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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by matthhhh on August 7, 2003, at 12:33:49
I just started klonopin about a 10 days ago, i started at 0.5 mg and am up to 1 mg. I find that it makes me really tired and havnt really noticed any significant benefits for social phobia. Do i need to up my dose? And will these side effects go away?
Posted by jlo820 on August 7, 2003, at 13:22:39
In reply to KLONOPIN- dose and side effects, posted by matthhhh on August 7, 2003, at 12:33:49
Sedating effects will wear off. I don't think you need to go up anymore...1 mg of Klonopin is actually a lot.
Posted by Janelle on August 7, 2003, at 14:33:55
In reply to KLONOPIN- dose and side effects, posted by matthhhh on August 7, 2003, at 12:33:49
I'm currently on 2 mg of Klonopin - 1 in am, 1 in pm. I had been on 1mg for many years. I know of people who are on 5-6 mg/day, which would seem VERY high!
Anyway, since you said it makes you tired, try taking it at bedtime, and it should help you sleep, plus since it is gradual and long-lasting, that should carry over into the next day and perhaps help with your social phobia.
I am guessing that you're taking it in the morning, so it then takes a long time to peak and provide relief.
Posted by cubbybear on August 7, 2003, at 21:03:53
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » matthhhh, posted by Janelle on August 7, 2003, at 14:33:55
I agree with Janelle. A total of 1 mg. is NOT a lot of Klonopin. My starting dose was 4 mg., which I kept up for many months and am now tapering down. I've taken it at bedtime to help me sleep. The initial drowsiness you feel in the morning is a common side effect which should wear off before long.
Posted by jlo820 on August 7, 2003, at 23:24:02
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects, posted by cubbybear on August 7, 2003, at 21:03:53
>> A total of 1 mg. is NOT a lot of Klonopin
Be careful what you say....it may not be your dosage, but it actually is a lot. Blanket statements are not helpful...we need to look at it in a rational manner. It is not a high dose, but it is a lot and a very sufficnent dose for many people.
You need to consider the equivalencies to other benzodiazepines. .25 mg of Klonopin is equivalent to 5 mg of Valium, 1 mg of Ativan, .5 mg of Xanax, 15 mg of Serax, 10 mg of Traxene, etc.
Your starting dose was very high, especially for beginner. Most people are started on .25 mg of Klonopin and it is increased as necessary in increments of .25 mg.
Your last point was accurate, the sedation/hypnotic effects will wear off within a few weeks for most people.
Posted by matthhhh on August 8, 2003, at 6:38:26
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » matthhhh, posted by Janelle on August 7, 2003, at 14:33:55
ok, a lot of people say the side effect of sedation wears off with ssri's in a few weeks. This didnt happen for me. I was continually EXHAUSTED on these meds for years. So is this going to be the case with klonopin too?
Posted by jlo820 on August 8, 2003, at 10:37:03
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects, posted by matthhhh on August 8, 2003, at 6:38:26
Everyone is different, but 95% sure it will wear off. Used is a hypnotic, benzodiazepines are rarely used for over 4 weeks because the effect simply isn't there unless you keep increasing the dosage.
Posted by Viridis on August 9, 2003, at 2:25:21
In reply to KLONOPIN- dose and side effects, posted by matthhhh on August 7, 2003, at 12:33:49
I started Klonopin at 1 mg/day and was sleepy, clumsy, and forgetful for a week or two. But my panic attacks and anxiety subsided immediately, and the side effects went away very quickly. I've stayed at this dose for two years, and it continues to work for anxiety with no detectable side effects.
Of course, that's just me -- everyone reacts differently.
Posted by cubbybear on August 9, 2003, at 3:45:33
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects, posted by jlo820 on August 8, 2003, at 10:37:03
> Everyone is different, but 95% sure it will wear off. Used is a hypnotic, benzodiazepines are rarely used for over 4 weeks because the effect simply isn't there unless you keep increasing the dosage.
You told me in an earlier post to watch what I say; blanket statements are not helpful. Now the shoe is on the other foot. If you've studied the postings on this board on a daily basis, you will know that benzo drugs are *often* used for months or years, and for the great majority of people (including myself), there is NO need to keep increasing the dosage.
Posted by galkeepinon on August 9, 2003, at 16:46:52
In reply to KLONOPIN- dose and side effects, posted by matthhhh on August 7, 2003, at 12:33:49
I've been on Klonopin for almost 3 years now and it works for me. I only take 2mg for sleep-it seems to augment my other meds really well. It probably will make you tired at first-it did that to me, that's what it helps with even though it's used for seizures, panic disorder, et al. Within time, you may need to increase your dose, and I hope everything works out for you.
I think Klonopin is a great medication-that's just me and my opinion though.
Best,
Gal
> I just started klonopin about a 10 days ago, i started at 0.5 mg and am up to 1 mg. I find that it makes me really tired and havnt really noticed any significant benefits for social phobia. Do i need to up my dose? And will these side effects go away?
