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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by 4mygrls on September 14, 2004, at 20:30:36
I take geodon and it's causing me to have insomnia. so he started me back on klonopin. he told me to take 2mg for a few weeks till my sleep pattern gets better. but it's not cutting it.i lay there tossing and turning for a couple hours every night. i even tried adding 25mg benadryl. how much klonopin can i take in order to knock me out. i also take .5 in the morning for anxiety. i was on klonopin before and i don't know if i built up a tolerance for it or what. Help. i need to sleep and i wont see him till the end of the month.
Posted by uther on September 14, 2004, at 20:45:33
In reply to My doctor gave me Klonopin 2mg to help me sleep., posted by 4mygrls on September 14, 2004, at 20:30:36
Try Trazodone. Its an old antidepressant., that doesnt work well for depression, but at low dose is great to help you sleep. I take it to combat the insomnia effexor gives me. I think it is a popular combo.
> I take geodon and it's causing me to have insomnia. so he started me back on klonopin. he told me to take 2mg for a few weeks till my sleep pattern gets better. but it's not cutting it.i lay there tossing and turning for a couple hours every night. i even tried adding 25mg benadryl. how much klonopin can i take in order to knock me out. i also take .5 in the morning for anxiety. i was on klonopin before and i don't know if i built up a tolerance for it or what. Help. i need to sleep and i wont see him till the end of the month.
Posted by fires on September 14, 2004, at 21:29:29
In reply to My doctor gave me Klonopin 2mg to help me sleep., posted by 4mygrls on September 14, 2004, at 20:30:36
> I take geodon and it's causing me to have insomnia. so he started me back on klonopin. he told me to take 2mg for a few weeks till my sleep pattern gets better. but it's not cutting it.i lay there tossing and turning for a couple hours every night. i even tried adding 25mg benadryl. how much klonopin can i take in order to knock me out. i also take .5 in the morning for anxiety. i was on klonopin before and i don't know if i built up a tolerance for it or what. Help. i need to sleep and i wont see him till the end of the month.
Have you tried 7.5 mg of Remeron? Very sedating at that dose.
Posted by 4mygrls on September 15, 2004, at 10:01:33
In reply to Re: My doctor gave me Klonopin 2mg to help me sleep. » 4mygrls, posted by fires on September 14, 2004, at 21:29:29
right now i'm at the point where all i have is klonopin till i see my pdoc. i may try and make an earlier appt. i've tried trazadone before and it did knock me out but my body seemed to develop a tolerance to it cuz i had to end up taking 100mg of it in the end. that's when he switched me to temazepam. but i think the combo of that and the klonopin and the lithium is what ended up making me suicidal. too many depressents. i may ask for trazadone again though. i was just wondering how many mg's of klonopin was safe to take at one time to sleep.
Posted by mindreseacher on September 16, 2004, at 6:37:20
In reply to ReMy doctor gave me Klonopin 2mg to help me sleep., posted by 4mygrls on September 15, 2004, at 10:01:33
Sleep medications in general all have there good and bad points i beleive.
First, I have actually 4 different one laying aroud, and try to alternate them or not take them every night. Remeron, which i was using for 3 yrs, was a god send , but the weight gain is impossible to stop, or at least the hunger. But a good point is i never was nauseated, due to the 5ht3 receptor. I would take 30mg and drift off to sleep. But again i would sleep for 12 hrs if so. So some dont like it if you have to get up early or in like 6 hrs.Ambien, is another one that is good, but wears off and you wake up in like 4 hrs, give or take, good for taking if you cannot fall asleep, because it is very potent in "knocking you out".
Klonopin 2mg is good because it calms you down alot, and you just lay there and drift off. But it does alter Rem sleep, so you dont get a great sleep out of it. I would say its good if you ware taking stimulants like AMphetamines and cant sleep at night, or sleep with axiety issues. actually, Tegesapam, which is suppose to be more for sleep which is a benzo, did not work as well, or nearlly like Klonopin. It seems like Klonopin .5mg-1mg is good for social aniety or anxiety, and doesnt wear off fast like xanax, but 2mg will put you asleep. Valuim i have not taken that much, but probably is more sedating, longer acting.
Trazadone i never tried. Some say it causes prapsism, which i dought i would like. I dont think from looking at the phamacology is a great sleep med. More for depression.
Sonata, is very short acting, and if you want to take a nap, it may benifit you. 2hrs
Elavil., which is similar to remeron, but still does not put me asleep like remeron. ANd i once took a high dose of elevil and began seeing stuff when i closed my eyes. Never again at that dose.
