vestibular Neuronitis. And he thinks MAV might be playing into my prolonged issues because Migraine is highly evident in my family history although I have never complained of it in the past. There is some evidence of damage to the balance nerve on my tests (ECoG and ENG), but not enough for the docs to get excited about. I have been told that my deal could end up being Meniere's disease, but so far the way it's playing out isn't typical of that.

In any case, I have avoided the klonopin for fear of addiction and also slower compensation (I want to be over this as soon as possible, just like everyone else here). But my doc said at this point he isn't concerned that the Klonopin will interfere in my case. So, I decided to give it a go, but I wanted to hear about how it was working for others. Thank you so much for your insight. When did you start to notice consistant effects? And did you have to fiddle with the dose to get it right? You sort of eluded to that, but I would like to hear more about the process you went through to get to the level you are at now. Thanks!
Julianne

My doctor mentioned in the office when first giving me the prescription that we would most likely have to mess with the dosage in order for it to make a difference, since every situation is different. I first got the prescription on a thursday and was told to take the .5mg tablet before bedtime, this did nothing, the following monday i called in and was told to try 1 in the morning also, this made me drowsy and more spacey feeling, a few days later was told to cut the one in the morning in half, this seemed to work, but by 2-3 o'clock in the afternoon, i would start feeling "wierd" again, so i was told to take the other half then and that pretty much did the trick, so this process took about two weeks to get it right. I felt a difference within a a day or so. I too was worried about compensation on my own, but was told it should have started happening by then when i first got in to see this doctor (about 4 months after the first night of BPPV), but i was actually feeling worse and worse each day, which i'm sure alot of this was anxiety since i was scared to death something major was wrong. I think i put this in a post a while back, but he explained the compensation like this: if you had tennis elbow and left it untreated and just kept playing day after day, it might never heal, the same with your brain, the medication (klonopin) will help slows things down and give your brain a chance to compensate. To give you an idea of how small a dose you are taking, some people take as much as 20mg per day (mainly for seizures), we are taking less than 1mg. As far as addiction, this is from an article i read:
Klonopin is arguably the least addictive of the benzos because it produces no euphoria, has a slow (1 hr) onset of action, long 30-40 hour 1/2 life, 12 hour (long) duration all of which are characteristics unfavorable to abuse.
This was a very long process to get where i am, first night of BPPV was November 15, 2002, then it took about four months to finally get to the right doctor, up until just a couple of months ago, even though i was still having great days, i would still have problems when taking a nap (would jerk awake at that point where you are almost drifting off with a feeling like the room was starting to spin, when it hadn't) and then at night in total darkness would feel like i was on a boat or something when lying down, this finally went away completely. About a month ago, i tried to cut out both daily doses at one time and was doing good except my ears would clog up like on an airplane, my doctor said it wasn't time yet, to quit rushing, the dosage i'm on is very small, so quit worrying about it, my next appointment is in late april and we'll talk about making the dosage lower then or even getting off of it completely depending on how i'm feeling. He is supposedly one of the best in this field, has a pretty impressive resume. anymore questions feel free to ask...

Hey Dizzydude,
Thanks for the additional info. I just wonder if I need to up my dose. I got really sleepy initially before I started taking it regularly. Now I have adjusted, but I am not seeing any dramatic improvement. I still feel lightheaded and weird. I can report that so far I haven't had the subtle nausea that I get sometimes since I started the meds. I may give my doctor a call and see what his impression is of the situation. I am glad you doctor has so much confidence in taking the meds and not worried too much about addiction or compensation. That's what I needed to hear as those were my concerns and the doc I am seeing didn't really discuss the addiction issue, but convinced me not to be too freaked about the compensation. I had my first attack in December 2002. Then 6 months free and clear, then this chronic condition started in June. He gave me the Klonopin in October but I refused to take it regularly until less than two weeks ago. During the time between June and October, I tried Meclizine (totally made me unable to function, really sleepy, drugged), Scopolomine patch (didn't help, annoying side effects), Valium (didn't actually take, but was prescribed), dramamine (worthless) and otc meclizine (also worthless). So I gave up and stopped all the drugs for several months. But now, since I am not compensating, I am getting so tired of this I want some relief. So....hence the surrender to the Klonopin. Thanks for your info I really appreciate it, very informative!
Julianne

Here's a little Klonopin update for anyone who's interested. I have been on it now for several weeks, and here is my report.

