Who Has Taken Klonopin Long Term? | MyEpilepsyTeam

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Who Has Taken Klonopin Long Term?
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member asked a question 💭

My sleep doctor put me on it because I was literally getting zero sleep for a month due to seizure activity and gabapentin making my brain feel on fire. My neurologist wants me off it because it’s “just a tranqualizer and causes memory issues”. I’ve been on .5 for a month and have slept beautifully. I don’t have an addictive personality and really would like to stay on it because im enjoying sleep, but am worried about long term.

posted March 30, 2022
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A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I likewise have had the issues with insomnia off and on all of my life, but when it is at its worst is when my stress levels are high or my anxiety disorder is out of control (which is the case now, thus I am meeting with a neuropsychiatrist tomorrow to help me to get to the proper anxiety medication for me).

When the anxiety disorder is under control, then meditation used to work for me to calm my mind so that I could get to sleep. My neuropsychologist explained to me it is not because of the brain damage but rather the out of control anxiety that meditation no longer worked for me after 2005.

The links that I have provided you above are the facts from the experts about insomnia and melatonin.

And here is the source from the Epilepsy Society in regards to sleep and epilepsy: https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/living-epilepsy/...

posted March 30, 2022 (edited)
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I've taken it for 13 years.im getting weened off it(slowly) it makes me so tired

posted March 30, 2022
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I’ve struggled with insomnia my whole adult life; formally diagnosed and been on trazodone for years. However, the gabapentin fiasco kept my brain so excited that trazodone stopped working. So I’m still on trazodone but the klonopin was added at night to get me off gaba safely & make me sleep. It really took 2 solid weeks of full dose depakote for my brain to settle and for me to sleep more than 2 hrs a night. I’ve now enjoyed 3 weeks of solid sleep in 2022. I’m confused because I have 2 doctors telling me 2 different things. I really value my sleep but I value my memories too.

posted March 30, 2022
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I was on Clonazepam -- the generic version of Klonopin--for at least 14 years before my new neurologist (started with July 30, 2021) switched me to Clobazam -- which is more appropriate for my form of Epilepsy.

However, I am also on Melatonin (naturally produced in the human body) to give me additional Melatonin in my body because it is the aid in getting to sleep.
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/940.html

Has your neurologist diagnosed you with Insomnia?
https://medlineplus.gov/insomnia.html

Learning to do meditation and having a calming music cd playing near your bed as you sleep are also great aids.

learning meditation: https://www.healthline.com/health/meditation-fo...

Before my anxiety disorder got out of control in 2005, the meditation would help me to sleep even when I had insomnia because my brain would not shutdown and get tired because it was focused on problem solving. It worked great. And the technique is not tough to learn.

posted March 30, 2022

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