Clonazepam
 

Ok, as some may know, I began taking Clonazepam for 1 primary reason. That was, burning mouth syndrome. Or so I believed it to be burning mouth syndrome... in all honesty, I now think more can be attributed to the fact I was smoking my mouth raw. Not kidding.

Anyways, Clonazepam I called my 'wonder drug', because I could take a half dose (.25mg) in the evening, then the other half (.25mg) at bedtime, and the burning in my mouth (pre-quitting smoking) would go down dramatically, but also it seemed like other burning pains and my headaches I was experiencing were going away taking a consistent amount of Clonazepam, which amounted to .5mg a day.

So I quit smoking, cold turkey. I did increase the Clonazepam to .75mg a day, 3 doses of .25mg each. No doubt the drug has helped the quitting smoking process, and I've been able to stay away from cigarettes basically stress free of it.

Then the strangest thing happened yesterday. My 7th day smoke free (woohoo), I took .25mg of Clonazepam (didn't take any during the day before this) at around 6:30pm (normal time for the first of the 2 daily doses I do). Now keep in mind, I've been rx'ed this drug since September 9th.

I took .25mg of it, and my face felt hot. My mouth began to burn, my head burning, throat feeling not tight, but just odd. Instantly tired as heck. So I went to sleep for 2 hours, woke up groggy, but the other 'bad' feeling was gone.

I thought "Wow, that's really weird", and just went about business as usual...

Then bedtime rolled around, and I went to take my other .25mg of Clonazepam (for a total of .5mg for the day, 1 pill, well below what my doctor prescribed me). I took the half pill, went to lie down, and felt the hot feeling come back. Then I realized this stuff was actually making me high, and not doing anything BUT make me feel high.

I was left feeling completely and utterly baffled about the whole experience.

I will ONLY be taking .25mg tonight of this stuff, and eventually want to get off it. But what I can't understand what so ever is.... after taking it for 1 month now, never having had this type of reaction before, why suddenly now? Is it an allergic reaction? Side effects that were slow to appear? Connected in some fashion to quitting smoking and the changes my body's been going through there?

The more I think about it, the more I want to call the pharmacy and ask, because I know I won't get through to my doctor's office on the phone, but I'm really curious about this 'reaction' or effect that I felt out of the blue on it yesterday.

I don't know what could be happening, dmp. I take 2 mg daily for tremors and anxiety related to the MS. WAY more than you. Quitting smoking definitely does some strange things to you. When I quit, I felt like I was walking around in a fog for the first 6 weeks. (I quit for 3 years, unfortately I was stupid and started again). I wish could offer you some advice :hug:.

It's ok. :)

I called the pharmacy and told them there. Wouldn't you know it? Their response?....

... "Maybe you took the 2 halves too close together. It's not unusual to feel 'stoned' or 'high' taking it occasionally".

Uh, thanks? LOL. :eek::rolleyes: It's like they just said, "Oh cool, well enjoy!"

I take Clonazepam 0.5 mg three times a day and have not had any problems so far. OH, I take it for face pain and feel like I am in LALA land!

Well hrm.

I do think I may be getting other side effects from it though. Primarily mouth stuff (burning seems to increase there). I'll keep an eye on it :)

Ugh.

I only took .25mg yesterday, at bedtime, and the end result was me awake, bouncing off the walls. High as a kite. I had to wait out this 'high' period before I could then sleep.

So.... do I take this stuff 2-3 hours before bedtime? LOL!

Or do I ditch it out the window completely?

I've been on clonazepam for 18 years for a variety of neurological issues. Perhaps some of my experiences may be of benefit. Caveat: All bodies are different. :D

My late morning/noon dose will do one of two things on any random day: Either I become more energised and focused, hence carrying on with my chores without feeling scattered and fatigued, OR I crash and burn and take a nap. Never predictable.

The evening dose, in contrast, has about a ninety percent predictability in its affect when I take it 45 to 90 minutes before going to bed. Often, a light snack is helpful. Then, my next five hours of sleep is usually tolerable with some breakthrough in restless leg/PLMD.

Clonazepam does have a mild antihistamine effect...that can and does give me moderate dry mouth and eyes.

Years ago when this med became available as a generic, I had a heck of a time staying stabilised. I went back to brand name for a while (Klonopin), then tried a generic by Teva and have been ok ever since with that. My doctor reported that many people had difficulty with generic equivalents of Klonopin. Your mileage may vary.

You and I have obviously different neurological hassles. However, the time I experienced industrial lead poisoning I got to see (after the fact) how this med performed on a central nervous system with demyelinating issues. During that period almost anything could, and did, happen. Still, it kept me stabilised enough to sort out what was going on and take positive action before too much damage was done.

Summation: Try that bedtime dose with more time in your system before you land...maybe with a bland snack?

Chat up your doctor and/or pharmacist about generic vs. brand?

Congrats on quitting smoking and I repeat what's already been said: your body is in a system-wide change from this alone and you're bound to experience some unpredictability.

And Mrsd down in the Medications forum could probably shed some light on this, too. She's a sharp one.

Best, Jeff

Thanks for the information Jeff. I may step down there if things keep being wonky. I have a doctor's appointment as well for the 23rd, so I can manage I think till then :)