[Blueberrybook]

Since I've been spending today yelling and anyone and anything (i.e., cats, furniture in my way), it's been horrid. Not to mention, I must be fighting off something or getting sick because I'm freezing. It's not freezing in here by a long shot. We keep our thermostat at 74 degrees, and we lose a lot of our AC cooling due to living in a poorly insulated house built in 1964, so the actual air temp is warmer inside.

At my last visit, my pdoc changed me over to Xanax XR, but I suspect it is not good for me. My mood is the pits (depressed & angry), I want to sleep all the time (can't even wake up to an alarm clock, and I have never had this problem my entire life). Also have been slurring my speech, according to my husband.
It could be a depressed phase of BP, but I was feeling pretty good before this.

Pdoc called, said drop the Xanax XR, go back to Klonopin. Thank God. I hope things turn around soon. Today has been God-awful.

[Wild Coyote]

I hope switching back to klonopin is helpful!


WC

[~Christina]

Hope the change helps. Sucks to go into that kind of episode

[Moose72]

Hate feeling that way! Hope you feelbetter soon.

[Blueberrybook]

I hope so too! I'm doing better this evening, and I hope tomorrow goes well. My sister & I have a playdate planned for my daughter & one of my nieces. It will be tiring even if I'm having a good day, so hopefully, I'll make it.

[Youngm3571]

My wife lately tends to save up a few observations before she dumps them on me. Slurred speech, confusion, irritability recently. She asked pdoc last week what if we just take him off everything and see what happens? Pdoc - he’ll either be back inpatient or dead within a week.

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by Youngm3571

My wife lately tends to save up a few observations before she dumps them on me. Slurred speech, confusion, irritability recently. She asked pdoc last week what if we just take him off everything and see what happens? Pdoc - he’ll either be back inpatient or dead within a week.

Yes! Im glad your pdoc said this! I used to joke with my friends "You dont like me taking all these meds? Lets lock ourselves in a hotel room for a week and see what happens without them!"

I'm not surprised. Benzos are considered depressants because they slow down the CNS. Of course a slowed down CNS doesn't imply that you'll automatically get depressed, but it that implies that there is always the possibility of getting depressed on them.

FWIW, I've found Klonopin to be really nice. Never had issues with it, other than drowsiness. However, it interacts with my Ritalin (i.e., the two meds basically cancel each other out), so I don't like to take the Klonopin when I take my Ritalin.

IIRC, Klonopin works by blocking neural pathways involved with stimulation, while Xanax works on neural pathways associated with sleep. I'm guessing that's why you're always so sleepy on Xanax.

[Blueberrybook]

Back on Klonopin today per the pdoc's instructions, and it's definitely treating me better. Mood better, more patience with my daughter. I hope it lasts

[Tucson]

Slurred speach? This happened to me, but I also did not know it until someone told me. Clonazepam I took for well over ten years. I understand that long term use in contraindicated, at least according to one doctor. But if it works, it works.

It is good that your doctor made the appropriate change. You must be feeling better now, not drugged up.

[Blueberrybook]

Originally Posted by Tucson

Slurred speach? This happened to me, but I also did not know it until someone told me. Clonazepam I took for well over ten years. I understand that long term use in contraindicated, at least according to one doctor. But if it works, it works.

It is good that your doctor made the appropriate change. You must be feeling better now, not drugged up.

I would have the slurred speech if I took all my clonazepam together, I think, but it is spaced out during the day. With the Xanax XR I was getting slurred speech in the daytime taking only 1 pill. I do get slurred speech at night, once the Seroquel & Clonidine kick in, especially when I can't sleep, and my pdoc tells me to throw in melatonin too. If my daughter wakes me at 2 AM for some reason, my speech is very slurred, and I can hardly string a sentence together.

It's only been a day since my pdoc made the change back to the old meds (i.e. Klonoping, not Xanax XR), and I am feeling much better.