Can I use over the counter sleep aids in place of Clonazipam?

[zamiradela]

I've been on Clonanzipam for 4years now and am up to 4mgs. a night. I'm scared of getting addicted, but can't sleep without it. Is there any danger of taking over the counter sleeping pills now and then so that I'm not taking Clonazipam every night. I've gone to bed when really tired without anything and no side affects what so ever. I've tried sleeping pills w/out Clonanzipam, but I usually wake up in the middle of the night and have to take twice as much of the sleeping pills. Still I'm terrified of the Clonanzapam withdrawls I've heard about.

DD

[Mrsb1733]

Hi ryan,

You seem to have a vast knowledge of these medications.  My Dr. prescribed me Clonazapam to take "only when needed".  I take it maybe once or twice a month just to be able to shut it off and get some sleep.  Now I am reading that you need to take it regularly and am worried I am leading myself to a dangerous side effect.  Should I be worried?  I have Panic attacks daily but seem to control them via meditation or distraction.  I am having one know as I type actually.  Any help you can advise is greatly apprciated.  

[snowball723]

i have been using cloazepam 1 mg at nite and 1 in morning ...  want to taper off to 0        I am going  on Venlafaxine XR (novo)  75 to 150 mg        I feel very tried on the cloazepam ( after working a four days  I sleep 1hole day ) and forget  very easy also my mind has trouble from being ditracted.

Help snowball7

[hitman60]

I am always interested in your comments. I have been on 1mg of Klonopin 1 time a day for 2 years. About a month ago I cut back to .5mg 1 time a day. I would like to get off. Is this going to be difficult?....Any suggestions. Now that I am on Prozac, I may not need them anymore.

Hitman

[lonewolf07]

PS:  Forgot to ask - how "safe" are OTC sleep aids?  Recently, I took one gravol because of feeling sick to my stomach and just one pretty much knocked me out.

[lonewolf07]

Thank you for advice and comments.

I don't take Clonazepam more than twice a week, particularly because when I wake up, it seems to put me in a bad mood.  Is Clonazepam the generic term for Klonopin?

Actually, I know what these meds are for but am concerned about taking them.  This is particularly true now that I've read your comments.

You wrote:

(If your normal blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or less, Altace and Norvasc are unnecessary. If your normal LDL Cholesterol is below 159 mg/dl and normal HDL Cholesterol greater than 40 mg/dl, and normal Triglycerides below 199 mg/dl, the Lipitor is unnecessary. If your normal fasting blood glucose level is less than 110 mg/dl, the Metformin in unnecessary.

Without meds my BP is less than what you stated, although it increases when I have to go to the dr it.  Have BP machine at home and check it often; same goes for cholesterol, etc. AND metformin.  The dr says I have to take these meds as a preventive since my family has a history of these conditions.

At least they are not addictive and if they help then I'll take them.  Think I'll talk to dr again about these meds and see what she says.

Appreciate your help.

lonewolf

[lonewolf07]

Just for clarification - I have been slowly, under medical and cultural supervision, decreasing the Xanax I have been taking.  A few years ago, my shrink prescribed Clonazepam (one or two of the orange pills).   She told me they might not have the fast-acting impact of Xanax but would "let me sleep".   I confess I do not always take them because they seem to put me in a nasty mood.  The shrink knows this and is not concerned.  However, the half-life aspect never occurred to me until I read this post.  I'd prefer not to have a seizure and wonder if I should be supervised in going off Clonazepam, even with such a minimal dose, if there such a thing as a minimal dose.

This isn't a sarcastic question - are you a pharmacist or have experience with substance abuse?  It's not so much the mood-altering meds that concern me since I'm dealing with that issue; my concern is the medication our family dr gives me for cholesterol, sugar and BP.  She changes the dosage on what seems to be an arbitrary basis and one of the reasons she gives me these meds is because my parents (who are dead and not available for questioning) had problems in all these areas.  When she tests me for these "conditions", the results are usually average - neither high nor low.

Presently, I am trying to find a new dr but I'm in Ontario and we have a real shortage of family drs.  Any advice about what to do until (if?) I find a new dr?  Can a person become addicted to meds like Altase, Norvasc, Lipitor and Metformin?  The Metformin actually makes me sick to my stomach.

Sometimes I think the country is being run by drug companies.

lonewolf