crossover from ambien to klonipin for taper advise needed

[[el...]]

Bizi, this is really good news!

 

If i'm correct, this is equivalent to about 3mg valium. So you should be safe with that jump, though probably a little uncomfortable for a while. But the fact that you are actually getting a few hours sleep a night without them  is wonderful!

 

I"m really happy for you!      

[[...]]

WEll thank you two.

Last night was horrible, don't know if I got more than 2 hours of sleep.

and the restless legs and arms has returned...that is what is really a problem.

I figure if I dont sleep for a couple of nights then get one night of sleep then I can keep doing this....

unless I get hypomanic then all bets are off.

bizi

[[el...]]

Do you have restless legs syndrome?? If so, and it's not familial, you need to get your ferritin levels checked. This is your iron storage. If it's below 50, you need to try iron therapy. I had rls from donating too much blood and my ferritin was 3. I got it up to 70, and I"m cured. It took almost a year to recover, but I have.

 

Also, rls is very common during wd. This is even mentioned in the Ashton manual.

Hang in there!

[[...]]

hi eljay,

thank you for your note.

I think I have RLS...another reason my pdoc allowed me to be on ambien.

I have not donated blood in a long time, maybe I will go do that tomorrow, if my Hgb is off they won't let me donate.

they keep calling me I have A neg blood type and they need that.

I will start drinking fluids right now!

 

Wonder if I am tired enough to sleep or if this will be another alnighter?

bizi

[[el...]]

Hey, I'm 'A neg' too!

 

Let me tell you, the hgb they test you for there will tell you nothing about how your iron stores are. You can be completely depleted, but still have some left over in your bloodstream. One more donation can put you over the edge. That's what happened to me. Every time I went (every 8 weeks!) They told me my hgb was fine, which it was, but then I had virtually zero stores left. 3 weeks after my last blood donation, I was slammed with rls.

 

People with rls should never donate blood, as the cause of it, whether familial or secondary, involves an iron problem in your brain. If you would like to learn more about it, go to rlshelp.org. 

 

Hope you sleep!

[[...]]

thank you eljay,

Think I will go to that site and NOT donate blood in the morning!

I always feel so guilty after they keep calling me to donate...but usually get turned down because I can't give up coffee and that binds to iron blah blah blah.....

 

Just took my night meds...200mg of lamictal and 40mg of geodon.

I am hoping that I can sleep tonight, I should be dog tired...am not....

have been on the computer way too long and that is stimulating....

someday I hope to be off all meds....

bizi

 

 

[[el...]]

thank you eljay,

Think I will go to that site and NOT donate blood in the morning!

 

Good. And don't feel guilty. I did too, but after I realized what was happening to me, I didn't feel guilty anymore.Your health is paramount.

Now, when I see the blood donation bus which comes to town, I call it the vampire bus! 

[[...]]

I have slept well the last 2 nights with out the ambien!!!

 

2 weeks of bad sleep was not bad at all.

So happy to be done with that, hopefully.

I looked at the restless leg site and feel sorry for folks who suffer with that. There were some pictures of the devices they used traction...sigh

mine has gone away.

hopefully for good.

 

bizi

 

[[Th...]]

Hi Bizi,

 

This is great news Bizi!!  You are on your way to a life without meds, good for you!! 

 

 

T2

[[...]]

thanks teresa 2,

good luck with the rest of your taper.

How are you sleeping these days?

bizi

[[Th...]]

thanks teresa 2,

good luck with the rest of your taper.

How are you sleeping these days?

bizi

 

Hi bizi,

 

Thanks for the encouragement, I've been having a couple of rough days, but hope the worse is over for this cut. I have not had any problems sleeping yet, just a little increased anxiety.  Still have about 8 weeks to go. Wish it was over already! 

 

T2

 

 

[[...]]

Glad that you are sleeping well.

8 weeks will be gone before you know it!

I slept horrible again last night....

am hoping that I am not becoming hypo manic....

I always have to think about that.

bizi

[[Th...]]

Glad that you are sleeping well.

8 weeks will be gone before you know it!

I slept horrible again last night....

am hoping that I am not becoming hypo manic....

I always have to think about that.

bizi

 

Hi bizi,

 

Sorry about your sleep, that has to be the worst w/d s/x. Have you searched other threads and boards to check out how others have dealt with their insomnia, there are quite a few here that have that problem. I am doing much better today, almost normal whatever that is. Went grocery shopping with hubby, he's on vacation this week so nice to have him and son around for the week. Take care.

 

T2

[[el...]]

am hoping that I am not becoming hypo manic....