I haven't had vertigo, but I feel like I will and the drug seems to stop the act from happening. My general disconnectedness continues, along with the tinnitus. I guess I can say that on my couple of good days I have had since starting the meds, I reached about 90%, so that's a landmark, but my bad days continue to be in the 40-50% range.

Today I am a disconnected zombie. I am still on vacation for a couple more weeks, then back home.

So, I am not sure what to make of the Klonopin. I am not having any side effects at this point, I just don't see any serious improvement. When I get home I will call the doc and ask if there is any point in adjusting the dosage....

Anyone else have any thoughts on this, or progress in their usage.

Hope everyone is doing ok.
Julianne

Hi!
I have been wondering how you have been coming along, Julianne! I am glad to hear that you are having some 90% days. I know you feel like I do that they just don't last long enough!!!
I am only taking .25mg of Klonopin before bedtime. When and after I went to the Chicago Balance Center I was really starting to feel really good. Having alot of 100% moments. But in the last few weeks I have been steady, just basically dizzy. My neck is fighting me again and that has caused my TMJ symptoms to increase. I have been having horrible TMJ headaches. I just haven't been doing all that good and I am tired again. It sounds like my dosage is very small and maybe I am going to have to increase it. I am being faithful to my eye exercises. I also am right smack in the middle of menopause and I know that is not helping things at all!
I have called Chicago and they are supposed to get back with me so I can let them know how I am doing. I am going on 9 months now. I want so bad to feel good this summer!
What was really scary was that my husband, who also has TMJ and has some of what I would call "normal" dizziness, woke up the other morning and the room was actually moving (spinning). It really scared him! And then thru the morning every time he would move too fast or look up it felt like it was going to do it again. That put me over the edge. I am already at the end of my nerves and it was like I went back months in my symptoms. I couldn't believe how it affected me! He didn't even want to tell me how he felt cause of what it did to me. Shows how much of this is a mental battle!
Anyway, he is better already. We think he stirred things up by going out and shooting a shotgun with our son and didn't wear any ear protection.
Also, Julianne, our puppy is doing wonderful! She is a great dog, my baby! And unbelievable to us, another little dog, rat terrier mix, came to our doorstop, fat with puppies and we have taken her in. Now we have two house dogs! So our house is that much more crazy!!!
I hope you are able to enjoy your time with your family! I know for me, some days I can enjoy and other days are just coping (and praying!).
I would love anyone else's input on Klonopin.
Dizzydude, you are a big help!!! Thanks for all the information. It helped me alot cause I couldn't really understand why I was put on this when I had read so much about NOT being on any sleepy meds. Still is confusing to me, tho! What do you think about how much I am taking.
My PT thought I only needed .25mg and the neurologist that I saw with him wanted me to take .5mg (half in morning and half at bedtime) and if it made me drowsy to add taking some Ritalin. What do you think of that?
Anyway, what a thing, this dizzy stuff!
Take care!
Blessings!
Vicki

Hi Vicki,
great to hear from you too! I am taking the dosage your neurologist recommended. .5 mg tab split in half, half in the morning and half at night. It doesn't make me sleepy anymore at all. It did initially, but within a week I was fine. I don't even know I am on anything. So I am happy about that aspect. I just wish I was having a little more results. And, just after writing that I haven't had any vertigo, I had a spin yesterday. It wasn't dramatic, but it was obvious. I lay down at the playground while the kids were playing, and there I went. I just sunk into it and saw it through. It was only a 20 second deal, but so much for my theory that the Klonopin is stopping all vertigo.

I have increased my running significantly. I love it. I am doing 6 day weeks right now, but haven't lost a pound! Annoying. I run regardless of my symptoms...well, except if I am REALLY having a bad day. I find the running drowns out my disequillibrium and allows me to feel semi normal for the duration I am running. But sometimes it takes a good 15 minutes into the run to get to that point.

