klonopin for sleep??? - Sleep Disorders Message Board

kaykay5 · 05-12-2005, 12:10 PM

what do you think of being prescribed Klonopin at bedtime to get to sleep? I have had insomnia for 2 months and was on AMbien for a month and now Klonopin for a month. Both only keep me alseep for 2 hrs. before waking up. Anyway, I've been reading how terrible Klonopin is and how hard it is going to be to withdraw so I'm now scared. I asked the dr about it and he said yes, It willl have to be tapered off for a couple months. Great, why did he give it to me in the first place and keep me on it for a month when it obviously wasn't working.
Anyone have experiences with Klonopin and weaning off?

Jennita · 05-20-2005, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaykay5

what do you think of being prescribed Klonopin at bedtime to get to sleep? I have had insomnia for 2 months and was on AMbien for a month and now Klonopin for a month. Both only keep me alseep for 2 hrs. before waking up. Anyway, I've been reading how terrible Klonopin is and how hard it is going to be to withdraw so I'm now scared. I asked the dr about it and he said yes, It willl have to be tapered off for a couple months. Great, why did he give it to me in the first place and keep me on it for a month when it obviously wasn't working.
Anyone have experiences with Klonopin and weaning off?

Sometimes doctors can be jerks, eh? They don't give the patient the bottom line on some of these drugs but they should. There is a free online manual called "The Ashton Manual" by an expert on benzodiazepines like Klonopin. Perhaps you will not have alot of problems tapering if you do it really slowly since you've been on a short time.

It is better to get to the bottom of sleep problems (medical conditions, stress, poor diet, no exercise, some medications, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.) than using a pill which only complicates the matter. Some bouts of insomnia throw off the natural sleep pattern for awhile; if the brain is allowed to go about it's business, drug-free that is, it will re-adjust in time. The problem is it can take awhile and it's hard to wait it out.

melanie in mary · 05-21-2005, 05:56 AM

Trust me. If at all possible I would get off the meds. The doctor kept putting me on thing for my insomnia, wouldn't you know it, it was all the meds causing my insomnia, making it worse. Try all the other things out there such as lavender, relaxing music etc. There is alot out there you just need to research it. It took me over 6 months and while I sometimes still do not sleep well I feel much better.

hry33 · 05-21-2005, 02:45 PM

klonapin and all other valium type meds can be helpful in getting you off to sleep but dont rely too much on them as they all eventually stop working then

Olympic · 05-22-2005, 08:24 AM

I'm new here! I saw the thread on Klonopin and wanted to add my two cents:

My Dr. put me on Klonopin for anxiety back in 2003. I took it as prescribed (2x day) for a few months. I decided on my own that I wanted to reduce the dosage, just because I'm not into dumping meds into my system! I was taking it once a day and was still sleeping well.

The problem arose in mid-2004. I'd decided to stop seeing this doctor cuz he was not very helpful or interested in my problems, so my Rx ran out. I decided to go cold turkey off the Klonopin. It was tough! I didn't sleep well at all for two weeks, despite taking over the counter meds for sleep. I finally got over it, though. I'd recommend going off it if you think you can, but be preapred for a temporary time span of difficulty in sleeping.