Posted by jlo820 on August 9, 2003, at 17:42:46
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » jlo820, posted by cubbybear on August 9, 2003, at 3:45:33
Be nice now!!
I do read posts on a daily basis.
What did I say that makes you think that I have made a blanket statment? See the words "95% sure" and "rarely". What is incorrect about my statement? I was clearly not speaking about using benzodiazepines for anxiety.
Have a nice day ;)
Posted by cubbybear on August 10, 2003, at 3:10:50
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » jlo820, posted by jlo820 on August 9, 2003, at 17:42:46
>.
>
> What did I say that makes you think that I have made a blanket statment?As I understand it, a blanket statement is one that is a generalization--would apply to all or nearly all people.
What is incorrect about my statement? I was clearly not speaking about using benzodiazepines for anxiety.
You stated that benzos "are rarely used for more than 4 weeks because the effect isn't there unless you keep increasing the dosage." Right?
Based on what I've read on this board, it seem pretty clear that, regardless of whether benzos are used for panic, anxiety, insomnia, or epileptic convulsions, they are *frequently* used for more than four weeks and yet, *few* people have to keep on increasing their dosage. I didn't mean to sound beliggerent, but I do believe you have your facts wrong. If anyone can disprove what I've said (with valid statistics), then I will admit I was wrong.
Posted by jlo820 on August 10, 2003, at 12:25:25
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » jlo820, posted by cubbybear on August 10, 2003, at 3:10:50
You read my message wrong. I was clearly speaking about the use of benzodiazepines as a sedative/hypnotic (i.e. for insominia).
It is a basic fact that these medications, for most, will loose their effectivness as muscle relaxants, sedatives, and hypnotics, without an increase in dosage, over a relativley short period of time. This is in comparison to their use as anxiolytic and anti-panic agents.
"Tolerance to the various actions of benzodiazepines develops at variable rates and to different degrees. Tolerance to the hypnotic effects develops rapidly and sleep recordings have shown that sleep patterns, including deep sleep (slow wave sleep) and dreaming (which are initially suppressed by benzodiazepines), return to pre-treatment levels after a few weeks of regular benzodiazepine use. Similarly, daytime users of the drugs for anxiety no longer feel sleepy after a few days."
Further..."Benzodiazepines are initially very, efficacious in inducing and prolonging sleep. However, tolerance to the hypnotic effects develops rapidly, sometimes after only a few days of regular use.[15,16] Sleep latency, Stage 2 sleep, SWS, REMS and intrasleep awakenings all tend to return to pretreatment levels after a few weeks." - Prof. Heather Ashton
For anxiety, some people can take the same dosage of a benzodiazepine for years without increasing their dosage.
I am not just pulling this stuff from nowhere, I have done hours of research on benzodiazepines for both academic and personal reasons.
Posted by cubbybear on August 11, 2003, at 1:40:56
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » jlo820, posted by jlo820 on August 10, 2003, at 12:25:25
Good for you--you've done your homework, and I admire you for that. I posted a note on this board about Heather Ashton a few weeks ago but got no helpful replies. Her name and organization came up in my Internet research when I searched under Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky", under the search phrase "benzodiazepine withdrawal". Yet, after reading her FAQ, it appeared to me that she's overly conservative, if not "benzophobic" about use of these meds. So I wonder if her reports are truly accurate and unbiased.
As for my own use of Klonopin, I've been using this drug solely as a *hypnotic* for one year (although I'm now in the process of tapering off), and never once did I have to increase the dosage or feel that it was losing effectiveness. Of course, everyone reacts to every drug in a different way.
Posted by jlo820 on August 11, 2003, at 11:33:35
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » jlo820, posted by cubbybear on August 11, 2003, at 1:40:56
If it worked for you for so long as a hypnotic, you are part of a very small minority. But since it did, you are lucky. I take Halcion for sleep, but I only need it about once a week, so I haven't built up a tolerance.
I don't know about Ashton's leanings, but that is just one source. The things she says about benzodiazepines as hypnotics are pretty non-controversial.
Posted by cubbybear on August 12, 2003, at 3:43:29
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » jlo820, posted by jlo820 on August 11, 2003, at 11:33:35
I take Halcion for sleep, but I only need it about once a week, so I haven't built up a tolerance.
>
What is your dosage?
There was a thread on this board about a month ago on Halcion. This is very potent stuff, one of the strongest hypnotics of the benzos (surpassed only by Dormicum in regard to short half-life). Years ago, I used to take it on rare occasions when I had insomnia. If taken regularly, it is probably extremely difficult to quit.
Posted by jlo820 on August 12, 2003, at 12:02:53
In reply to Re: KLONOPIN- dose and side effects » jlo820, posted by cubbybear on August 12, 2003, at 3:43:29
.25 mg. You are right, it is very strong.
This is the end of the thread.
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