Question:
I realize that this is mostly a sleep apnea group.
I suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder.
This is when normal sleep paralysis does not
occur. My GP prescribed .25mg Klonopin.
I think it stopped the disorder but the medicine
is worse than the disorder. I can not live with
the side effects. Any recommendations
on type of specialist to see? Any sort of tests to
ask for? Anyone else have successful treatment?
Answer:
Know what you mean about Klonopin. Ooooh, the depression it caused! I
can, however, take .5mg a couple of times a week which is a bit of a
help. A doc who specializes in sleep disorders will probably order the
PSG, which is done overnight in a sleep lab. Very revealing, that test!
The results surprised the heck outta me!
I am unsure about the usefulness of the
sleep study. What did yours reveal? Klonopin caused me to
lose alertness during the day and to be sleepy all day long. It
also caused vivid dreams at 3 in the morning such that I couldn't
go back to sleep. It is hard to say if one caused the other. But
after stopping the drug I fell much better.
The surprise reveal was PLMD. I had no idea as my sheets aren't even
wrinkled in the morning! It also showed I got no stage 3 or 4 sleep
probably because of the PLMD...something like 17 wake-ups per hour. I
knew I wasn't getting a good night's sleep but I thought it was due to
fibromyalgia. For me, the PSG was the most useful test I've had in the
past decade. It also showed no apnea but that wasn't a surprise!
Sounds like you and Klonopin aren't meant for each other. I'm extremely
drug sensitive so know what you're going thru. I worked up to the .5mg
dosage. I like that it doesn't cause that sleepy hangover the next day
but, as I mentioned, it did cause depression which stopped once I
stopped taking it nightly. Sometimes, after taking a drug for a few
weeks, the side effects diminish or go away. I don't have time to lose
weeks of work to find out! Everyone reacts differently. I hope you find
a solution.
i'd ask a neurologist, preferably one who specializes in sleep
disorders- they do exist, especially at sleep centers.
according to my sleep test, i have very little rem sleep, and
it all occurs in the morning, just before i'm wanting to get
up. i was also found to have central sleep apnea, in which my
brain forgets to breathe periodically during sleep. a full
sleep study can be invaluable, as i expected only to find a
strange cycle to explain why i was waking so tired. i didn't
know i was partially rousing 42 times per hour!
