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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AnneL on June 26, 2001, at 21:52:58
Need some advice. . . Take Effexor XR 150 mg. in the AM and Klonopin 1 mg. Have been on this regimen for 4 months now. Klonopin was prescribed to help me sleep due to AD induced insomnia and start-up side effect of anxiety. I am doing very well except for the sleep department. I literally "pass out" on Klonopin, have no memory of what I watched on TV in bed the last 20 to 30 minutes of my evening, talk all night long (so loud I even wake myself up) and have non-stop dreams (nothing vivid or scary). Is this the Klonopin, Effexor or a combination of both? Can I just stop taking Klonopin after 4 months of nightly use or do I need to taper off of it? If tapering is called for, do I decrease it by 1/2 and for how long? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'am sure my husband would like to hold his conversations with me during the day instead of at 3:00 AM! Thanks, AnneL
Posted by SalArmy4me on June 27, 2001, at 2:17:42
In reply to Weird Sleep - Talk all night long. . ., posted by AnneL on June 26, 2001, at 21:52:58
I had that same effect from Effexor. It didn't last long...I think my brain just needed some time to get used to the chemicals I was feeding it.
> Need some advice. . . Take Effexor XR 150 mg. in the AM and Klonopin 1 mg. Have been on this regimen for 4 months now. Klonopin was prescribed to help me sleep due to AD induced insomnia and start-up side effect of anxiety. I am doing very well except for the sleep department. I literally "pass out" on Klonopin, have no memory of what I watched on TV in bed the last 20 to 30 minutes of my evening, talk all night long (so loud I even wake myself up) and have non-stop dreams (nothing vivid or scary). Is this the Klonopin, Effexor or a combination of both? Can I just stop taking Klonopin after 4 months of nightly use or do I need to taper off of it? If tapering is called for, do I decrease it by 1/2 and for how long? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'am sure my husband would like to hold his conversations with me during the day instead of at 3:00 AM! Thanks, AnneL
Posted by Elizabeth on June 27, 2001, at 22:55:12
In reply to Weird Sleep - Talk all night long. . ., posted by AnneL on June 26, 2001, at 21:52:58
> I literally "pass out" on Klonopin, have no memory of what I watched on TV in bed the last 20 to 30 minutes of my evening, talk all night long (so loud I even wake myself up) and have non-stop dreams (nothing vivid or scary).
When did this start? Did you start taking the Klonopin and the Effexor at the same time? (Starting multiple meds at once can make it difficult to tell what's doing what.)
Effexor and the SSRIs have some strange effects on sleep architecture, and sometimes this results in bizarre behaviour during sleep. I don't think I've ever heard of talking as a side effect, but my guess would be that the Effexor is the culprit.
> Can I just stop taking Klonopin after 4 months of nightly use or do I need to taper off of it?
4 months at 1 mg, bedtime only, right? I'd strongly suggest tapering. You should talk to your doctor about a schedule for tapering, and it should be flexible depending on what you can tolerate. An example of a reasonable tapering schedule would be to take 0.75 mg (I'd recommend getting some 0.5 mg tablets so you'd only have to split them in half), and if that seems okay, stay at that dose for a week or so. Then decrease to 0.5 mg, stay there for a week or so (if you're okay at that dose), and so on. You could even go down to 0.125mg (1/4 of a 0.5mg tablet) before stopping altogether, if you need to.
4 months isn't too terribly long to be on Klonopin, and you should be able to get off it completely within a month (probably faster). But there's no reason to push yourself. The key phrase is "as tolerated." :-)
-elizabeth
Posted by Noa on June 28, 2001, at 10:58:17
In reply to Re: Weird Sleep » AnneL, posted by Elizabeth on June 27, 2001, at 22:55:12
I had the sleeptalking early on with effexor (and paxil before that), too, but it seems to have gone away. I had forgotten about it until I read your post.
Posted by AnneL on June 29, 2001, at 22:44:07
In reply to Re: Weird Sleep » AnneL, posted by Elizabeth on June 27, 2001, at 22:55:12
> > Hi Elizabeth,
Yes I started both meds at the same time. Obviously I have worked up to 150 mg. of Effexor over a period of time, have been on this dose for maybe 6 or 7 weeks. I take the Klonopin at night.
The only reason I was prescribed Klonopin was because I started getting panic attacks and phobic about sleeping at night when I started taking Effexor. It was probably a response to the initial activating effects of the Effexor.Is there any problem with speeding up the tapering dose? Like can it cause convulsions (as happens to those who d/c longterm, high dose Xanax?)? I have been taking 0.5 mg. for about 5 days now and haven't had any problems. I just don't want to be on it anymore. It makes me nervous as I fall asleep. I understand that nervousness in some people is a potential with Klonopin. Thanks for your help, AnneL
Posted by Elizabeth on June 30, 2001, at 1:40:46
In reply to Re: Weird Sleep » Elizabeth, posted by AnneL on June 29, 2001, at 22:44:07
> The only reason I was prescribed Klonopin was because I started getting panic attacks and phobic about sleeping at night when I started taking Effexor. It was probably a response to the initial activating effects of the Effexor.
Yes, I'd say so. That's what I guess you could call a form of agoraphobia, the fear of sleeping because of the possibility of night terrors.
> Is there any problem with speeding up the tapering dose? Like can it cause convulsions (as happens to those who d/c longterm, high dose Xanax?)?
You haven't been on it that long, but I'd be cautious about tapering. Just remember the magic words: "as tolerated." If 0.5 mg has been fine for you for 5 days, try going down to 0.25.
Good luck,
-elizabeth
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