Posted by DL on November 1, 1998, at 17:30:47
In reply to Re: Speech, posted by Toby on October 29, 1998, at 8:51:27
I posted a reply last night and it got lost in the transition between months.....Oh, well..
> Did you see that Klonopin has been used for the jaw clenching with good results? You may need to go back to it at night
After 2 years of being told it is not good to take benzos & that they are addictive & more, I wonder about starting again? I realize .25 or .5 mg at bedtime is not much, but at this point I am sleeping without waking (hooray!) with just the Remeron. No Klonopin for about 3 wks I think. If I give it a trial to see if it helps the oral motor and clenching problem, am I likely to find it hard to stop again? It used to be the only thing that let me sleep some so it was hard to give up till I found the Remeron worked better.
Would I take the same dose as before?
I now have a "bruxism appliance" to wear at night. When I wake my jaw is spasmed around it! I can hardly get a toothbrush in in the morning until I massage my jaw...So even though it protects my teeth from more fractures, it is not helping the clenching.
> Also, it sounds like you are having problems getting your words SPOKEN, not LOSING the word in your brain, like a memory problem, is that right?
Definitely. I do have concentration problems that plague me still, but at the time this is happening I know exactly what I want to say, but the jaw muscles seem to have a short circuit. I have found that when it happens I have better luck finding a way to say it with other words than if I just keep trying to get the original word out. Once it has started it just seems to keep getting worse so I try to lead the conversation to the other person. Perhaps it is muscle spasms. I have always had a problem with tooth grinding and clenching since I was small (at least to some degree) but the word problem only showed up 2 1/2 yr ago along with the other depression/anxiety symptoms. And it did seem to be less of a problem with the klonopin. The times I remember it a lot, other than now, were when I was trying to go without the klonopin at MD request.
I think I have always clenched with stress and probably even when on theklonopin. But the speech part seems definitely connected to the times I have been off the klonopin for a few days.
--Is there any difference between the generic clonazepam and klonopin? Once about 2 years ago I was given the generic and had trouble sleeping again. So the MD has written 'medically necessary' on the scripts since. But I wonder if it was just me and my sleep problem. It is less expensive I know, but with the degree of sleep problem I was afraid to try again.
---Are there any things that interact with Remeron? Is klonopin OK with it? I remember the info about Remeron and bone marrow problems......If I take it for a while should I be tested for those problems?
--I LOVE being able to sleep and dream. BUT the appetite and weight thing is sure there. I have definitely gained weight and find myself hungry all the time--even at times when I never used to think about food (driving, typing etc). I will be already into something to eat and then wonder after why I was even hungry at that time. Any more suggestions?
__Also, another thing I notice is that my lips and nose seem to always be dry. I think you told me the Remeron is related to antihistamines and my experience is that they do the same thing. Is this common with Remeron?
> Regarding the preferred medications: The MD's do need to contact the insurance company and appeal for the Remeron and for the natural hormones. You have a history of adverse reactions to the others and that is a criteria for most companies to approve off-formulary medications.
I see the psychiatrist tomorrow (Mon). That means it has been about 6 weeks--about 4+ wks on the 30mg of Remeron. Ins Policy switch will probably be towards the middle or end of Dec. (coinciding with divorce hearing). I will talk to them before that.
I will ask MD about the klonopin tomorrow and get a new prescription for Remeron since the one I struggled so hard for had no refils! Should I continue on this dose of Remeron? In your experience is it effective at this dose?
After I told the therapist about Remeron's drowsiness decreasing with increased dose, she was able to use the info with another person who was starting on Remeron and ready to give it up due to drowsiness. Thanks for the help.
poster:DL
thread:827
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990601/msgs/1017.html