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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Squiggles on August 4, 2002, at 9:27:10
I forgot to add something that may be
of benefit to others and also should clarify
my positiion on benzos.From my experience, clonazepam when raised
after my seizure, brought me back to normal
(thought i had to increase the dose).Secondly, unlike XANAX (alprazolam) which
has a short half-life, clonazepam is able
to sustain anti-convulsant and tranquillizing
properties without interruption.Whether my seizure came from withdrawal (as
my dr. said) because i need this for bipolar,
or whether it is a result of brain change
after taking it for 15-17 years, i cannot tell.I was urged by the benzo group (esp. Ray Nimmo)
to use Valium to withdraw. As i was not referred
to a detox clinic nor given this, i cannot
conclude.However, i can say with certainty that just about
all the 2-yr withdrawal symptoms are gone now
upon reinstatement.Hope this clarifies things.
Squiggles
Posted by katekite on August 4, 2002, at 10:53:14
In reply to p.s. the relative virtues of clonazepam, posted by Squiggles on August 4, 2002, at 9:27:10
Hi Squiggles,
Glad to hear the symptoms are better. Can I ask what dose you are on now, versus the dose you were on a couple years ago before you went off? How much higher is it?
Is your peripheral neuropathy better? how much better? Do you still get myoclonic stuff like you described a while back?
A couple days ago I woke up with both hands symmetrically numb, just from the middle finger over to the little finger. Ulnar nerve. I straightened my arms and it passed. Thought of you, of course. Going ahead with my taper schedule of stopping klonopin anyhow -- been doing 0.125 mg every other day for about a week now and soon going to zero to see what happens. I have (as I know I've said before) other hormonal things as well so not sure what the cause of that transient numbness was. As long as its transient.
Take care and thanks for reporting your struggles. Klonopin seems to be a weird one.
Kate
Posted by Squiggles on August 4, 2002, at 11:47:58
In reply to Re: p.s. the relative virtues of clonazepam, posted by katekite on August 4, 2002, at 10:53:14
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your concern;
Yes, thank you.
I am ok now, especially after raising
the dose from the initial 1.0 to 1.50 mg
which is where i am now.The real trouble (seizure/stroke) happened at 0.125 going down.
In case it is of interest it was last summer -
the summer of extreme heat, maybe 95 degrees
Farenheit in the room, and had been hot for months.I was very sick after the head fire/stroke
feeling - i couldn;t walk, i kept falling asleep
standing up, and i had very bad headaches, as
if i had been in a car crash. The pain was
in the center back of the head where the
eels had taken place a year before. At that
time my skin had turned into a paper like
consistency. I had diarrhea all the time.I also had severe depression both mental and physical;
The weirdest thing was the temperature fluctuation - or blood,
which lasted a long time - even now i think my
temprerature regulation is off a bit.
I was bedridden for a month.I am curious what would have happened if my
husband had not intervened and asked me to
reinstate the whole dose at the time of
seizure and severe anxiety.I had many disagreements
on the Benzo group - my position being that when
people got sick they should be permitted to
reinstate, their general position being that
you should go through the fire.I really don;t know if i did the right thing,
but I am very happy to be stable now.thanks and i hope my experience is of some
benefit; my apologies for sounding a bit
overreactive about lamictal; i think i am just
apprehensive after all the adventures i had.Squiggles
Posted by judy1 on August 4, 2002, at 12:29:08
In reply to Re: p.s. the relative virtues of clonazepam » katekite, posted by Squiggles on August 4, 2002, at 11:47:58
Hope this doesn't come up twice. Klonopin has been a life-saver for me for panic disorder, helps with my bipolar but not with the grand mal seizure I had a few months ago. That happened because my glucose level was 40 (I think 100 is normal) and because I was stressed to the hilt, hadn't eaten, etc. Isn't klonopin indicated for absence type seizures? Take care, judy
Posted by Squiggles on August 5, 2002, at 8:18:58
In reply to Re: p.s. the relative virtues of clonazepam » Squiggles, posted by judy1 on August 4, 2002, at 12:29:08
Hi Judy,
First, i'm sorry you had a grand mal seizure;
i have read about them. I take it you are
an epileptic?Referring to the trusty Merck (see Table),
I see that not just one but many anticonvulsants,
sometimes in conjunction, are used for all types
of seizure, including petit mal and absence type.As for bipolar disorder, I have been informed on the
net in the past that manic depression is somehow
related to epilepsy (not in my experience) and
that is the reason Rivotril is prescribed. I have
some difficulty with this notion, as i recall
that i was given Rivotril much later into my therapy
(7 years or so) for anxiety - but it was 15 years
ago and my memory may be bad.
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section14/chapter172/172a.htmBTW, reading Kraeplin, i noticed in his Physical
Symptoms chapter that he and a colleague had
witnessed someone go into fits who was manic
depressive, but he did not seem to associate
seizure as a typical symptom of manic depression.I hope you are ok now and you find the right combo.
Squiggles
Posted by katekite on August 5, 2002, at 11:22:03
In reply to Re: p.s. the relative virtues of clonazepam » judy1, posted by Squiggles on August 5, 2002, at 8:18:58
Hi Squiggles,
Thanks.
About the temperature regulation thing: temperature problems are one of my most distressing problems. Periods of feeling like the room is 5-10 degrees hotter than it is. I don't sweat more, a thermometer will tell me my temperature is normal, but I feel uncomfortably hot. If I get up and move around I sometimes feel temporarily better, even a little chilled, but as soon as I am still I feel hot again. Makes sleeping very hard as it can last hours or longer. Even inbetween feeling really hot I just don't feel like my temperature sensation is normal, I usually feel just a little too warm now. I used to be a reliably cold person. It seems worst between 2am and 8am.So just curious if you experience anything like this?
Kate
Posted by Squiggles on August 5, 2002, at 11:55:46
In reply to Re: p.s. the relative virtues of clonazepam, posted by katekite on August 5, 2002, at 11:22:03
Hi Kate,
I think it's a left-over from my
clonazepam withdrawal - during the 1 1/2-
close to 2 yr. withdrawal, it was very bad;
near the 0.125 point, i was sweating all the
time at night. Reinstatement of the dose,
and even more so, raising the dose, made
feel much better.Part of it could be menopause, but I have had
a very easy time of that - infact i feel better
menopausal.So, it's not quite the same as yours, as mine
was an up and down heat/sweat thing related
to benzo withdrawal.I think if you stay on your drug, that is
unlikely to happen. I am not sure if you are
menopausal too (you don;t have to tell:-))Squiggles
Posted by katekite on August 5, 2002, at 18:19:01
In reply to Re: p.s. the relative virtues of clonazepam » katekite, posted by Squiggles on August 5, 2002, at 11:55:46
Thanks squiggles. Always looking for insight. I think I may be somewhere near menopause, as the birth control pill with it's estrogen seems to help me some. Docs tell me though, that my hot flashes aren't really hot flashes since they last too long.
Anyhow, thanks for the input. -- kate
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