When to take Clonazepam?

Pastel Kitten · Jan 06, 2016 at 09:04 AM

I've been waking up every 30 minutes - 1 hour with anxiety again. During the day I've been feeling good and not anxious, though. I guess anxiety is really starting to present itself as a symptom of my hypomania alongside my usual agitation which happens at times. I was unsure of whether to take my Clonazepam for my sleep problems because I don't know how long it stays in your system and I'd like to save it for when I have awful panic attacks/break downs. At the same time, I know that lack of sleep is going to increase my anxiety too. Any suggestions?

jacky8807 · Jan 06, 2016 at 12:47 PM

Hey pastel
So I can't remember if you are on anything for sleep if not I would start there
Klonopin has the longest half life of benzos which is good....Xanax always put me up and down
If it's panic attacks you are having I realized breaking the cycle is the most important thing for them to go away
Hope u feel better...anxiety is the worst

Ocean Swimmer · Jan 06, 2016 at 12:57 PM

Hi Pastel kitten.
Yes I think sleep is one of the most important defenses against Bipolar problems.
And eating. Communication with others.
The right combo of meds. Reading positive stuff. Affirmations.
Tell pdoc re sleep problems. Do you take vitamins? My husband takes Melitonin. You could ask pdoc if it's ok with your other meds.

Pastel Kitten · Jan 06, 2016 at 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacky8807

Hey pastel
So I can't remember if you are on anything for sleep if not I would start there
Klonopin has the longest half life of benzos which is good....Xanax always put me up and down
If it's panic attacks you are having I realized breaking the cycle is the most important thing for them to go away
Hope u feel better...anxiety is the worst

I didn't used to have sleep issues like this. The only sleep "issue" was me staying up long hours while hypomanic, but I was able to sleep a good amount when I finally did get to bed. Now I can't seem to sleep through the night. If this continues for a long time then I guess I'll have to get some sleeping pills or something. It's good to know klonopin has a long half life because my anxiety issues have become truly crippling. And yeah, my pdoc told me that once my cycling is stopped then I should start to experience less anxiety. I hope I'll notice more progress now that my lithium has been upped

Hashi/bipolar mom · Jan 06, 2016 at 02:20 PM

I've had chronic insomnia for years. The only thing that has worked is 200mg of Diphenhydramine HCl (Benaydrl) and Clonidine (old Blood Pressure med from the 50's that didn't work for that but found it helps with sleep and non-addictive. Found out the Diphenhydramine could be causing weight gain in itself, because I take 200mg! My pdoc wants me off of it. So, she prescribed Temzepam yeseterday. . She said its very strong and I should get into bed before taking it. I was up all night long feeling like I had a whole pot of coffee! &(*&^ I'm just at my wits end, so she is now going to try Belsomra. Have it tried it? I feel your pain!

Jan 06, 2016 at 02:48 PM

I take my clonazepam at bedtime. Im supposed to take it twice a day but I found I was too tired when I did that so I take it all at night. Pdoc knows and says to take it however it works best for me.

Pastel Kitten · Jan 06, 2016 at 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hashi/bipolar mom

I've had chronic insomnia for years. The only thing that has worked is 200mg of Diphenhydramine HCl (Benaydrl) and Clonidine (old Blood Pressure med from the 50's that didn't work for that but found it helps with sleep and non-addictive. Found out the Diphenhydramine could be causing weight gain in itself, because I take 200mg! My pdoc wants me off of it. So, she prescribed Temzepam yeseterday. . She said its very strong and I should get into bed before taking it. I was up all night long feeling like I had a whole pot of coffee! &(*&^ I'm just at my wits end, so she is now going to try Belsomra. Have it tried it? I feel your pain!

That sounds like my experience on saphris! It was supposed to reduce my anxiety and knock me out, but it gave me even worse anxiety, insomnia, and sent me spiraling into some sort of dsyphoric hypomania/mixed episode. I hope that you manage to get some good sleep soon. Nothing worse than knowing how badly you need sleep but being unable to achieve it. I also seem to be having even more vivid dreams than what is normal for me lately, which I think are contributing to my constant waking up.

Hashi/bipolar mom · Jan 06, 2016 at 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pastel Kitten

That sounds like my experience on saphris! It was supposed to reduce my anxiety and knock me out, but it gave me even worse anxiety, insomnia, and sent me spiraling into some sort of dsyphoric hypomania/mixed episode. I hope that you manage to get some good sleep soon. Nothing worse than knowing how badly you need sleep but being unable to achieve it. I also seem to be having even more vivid dreams than what is normal for me lately, which I think are contributing to my constant waking up.

I'm sorry you can relate! Ugh! Not having sleep, makes me nutty! I'm a basket case today and hypo-manic. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten a lot done (LOL) but I'm also agitated and I know this can lead to a bad depression. Hopefully, this new med will work!

I hope you find something that works for you too! Hugs!

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When to take Clonazepam?

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anon9116 Guest Posts: n/a	Jan 06, 2016 at 02:48 PM #6 I take my clonazepam at bedtime. Im supposed to take it twice a day but I found I was too tired when I did that so I take it all at night. Pdoc knows and says to take it however it works best for me.
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