I hate that your husband is struggling with some of the similar stuff. Ironically, my Mom called me to tell me she was having some vertigo and general balance issues. She has terrible migraine issues, and always had. I told her I bet she's getting some MAV. She'll see her Neurologist next month. She says she can now identify with some of my feelings anyway. Not that I wish it on anyone.

How interesting to have another dog! WHat will you do with all the pups?

So you didn't really say if the Klonopin was doing anything for you. What's your take on it?

Take care,
Julianne

Hi Vicki,
great to hear from you too! I am taking the dosage your neurologist recommended. .5 mg tab split in half, half in the morning and half at night. It doesn't make me sleepy anymore at all. It did initially, but within a week I was fine. I don't even know I am on anything. So I am happy about that aspect. I just wish I was having a little more results. And, just after writing that I haven't had any vertigo, I had a spin yesterday. It wasn't dramatic, but it was obvious. I lay down at the playground while the kids were playing, and there I went. I just sunk into it and saw it through. It was only a 20 second deal, but so much for my theory that the Klonopin is stopping all vertigo.

I have increased my running significantly. I love it. I am doing 6 day weeks right now, but haven't lost a pound! Annoying. I run regardless of my symptoms...well, except if I am REALLY having a bad day. I find the running drowns out my disequillibrium and allows me to feel semi normal for the duration I am running. But sometimes it takes a good 15 minutes into the run to get to that point.

I hate that your husband is struggling with some of the similar stuff. Ironically, my Mom called me to tell me she was having some vertigo and general balance issues. She has terrible migraine issues, and always had. I told her I bet she's getting some MAV. She'll see her Neurologist next month. She says she can now identify with some of my feelings anyway. Not that I wish it on anyone.

How interesting to have another dog! WHat will you do with all the pups?

So you didn't really say if the Klonopin was doing anything for you. What's your take on it?

Take care,
Julianne

Hi!
I can't say that the Klonopin has helped. I don't think that I have improved since I have been on it. If anything I am worse. But could just being going thru a bad patch. I don't know. It has been four weeks since I have been on it. I also can tell that my menopause stuff is worse and I know that is going to amplify my dizzy symptoms. This is a tough time to say the least. I have been doing pretty much all my normall activity but I sure get tired.
I was back to running on my treadmill until last week cause I got so bad again i just physically didn't feel I could. My head is SO full and my neck has been SO sore and I have been having such terrible, painful headaches that I believe are TMJ headaches. Today is some better. Tonite my husband and I are taking our 20 year old son and girlfriend to KC to take him out to eat for his birthday. I think I am up to it. I hope!
Anyway, I am hoping the puppies aren't too large as this is a very small dog. I am going to take her to the vet Monday and find out. I am sure they would go fast, if they are ok cause they would be SO cute!
Are you having a good day today? I hope so!!!!
Vicki

Hi!
I can't say that the Klonopin has helped. I don't think that I have improved since I have been on it. If anything I am worse. But could just being going thru a bad patch. I don't know. It has been four weeks since I have been on it. I also can tell that my menopause stuff is worse and I know that is going to amplify my dizzy symptoms. This is a tough time to say the least. I have been doing pretty much all my normall activity but I sure get tired.
I was back to running on my treadmill until last week cause I got so bad again i just physically didn't feel I could. My head is SO full and my neck has been SO sore and I have been having such terrible, painful headaches that I believe are TMJ headaches. Today is some better. Tonite my husband and I are taking our 20 year old son and girlfriend to KC to take him out to eat for his birthday. I think I am up to it. I hope!
Anyway, I am hoping the puppies aren't too large as this is a very small dog. I am going to take her to the vet Monday and find out. I am sure they would go fast, if they are ok cause they would be SO cute!
Are you having a good day today? I hope so!!!!
Vicki
Hey Vicki,
The day is going ok. I wonder about upping the dosage of Klonopin and if we would have any better results. Our dosages are very low. I am going to ask the doc. I am willing to try if it doesn't make me sleepy.

I don't know anything about TMJ, well, very little anyway. Have you considered that MAV possibility? Just wondering. OK, going to settle down. Good luck with those pups!
Julianne