Klonopin-my experience and two cents

[Guest guest]

Klonopin is a benzodiazapine, a class of drugs normally used for

anxiety and for the control of certain kinds of seizures. It can be

prescribed for other conditions at the discretion of your doctor.

I have been on Klonopin for almost a year now, for a condition that

goes by many names. PLMD (periodic limb movement disorder), sleep

myoclonus, or sleep seizures. What happens is that for some reason,

my CNS does not block faulty nerve impulses sent out by my brain,

causing my arms, legs, or other parts of my body to twitch and jerk,

sometimes up to 5 times right in a row. This kept me out of stage 4

sleep, and woke me up so many times a night.

Klonopin has been like a miracle for me. I went along with my

doctor, and tried Mirapex first, but even at the lowest dosage, it

caused me to have hallucinations and nightmares, and rather than

stopping the twitching and jerking, I was literally swinging out at

things that weren't there. In that time, I did some research, and

found that Klonopin was one of the most successful forms of treatment

for PLMD, so at my next appt., I asked my doctor about it, and have

been on it pretty much ever since.

I take it kind of early though, around 8ish, to get around the

morning " hangover " , because it DOES have a pretty long half-life. My

doctor tapered me off of it once, with horrible results.

My " seizures " came roaring back, and even started happening during

the day, so we won't be trying THAT again!

Jen Z.

[Guest guest]

Jen, I take Klonopin for my restless legs. and it also helps me sleep some.

Carol