Posted by Elizabeth on December 27, 2001, at 1:43:32
In reply to RE: Benzo's -Cam, Elizabeth?, posted by manowar on December 18, 2001, at 10:27:09
Hi Tim. Glad to hear that you're back on the Klonopin. Apologies for not writing; I haven't checked my Yahoo! account in a while because of the holidays.
It sounds like Klonopin does some of the same things for you that buprenorphine does for me, although benzos don't have that effect on me. (I'd be very pleased if they did: they don't seem to have any side effects for me.) I have trouble enjoying or feeling interested in things too, and buprenorphine helps a lot. None of the "mood stabilizers" I've taken (lithium, Depakote, Lamictal, etc.) has had this effect on me. (I didn't get side effects from them like you did, but they didn't have any beneficial effect, either.)
Mood stabilizers are just drugs that treat and prevent mania or hypomania, BTW. It sounds like you are *not* using Klonopin as a mood stabilizer.
> I presently take 1.5 mg a day of Klonipin. Would I get more of a benefit of the drug if I took a higher dose? What is the effective range of Klonipin to work as a mood stabilizer? I’ve heard that Klonipin can add to one’s depression, but I’ve also heard that it has AD properties—what gives?
It's hard to say if you would benefit from a higher dose of Klonopin. The anergic depression syndrome that you described (and that we share) hasn't been classified or studied much at all. Anergia can be a symptom of depression; it's also one of the negative (deficit) symptoms of schizophrenia.
You might be helped by taking more Klonopin; the only real way to find out is to try it. The effective dose can differ tremendously from person to person. When I've taken it (for panic disorder and REM sleep behavior disorder) I've found 4 mg/day (1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon, 2 at bedtime) to be the best dose for me, but some people get by on much less and some take quite a bit more.
> I’ve always taken my dose at one time in the evening (because it makes me a bit drowsy, and it increases my appetite), and it seems to work well for me. However, my pdoc tells me that the drug looses its effect after 12 hours. Would I do better if I divided my dose?
You could try it. Like I said, there isn't much information out there about the problem that you have, so you're pretty much stuck experimenting on yourself. Be thankful you've found something that works.
Best of luck to you!
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:86777
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011222/msgs/87926.html