worried about taking klonopin

[edkim12345]

so ive been having sleeping issues lately, and my doc gave me klonopin to take at night to help. she said take 0.5 and if it doesnt work take another one. first time i took it, then didnt seem to work after 30 minutes so took another one. and within the 2 weeks, i have taken 1 mg total of 4 night, including the first time i took it. now im just little paranoid that this might have a long term side effect for me and i mite get dependent on it. i try not to take it unless i really can't fall asleep, but im just afraid ill get dependent on it. will the amount i have taken now pretty safe dose and i should continue to take it as needed or try not to? any thoughts will be helpful. thanks!

[lynn57]

Google sleep remedies and you will find a lot of natural supplements.  There are also some combos that are supposed to be great.  If you really don't feel any anxiety, there are meds just for sleep.

[edkim12345]

thanks alot for the info. i guess i shouldnt take it. i guess in her point of view, stress = anxiety. i am stressed since im in grad school but not having any episodes of attacks or anything. i was looking into melatonin, is there any side effects to that? or how much i should take? i heard its bad to take it everyday. or are there any other natural sleep remedies?

[lynn57]

I think it's kind of odd that Klonopin was the first choice drug.  There are natural supplements like valerian root that you could try.  Also Atarax (or vistaril) is a non-habit forming antihistamine that helps with sleep and is a mild anxiolytic. I take Klonopin, but I have anxiety.  Like Greenlydia said if you had anxiety you would know it.  You would not need a doctor to tell you.  Benzos are necessary sometimes, but they are kinda big guns for insomnia.

[RubyWitch]

If you had anxiety, trust me, you would know it!
Stress can most definitely cause heart palps, which can lead to heart anxiety and then we begin to focus on our hearts which only increases the anxiety which increases the palps...........well, you see the vicious cycle that can take over your life. Your cardio has said your heart is fine, so you can stop being paranoid about that. I hope he/she explained about heart palps and how normal and common they are and that they are harmless. It is also very common that when our stress goes down, the palps stop.

If you do not think you have any problems with insomnia or anxiety, I think taking a medication like Klonopin is not the wisest health decision. As I suggested, there are many natural products that can help, Take stock of your lifestyle. Are you drinking too much caffeine before bed? Eating too late? Going to bed when you're not really tired? Are you getting enough physical exercise during the day? Another good thing to sort of train your brain that it's time to sleep is establishing a regular bedtime routine. A hot bath. A cup of decaf tea, a little bit of TV, but something light, a sitcom or a cooking show......don't watch the news. Reading a book for pleasure, not cramming in two chapters of Microbiology.
There are many ways to try to beat sleeplessness without drugs. I say give those a good try before resorting to better sleeping through chemistry! LOL
Go over to our Complimentary Medicine Forum and see what Paxil would recommend for you to try. He is our "natural guru guy" around here.
Let us know how you're doing, OK? We'll figure out how to get you to sleep if we have to stay up all night...............oh, wait a minute, that's goofy. WE'LL stay up all night. YOU can sleep!
Peace
Greenlydia

[edkim12345]

hey thanks for the answer. she says i show signs of anxiety, mainly due to my weight loss (lke 15 lbs since school started in august, but i lose weight easily when stressed), and the fact i couldn't sleep well. I def don't have any attacks of anxiety, i never had any health problems before. Only thing I can think of is i started getting heart palpitations around 3 weeks ago, and i've been kind of paranoid about it. I went to see cardiologist and he said i'm fine. but I think my lack of sleep started from that since I was becoming paranoid about my heart. and my doc thought this is caused by anxiety. It's been lot better now though, and I only take klonopine when I have trouble falling asleep, which is infrequent now.

but i do not think I have any issues with insomina or anything, i just take the pill cause i know it helps me sleep, but at the same time don't like the idea of taking pills to go to sleep. Is there anything else you recommend? like night time tea, milk with honey, or anything. I definitely don't think i need to be on medication, cause i feel fine, except just trouble falling asleep. but maybe i don't know what anxiety feels like.. haha but i'm usually in good mood mostly.. thanks!

[RubyWitch]

The amount of Klonopin you're taking will not lead you into the bowels of addiction. If you took that dose for many, many, many months, you MIGHT build up a tolerance to that particular dose which would require you to up the dose to acheive the same effect.

My question is this: Do you have anxiety or panic disorders as well as the insomnia? If not, I don't know why your doctor would put you on a fairly potent antianxiety medication for a TEMPORARY bout of insomnia. Unless there is information you haven't shared with us, I personally feel your doctor has you on the wrong medication and would seek out a second opinion as soon as possible.

There are many sleep aids out there that can help with your temporary problem. These do not come without their own set of precautions as to their use, so you need to tread carefully. Sleep aids should only be taken on a short term basis to get your mind and body rested while you research the cause of your insomnia and the many natural ways to beat the occasional bout we all go through.

If your insomnia has become a problem just recently, look at what has been going on in your life that may be at the root of this issue. Are you under more stress for some reason? Health problems in you or a loved one? Job issues? Family problems? Perhaps you have a number of things to worry about and you're simply overwhelmed. Sleep is usually the first thing that gets buggered up when we can't shut our minds off.

I am not a doctor, my "advice & opinion" needs to be taken with a big grain of salt, but I'm sticking to my idea that Klonopin is not the best choice to help you deal with this problem and getting a second opinion.

I wish you the best and a good nights sleep!
Peace
Greenlydia