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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by beetle on May 14, 2002, at 1:39:42
i'm taking 1.5 mg clonazepam for anziety...doc says i should take it every 0.5 every6 hours....but with the long half-life, can't i take it all at once?....it doesn't make me groggy ir anything.
Posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 14, 2002, at 2:08:45
In reply to Klonopin....does it matter when you take it?, posted by beetle on May 14, 2002, at 1:39:42
Klonopin does have a long half-life, but its duration is up to 12 hours which is alot shorter than its half life (30-40 hrs). It takes 60 mins to start working, and has a peak effect around 2 hours.
At such a low dose you would be fine taking 0.5 mg at breakfast, 0.5 at lunch, & 0.5 an hour before bedtime. This is similar to the schedule I take it, & it seems to work best that way. If you took it like clockwork every 6 hours you would disrupt your sleep because you'd have to wake up in the middle of the night to take one of the doses, & that's no good for your mental health.
3 Beers......
Posted by Phil on May 14, 2002, at 6:24:23
In reply to Klonopin....does it matter when you take it?, posted by beetle on May 14, 2002, at 1:39:42
I'm taking 2.5-3mg a day and like a.m., noon, and maybe .5 in the evening.
My pdoc says that I can take all of my Adderall XR in the a.m. but I always like a.m. and noon. Works better.
If you have trouble with compliance, take it all at once.
Posted by Hattree on May 15, 2002, at 9:26:00
In reply to Re: Klonopin....does it matter when you take it?, posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 14, 2002, at 2:08:45
3BE...I sometimes take Triazolam at bedtime but tend to wake up depressed...any reason to think Klonopin would be different?
Posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 16, 2002, at 1:03:23
In reply to Re: Klonopin....does it matter when you take it? » 3 Beer Effect, posted by Hattree on May 15, 2002, at 9:26:00
3BE...I sometimes take Triazolam at bedtime but tend to wake up depressed...any reason to think Klonopin would be different? ------
Yes, Klonopin would be worse because it has a much longer duration of action & 1/2 life than Triazolam. You might want to try Ambien or Sonata instead. But, Triazolam clears from the body fast, roughly similar to Ambien, so you may or might not have the same result- not sure. It sounds like you just might have a case of the classic "sleeping pill hangover."
Sonata clears very fast, like 3 hours I think, so it might work, but I take it right now & at 10 mg it doesn't work very well- not very powerful (Benadryl 50 mg puts me to sleep atleast the same or better). 20 mg Ambien might be better for many people, especially since only 30% of Sonata reaches the brain, the rest is destroyed by presystemic metabolism.
Xanax is the only benzo with real anti-depressant properties, but I don't know if it is sedating enough to put you to sleep. You might want to check into it, I don't know that much about Xanax.
It doesn't last that long, so if you did take it to sleep it would wear off/clear from your system before you wake up which is the main advantage of the hypnotics Ambien, Sonata, AND TRIAZOLAM (HALCION).3 Beers......
Posted by Zo on May 18, 2002, at 4:48:29
In reply to Triazoloam/benzos/hypnotics morning depression, posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 16, 2002, at 1:03:23
Guys just looove science. But no matter how many rules you want, the ONLY rule is: YMMV. And it WILL vary!
For some people, Klonopin gives a big morning hangover. . for others, it's such a great drug, they are happy to drink coffee to wake up. . and for others, there is no hangover.
Zo
Posted by Elizabeth on May 18, 2002, at 18:43:03
In reply to Triazoloam/benzos/hypnotics morning depression, posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 16, 2002, at 1:03:23
Sometimes people will get AM hangovers from sedative-hypnotics. But don't forget the reverse problem: early-morning awakening, which can happen if you tend to have middle-terminal insomnia and take a short- or intermediate-acting sedative-hypnotic.
> Xanax is the only benzo with real anti-depressant properties, but I don't know if it is sedating enough to put you to sleep.
At some dose, any benzo is sedating enough to put you to sleep. But anyway, Xanax isn't necessarily more or less sedating than any other benzo; that stuff is an individual thing, not something that you can make any useful generalizations about.
As for the depression thing, Xanax is the only benzo that has demonstrated AD activity in well-designed research and that is used in the USA. Adinazolam (Deracyn) is used as an AD in some countries. Xanax tends to be preferred for people who have depression+anxiety and tend to get depressed on other benzos. Rarely (in the US, anyway), it's used by itself as an AD.
Xanax is probably a bit longer-acting than Halcion (triazolam) or Serax (oxazepam) but shorter-acting than Ativan (lorazepam) or Restoril (temazepam), so it might be a good sleep aid if some of the shorter-acting ones wear off too soon.
-e
Posted by paxvox on May 18, 2002, at 20:23:54
In reply to Triazoloam/benzos/hypnotics morning depression, posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 16, 2002, at 1:03:23
Alas, there is no answer for the medical treatment of insomnia for some of us. I envy those for whom Trazodone works well, or get zonked on a Benadryl. I have ridden on the Halcion, Sonota and Ambien wagons. (Yes, Phil, I know YOU will laugh at this post considering your response to my last opine about the insurance Nazis). They MAY work for awhile to a degree, but ultimately, I have YET to find something that will let me sleep for more than three hours straight (w/o the wake/sleep/wake/sleep pattern of Ambien). I guess high dose benzos with the longer half life would work, but who would prescribe those for the duration? Again, I know this will bring chides about the "addiction" of these meds. However, I counter with the quality of life issue. Anyway, this is turning into a ramble better suited for PSB.
PAX
Posted by Zo on May 20, 2002, at 5:22:02
In reply to Re: Triazoloam/benzos/hypnotics morning depression » 3 Beer Effect, posted by paxvox on May 18, 2002, at 20:23:54
Posted by Elizabeth on May 22, 2002, at 14:43:19
In reply to Re: Triazoloam/benzos/hypnotics morning depression » 3 Beer Effect, posted by paxvox on May 18, 2002, at 20:23:54
Pax,
Have you tried...
...atypical antipsychotics (Zyprexa, Seroquel, etc.)?
...hydroxyzine (Atarax)?
...tricyclic antidepressants (especially trimipramine, doxepin, amitriptyline)?
...Remeron?
...certain anticonvulsants (Neurontin, Depakote)?
...clonidine?
...melatonin?Just some things that come to mind. (Apologies if you've already mentioned some of these.)
-elizabeth
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