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View Full Version : Clonazepam and sleep?



.Poppy.
14-09-16, 19:58
Currently I am taking 20 mg of Lexapro and .5 mg of Clonazepam daily. I was taking them both at night because the Lexapro makes me a little sleepy and it was just convenient to take them both at once.

I went to my psychiatrist last week and told him that I had been having some trouble with irritability, particularly at the end of the day as well as that my anxiety has occasionally been quite intense. He told me that by taking the clonazepam at night, I was able to relax enough to sleep through the night but that a lot of its effects were wearing off by daytime and by 5:00 pm the next day (when I'd really start to feel irritable) it wasn't helping me at all.

He suggested that I take an additional .25 of the clonazepam in the mornings but I really didn't want to up my meds (I'm very wary of side effects, particularly with benzos) so I decided to try and take my .5 mg in the morning instead. So far, so good. I have a bit more energy, less anxiety during the day, and I'm not really irritable at all in the evenings.

However, I've noticed the past few nights that I will wake up at about 2:00 am and will toss and turn for an hour or two before falling back asleep - and then when it's time to get up (at about 7:00 am) it's very hard to do so.

I didn't really think that clonazepam was helping me sleep since I've always been a great sleeper...is it possible that this is just a change and once my body adjusts it will go back to normal? Or should I take .25 mg at night and .25 mg during the day?

Donewithit
15-09-16, 00:06
I only take Klonopin as I cant handle the side effects of anything else. Personally I take .25 early in the day ( not necessarily right when I wake up) and then .25 at night. It works wonderfully for me that way. I know taking more in a day may not be what you want to do,but it's well worth it. I was a bit groggy the first few days I took it during the day and have issues sleeping if I forget my night time dose. I'm not sure if the having a hard time waking up in the morning ever goes away,but compared to some side effects,is it really that bad? Good luck figuring out what works for you!

.Poppy.
15-09-16, 01:01
I only take Klonopin as I cant handle the side effects of anything else. Personally I take .25 early in the day ( not necessarily right when I wake up) and then .25 at night. It works wonderfully for me that way. I know taking more in a day may not be what you want to do,but it's well worth it. I was a bit groggy the first few days I took it during the day and have issues sleeping if I forget my night time dose. I'm not sure if the having a hard time waking up in the morning ever goes away,but compared to some side effects,is it really that bad? Good luck figuring out what works for you!

Thanks! .25 in the morning and .25 at night wouldn't be that bad as it would be the same dose I take now, just split up. My psych basically wanted me to take .75 mg daily and I didn't really want to do that unless I absolutely had to.

Shazamataz
15-09-16, 02:20
I'd definitely recommend not increasing your dosage unless absolutely necessary as these things are difficult to come off. So splitting the dose may be a good option.

How long have you been taking clonazepam?

I've been on a tiny bit of diazepam for months as I got halfway through a taper and things got pretty bad again.

Less is more when it comes to these meds :)

dale12345
15-09-16, 02:56
Thats funny because drs cant wait to get you off these meds.

Mugs
15-09-16, 05:08
Please don't stay on Clonazapam for very long, can often be very hard to come off of and if you become tolerant you will need to up your dose.

MyNameIsTerry
15-09-16, 05:24
It only works for 6-12 hours in adults so moving it makes sense so it gets you through the day.

With you shifting it, it might just take some time to adjust your sleep back to being natural. When I came off Zopiclone it messed my sleep up big time for months but Zopiclone is known for that. Benzo's used for sleep might cause similar problems with sleep.

And SSRI's are well known to change REM sleep patterns initially and adjust back again so a dose change of that could possibly cause problems too.

Definitely worth considering whether you need it though. The SSRI would normally be the focus going forward so is it doing enough? You don't want to go Benzo for too long and the tolerance & withdrawal to deal with unless it's truly necessary. Very sensible though how you are addressing this without a dose increase as that should be a last resort and since it doesn't sound like you needed it for sleep anyway, I'm surprised the doctor didn't just alter the schedule rather than increase a drug that should be used with caution?

sidiam
15-09-16, 10:13
I take 0,125mgs every morning and if needed again end of the afternoon. I am sensitive to meds. so always take a lower dose. You can always try and splitting the dose is a good idea. How long have you been taking the Lexapro?
I hope for all of us that "the mornings" will get better but I have been waiting a long time.
take care
Sxx

---------- Post added at 09:13 ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 ----------

Hi DWI,
How long have you been taking Klonopin(clonazepam), I've been on and of it for a long time.
take care
Sxx

.Poppy.
15-09-16, 15:29
I've been taking both since March. I read so many nasty things about being on benzos and coming off that it alone makes my anxiety worse!

From my understanding, he wants me to be on it until I'm able to be farther away from my anxiety ledge consistently. Apparently I have a problem with just being generally anxious and I think he thinks this will help the SSRI do its job. I don't see him again until November but I guess I could ask before then.

EDIT: actually, for the most part my mornings are fine. It's later in the day that I seem to struggle.

Donewithit
15-09-16, 16:38
Hi DWI,
How long have you been taking Klonopin(clonazepam), I've been on and of it for a long time.
take care
Sxx[/QUOTE]

I have been on and off for years. I used to just use it for attacks but I had a very bad experience with Zoloft this time around so am currently have to use it as control for all day. This time it's only been for a little over 2 weeks so far though.

Justinian
17-09-16, 21:08
I routinely take 2 mg before work (very rarely a little more) because without it I couldn't cope. At my absolute best, I still need 1 mg. I've tried cutting down, but the way I see it is I have two options: (1) continue taking clonazepam (which is inexpensive and essentially harms neither myself nor others) or, deprived of clonazepam, (2) I resort to alcohol again which harms both myself and potentially others and society as a whole. I'd also be unable to work under scenario 2.

.Poppy.
20-09-16, 17:51
I don't personally notice any terrible effects if I accidentally miss a dose or two, which is probably a good sign?

I think for me it's a bit of a circle...I worry about being on a medication but that's a part of my HA which is essentially why I need the medication in the first place...