Anyone else taking clonezapam. ? I have been on it originally for anxiety and my neuro wants me off it, I’ve tapered back from 1.5mg daily to .75mg. I’m reluctant to to quit it as I’ve heard it has anti seizure properties.
Also it’s hard to taper as I’m finding I’m having bouts of anxiety and brief spells of depression… I think my bodies saying it wants me to go back up again. Should I quit it or try and stay where I am with it? Sometimes my head feels like its going to explode… I’m putting it all down to the clonezapam. Often I have bad brain fog… Sometimes feel like I’m close to having a seizure though haven’t. Even concentrating on a conversation with some one is difficult to follow. It’s like I don’t really listen to them. It’s embarrassing also by the afternoon I can’t even follow instructions to put a simple kitset cabinet together. It’s like I can’t concentrate or have any patience… Maybe it’s not the meds it’s just me lol.
Any advice please?
Thanks
I am. I have vertigo of central origin which was caused either by a gamma knife procedure to an AVM in my left occipital lobe or the generic Dilantin I was given to treat seizures. In any event, I have a vestibular disorder accompanied by anxiety. I became inactive and gained weight. My cardiologist prescribed Adderall, which lets me power through the dizziness and able to do more. But it also enhanced my anxiety. I take 0.5 mg clonzapam twice daily, prescribed by my neurologist, for anxiety. It works well for me. I am sorry you are experiencing such difficult issues.
Thank you for the reply, I’m sorry to hear of your anxiety issues it’s certainly not nice. It can come on very quickly too I find as does the depression. My depression partly stems from my recent marriage breakup, selling the family home and purchasing a small apartment where I am now living alone (scary as I am always thinking if something happens to me it could be days before I’m discovered. ) can you please tell me what time of day you take your clonezapam? I take.75 about ten am and another.75 about three pm. Not sure if this is right as I should probably space them twelve hours apart . I guess this is what my bodies used to but there must be an overlap with the way it’s working for me?
PS your neuro put you on clonezapam… Mine wants me off it. My doc prescribed something else for anxiety but I’m not going to take more pills . I find meditation videos on you tube can help. ( Alicia Fairclough)
Hi Grunta. I am so sorry to hear of your depression. What you are going through is very difficult. I know because I have been there and lived alone. I felt better after 5 years, but for me, it really took 10 years with counseling to finally feel like I was over it. For depression, I took Lexipro and found it to be effective. As for clonezapam, I take 0.5 mg shortly after I wake up, e.g., around 7 am. I take the second 0.5 mg dose around 9:30 or 10:00 pm, i.e., near bedtime. I find that it works fairly well, as my vestibular disorder tires me out gradually throughout the day. I.e., I don’t have much cognitive energy left by evening, and so it is less stressful because my brain already used up a lot of energy by that point. I would highly recommend counseling and a psychiatrist to prescribe the medications. I think 10 am and 3 pm are a little too close, solely based upon my experience. What you are going through is one of the most stressful events in life. As I say, I know because I have been there. I used to take Xanax for panic attacks. Best wishes to you. I know it is hard, but you will get through it, as I did. John
Thanks John.
It certainly is a tough journey. I have been having councilling but it hasn’t helped much… I do a lot of visiting friends so im not home alone till I have to be. Lol. I’ve decreased my clonezapam a little and I think my depression and perhaps the anxiety has decreased also. I’m now on 1/2 tab am (down from 3/4) and 3/4 tab pm. They are. .5 mg tabs. I’ll try spacing them out a bit more too ( thanks for the recommendation on that) I’m wondering Is this classed as a low dose and if I cut back 1/4 tab say once a month is this a safe plan ? I’m not overly concerned about the withdrawal effects right now but worry if decreasing even slowly raises the risk of a seizure. I’m also on 250mg lamotrigene daily. Regards Grant.
I am not a doctor or pharmacist, but I consider 0.5 mg twice a day to be a low dose, and you are taking less than that. So you might be worrying about it too much. I do not know anything about lamotrigene, however. Sounds like you are improving. Keep up the good work.
@Grunta. You are taking a really low dose and if you want can stop. My pain dr had me on that dose for sleep and had me switching from that drug and LDN which is low dose naltrexone 4,5mg each for one week at a time but I noticed that LDN really helps with my ibs which later I checked and it’s prescribed for IBS so I told her I just wanted to stay on LDN plus it has some pain help and immune help. I had no issues.
It works on the dopamine in our brains you may want to look into it.
The only downside is most insurance don’t pay for it cause you have to get from a compounding pharmacy- the cheapest in USA in Belmar pharmacy in Colorado
Angela
Hi Angela, Well I had to go back up to the dose I was on before dropping the 1/4 tablet daily. About the third day I started having anxiety issues. I felt like I was having focal or absence seizures and that caused instant anxiety attack. Maybe it was mini seizures ( I have had focal seizures a couple of years ago when my work was causing me stress and my clonazapam was increased slightly then) or perhaps they were panic attacks who knows?
My head felt like it was going to explode and every hour of the day was horrible , lots of other unpleasant side effects came on too. That was just by dropping 1/4 of a tablet. So I’m staying on this dose till I see the neuro which because I’m classed as a category 4 could be 4 months away. Can this medicine really do your head in like this… Just thought I’d mention health care is basically free in New Zealand. Apart from the doc visit all meds only cost $5.00 per item and three months worth costs no more. Then more repeats are only around 12.00 for another three months worth.Neuro visits, MRI scans, Angiograms etc… Are free and they even pay for your flights and motel if you have to travel a signifigant distance to the hospital… Or they will give you petrol vouches.Thats all without medical insurance. I think we are quite lucky here.
@Grunta I am so sorry. I would stay on it.
Do they want you off it for some reason?
Glad your health care is free.
Very different here in the states.
My Botox shots every 3 months are charged to my insurance are 14,000 US dollars and I pay about 1,000 of that . Plus the office visit.
And I have ok insurance.
If this medicine is helping you and you are on such a low dose I would ask them why do you need to go off it.
Especially if you not having any bad side effects from that medicine.
Keep us updated.
Hugs
Angela
As a health industry professional (25+ years) in American I find that I must go on the record and state that health care in New Zealand – or anywhere for that matter – is not “free.”
Per the NZ government tax page: Income tax and Goods and Services Tax (GST) are how we fund services for the benefit of all New Zealanders… New Zealand’s top personal tax rate is 33% for income over NZ$70,000. At the other end of the scale, the tax rate is 10.5% on income up to $14,000… New Zealand also has a tax on consumption called Goods and Services Tax (GST). It is a flat rate tax - currently 15%…
So at the end of day, without getting into too many picky tax details based on indiv incomes, even the poorest New Zealanders pay upwards of 25% tax to fund things like health insurance. This amount increase to as high as 58% tax for others.
This means health care is not “free” it’s simply paid for in advance, whether you use or not, at the same rate every pay check and on every good and services purchased. And the NZ health care is government based and managed, it’s not competitive like other places around the world.
azurelle
Thanks for sharing your experience Grunta! First and foremost, I think it’s a great idea to consult with your neuro team; tell them about your side effects, they may have options that work better you. Also, if you feel that you’re not getting as much from your counselor, see if there are other options available. I hope things have gotten better since you first posted this.