 

Bizi, post wd always feels like that. And how many times have docs tried to diagnose this after wd. I sure went thru it. And sleep still not perfect for me, 4 months out. But  it slowly gets better. You have to remember that you were chemically puttng yourself to sleep for 3 years. It will take a little time to get over that and heal. The most important thing though, is to accept it for now, accept that it is temporary, and don't let yourself get anxious about it, as this will only perpetuate it. When you are laying there not sleeping, just relax. know that even just laying there peacefully, breathing easy, and resting, is all very restoring, even if you don't drop off.

It will pass, if you let it! 

[[...]]

thank you!

I think you are right.

It is jsut going to take me some time to adjust....Probably going to have good days bad days....I am so thankful that the restless leg stuff has not come back.

I think the geodon is helping with that.

You are right, resting is good....if I were hypomanic...I would be up and scrubbing the kitchen floor.

so I won't worry about that.

thanks again

bizi

[[el...]]

Hi Biz,

 

Just to let you know, it's def. NOT the geodon which is suppressing the rls. Geodon works on the histamine receptors, which would be a strong trigger for rls. Just like otc antihistamines (benadryl) will trigger it.

So the the rls being gone has nothing to do with that med. It's just gone. 

[[...]]

Wow!

that is interesting!

thank you !

wonder why it is jsut gone?

I wonder if it was really agitation and not RLS before.

Do you know if people have RLS all of their lives? Just curious.

thank you again.

bizi

[[Co...]]

Hi Bizi,

 

Congratulations on being benzo-free. Sorry I am late for the party.

[[el...]]

Do you know if people have RLS all of their lives? Just curious.

thank you again.

bizi

 

Hi Biz,

Yes, some people do, it's called primary rls, and usually one will have a family history of it.

[[Je...]]

Congrats on being benzo free and for the RLS being gone!!  My brother suffered from that and then it just went away too!!  Don't know why...but as long as it went away...who cares!!  LOL

 

Love,

 

Jen

[[...]]

 

Thank you for your well wishes all!

I have good days and not so good nights sleep, well actually it is getting alittle better.

and really has not been that long off so we shall see.

I still take psych meds, lamictal 200mg and geodon 40mg....hope to come off of the geodon next...will have to wait and see if my sleeping improves.

Some day I would like to be off all meds but I know my history...

off meds and I get manic, psychotic hospitalization....blah blah blah

so I think that the lamictal is my friend....

thanks for your support here, you folks are always so nice.

bizi

[[...]]

I have not slept well all week...don't know how long I can do this not sleeping.

Would it be wrong to drink a couple of drinks?

bizi

[[TP...]]

I have not slept well all week...don't know how long I can do this not sleeping.

Would it be wrong to drink a couple of drinks?

bizi

 

That would be about the worst thing you could do other than cold turkeying. Benzo withdrawal and alcohol do not sit well together at all.  Please don't.

 

The problem with alcohol, aside from its mechanism of action being really, incredibly messy in terms of how many things in your brain it hits compared to something like a benzo, is that it gets cleared out of your system really quickly, so while it may temporarily make stuff better for a short period of time, you tend to end up with rebound symptoms very shortly afterwards. For example, it technically has anticonvulsant properties, too, but since it wears off so abruptly, it's more likely to cause seizures while it's wearing off than it is to prevent them while it's in your system (at least for people who tend to have them in the first place). And ... it can do similar things with anxiety, too.

 

From http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/benzodiazepines.jsp:

 

The combined effects of benzodiazepines and alcohol or other CNS depressants (drugs that slow the central nervous system) can be very dangerous, leading to unconsciousness or, rarely, even death. Anyone taking benzodiazepines should not drink alcohol and should check with his or her physician before using any CNS depressants. Taking an overdose of benzodiazepines can also cause unconsciousness and possibly death. Anyone who shows signs of an overdose or of the effects of combining benzodiazepines with alcohol or other drugs should get immediate emergency help. Warning signs include slurred speech or confusion, severe drowsiness, staggering, and profound weakness.

 

Tony

[[el...]]

I have not slept well all week...don't know how long I can do this not sleeping.

Would it be wrong to drink a couple of drinks?

bizi

 

Biz, did you read this about summer? http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=8250.msg98589#msg98589

Honey, please don't even consider drinking. 

[[...]]

Thank you eljay for bringing this up.

I feel sorry for summers family...they must be devasted.

Got to sleep finally last night and slept hard.

Instead of getting better, I was going backward in more days of not sleeping well.

 

Waht do you think of melatonin?

 

bizi