help! klonopin question; feeling awful

[Guest guest]

,

I don't know if these comments are informed scientifically enuf to be

helpful to you and hope others who know more can comment. BUT, it is my

experience with brain drugs for us that while clearly some help some of

us importantly we have to expect inconsistent and strange reactions,

which may not be different from non CFS/ME patients also.

It's helpful to have a doc who knows from clinical experience of others

with your medical profile as well as about the clinical reactions seen

with the drug in the first few days to weeks. But absent that or

sometimes even with that so much rests on our own sense of what seems

within the realm of okayness/tolerability, which, granted isn't always

right.

It's like knowing the difference between an untoward or allergic reaction

AND a herx reaction. That's a very hard call and one we face far too

often for my taste!

I took Klon for a short while a long time ago and got off it but I think

it didn't do much. I took Neurontin and it did some weird stuff for a

while then the weirdness stopped, it helped pain, but ruined my balance

and I fell and broke a bone! I stopped. Later I went on a lower dose.

Suffered the same weirness/unpleasantness but stayed at a lower dose to

avoid the balance problems and it did NOTHING for the pain.

I asked a psychiatrist into drugs deeply how he decides which SSRI to

give. He said too little is known about how each works and what

different patients need or how each will work in each patient!!!!!!! In

other words, its a crapshoot. If a person needs an SSRI or a doc thinks

the patient does, one is tried. If it helps and doesn't seem to hurt

much you stick with it . If not, you try another, etc.

Though there is the longterm issue too.

I'd lower the dose at the moment if what you describe were me and see if

the good effects of the first night or too were retained and the

subsequent rotten ones stopped. I forget with Klonopin if it takes a

while to buildup and maybe the rotten effects are the result of that.

Nothing very new here but something I think many of us struggle with.

Forgive me if this is terribly redundant. I find I am helped with

redundancy in clinical matters because each time , especially when they

hit you, hearing the whole nine yards again, helps you think straight

with the support of others not going thru the pain you're going thru at

the moment.

Judith

On Tue, 12 Dec 2000 14:41:57 -0500 " Crane "

<ccrane@...> writes:

> Hi, everyone,

> I started on .5 mg klonopin at night almost a week ago because I was

> having

> tremors and these strange episodes which look like seizures but I'm

> conscious and can stop the muscle spasms if I want. I'm not sure

> how to

> describe what happens to me. the first couple of days on klonopin I

> slept

> extra long, but it was deep healing sleep and I woke up feeling

> great. I've

> been going downhill since then. Now I'm so tired I can hardly move.

> I'm out

> of bed and dressed, but barely. It's a struggle to make a phone

> call, and

> I'm not motivated to do anything.

>

> Anyone know how long it takes to get used to this? Anyone taking

> smaller

> doses? Would a small dose in the morning help me? I feel alot of

> pressure

> behind my eyes, could my brain be detoxing?

> Anyone have this deadening fatigue have to give up on the klonopin?

>

> My tremors and " seizures " are better by about half, and I'm thinking

> fairly

> clearly considering the fatigue-y headache I have. Oh, yes, I " m

> pretty down

> about it too. Not sure if that's just a natural reaction of

> disappointment,

> or if I'm more depressed than I should be.

>

> If anyone has info they could backchannel me, I'd be grateful. I'm

> too tired

> just maintaining with my family to follow the list right now.

>

> thanks in advance,

> Crane

> ccrane@...

>

>

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[Guest guest]

Hi -

I also just started a new drug for my nerve pain

(Nortriptyline) and my doctor told me it might take

two weeks for all the side effects to wear off. This

is a pretty good rule for me - if I can stand

something for two weeks it usually settles in and

quits causing side effects - if they don't stop by

then I can't continue the medication. Of course,

sometimes they are just so bad, like in the case of

Neurontin for me, that I just can't take more than one

night. But try to give it time!

Good luck - Jennie

--- Crane <ccrane@...> wrote:

> Hi, everyone,

> I started on .5 mg klonopin at night almost a week

> ago because I was having

> tremors and these strange episodes which look like

> seizures but I'm

> conscious and can stop the muscle spasms if I want.

snip

> Anyone know how long it takes to get used to this?

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