I used to use GHB for sleep, which is now illegal, and would knock you out faster than anything, put you into a deep deep unwakeable sleep, and wake you up in seconds. But due to the addictiveness, and the more you use, you dont get a long sleep, and dopamine rebound causes you to wake up with anxiety, needing more to put you out. But if you are sleeping , dont expect to be woken up. A nieve relative or friend trying to wake you up,may just end up calling 911, thinking your dead. !
I would say, if you dont suffer from moderate or severe sleep problems, there are some natural methods. Try Valerian, Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, or Melatonin. Iv tried a combo of these once, but never did much due to my sleep disorder.Xanax, i would say why waist it for sleep. Its alot better for panic attacts due to the fast acting, but would imagine it would not allow you to sleep for long. Keep it for daytime anxiety attacks.
To wrap it up, If you cannot absolutely sleep at all, and tried most medications, go to a sleep clinic. THey may diagnose an uderlying problem. Phamalogical wise, Increasing Gaba, and blocking excess dopamine and Norepinephrine, is what a most sleep meds acccomplish, along with histamine release like Prosom. Diphenhydramine may help, but again, with a severe sleep problem, i dont think it would touch it.
You can always take say , 1mg of Klonopin, with 10g of ambien OR 15 mg of remeron. You would get a double punch action. THis would be my elete sleep cocktail. 2mg of klonopin plus 10mg or Abien or 15mg of remeron, would probably not interfere with eachother , but start at 1mg first IN MY opionion. Then work up to 2mg. And remember remeron for sleep, works best at about 15mg. 30mg works well also. But can be expensive like AMbien.
Good luck
Mindsearch
Posted by traveler on September 16, 2004, at 20:03:30
In reply to Re: ReMy doctor gave me Klonopin 2mg to help me sleep., posted by mindreseacher on September 16, 2004, at 6:37:20
That reminds me of my favorite sleep med combo. 1 mg of Ativan, say right before dinner, then 5- 10 mg of Ambien one hour before sleep.
Very excellent sleep - but probably very addictive in the long run.
Posted by sunshine211 on September 18, 2004, at 6:31:16
In reply to Re: ReMy doctor gave me Klonopin 2mg to help me sleep., posted by traveler on September 16, 2004, at 20:03:30
I alternate between 0.5mg of Klonopin or a small dose of Ambien. Reasoning: the half life is different. only take the Klonopin (~6 hour hlf)if you know you will get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep!!!! Otherwise you will be VERY groggy. I take the Ambien (~4 hour hlf)on nights that I go to bed late and have to get up early. But Ambien can be addictive according to the 'precautions.' I have been using this pattern for several months and it works if I actually go to bed (PTSD/nightmares/depression kind of keep from WANTING to go to bed, but you have to sleep).
Why can't you sleep? Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?
Posted by 4mygrls on September 18, 2004, at 9:53:19
In reply to Re: Klonopin to sleep-no, posted by sunshine211 on September 18, 2004, at 6:31:16
> I alternate between 0.5mg of Klonopin or a small dose of Ambien. Reasoning: the half life is different. only take the Klonopin (~6 hour hlf)if you know you will get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep!!!! Otherwise you will be VERY groggy. I take the Ambien (~4 hour hlf)on nights that I go to bed late and have to get up early. But Ambien can be addictive according to the 'precautions.' I have been using this pattern for several months and it works if I actually go to bed (PTSD/nightmares/depression kind of keep from WANTING to go to bed, but you have to sleep).
>
> Why can't you sleep? Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?I have a problem with both falling asleep and staying asleep.
Posted by sunshine211 on September 18, 2004, at 10:03:28
In reply to My doctor gave me Klonopin 2mg to help me sleep., posted by 4mygrls on September 14, 2004, at 20:30:36
Putting aside meds for a minute....
I have the same problem falling asleep and staying asleep which usually = no sleep.
My p-doc suggested this yesterday:
Get a new bedtime routine. This includes getting all distractions OUT of the room, but have something available that lets you zone and relax. Ex: I sleep w. a fan on just for the 'whitenoise.' Music that is VERY soft or reading material that is comforting (for some it may be the bible) which has nothing to do with anything in your life (ie weight problems, depression, money, relationships, creepy novels)GO TO BED AT THE SAME TIME EVERY NIGHT
I have yet to do this, but I am trying so we'll have to keep each other updated!
Other than that, I just alternate the Ambien and Klonopin.
This is the end of the thread.
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