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How Effective Is Klonopin In Treating Sleeping Disorders?

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Posted on Sat, 21 Jan 2017
Question: I am taking .50 mg of Kolonopin to treat REM sleep behavior disorder but I can not really tell a difference. I take it an hour before bedtime. Is this normal ?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dariush Saghafi (52 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Is there someone who can witness you asleep?

Detailed Answer:
Good evening. I'm not sure how you got the diagnosis in the first place. In other words, was there a person (wife, sleep partner, etc) who got you to go in for testing because THEY noticed you were being very active during dream periods or thrashing about while asleep? Or was this diagnosis fortuitously found because someone ordered a sleep study on you for some unrelated purpose? Typically, someone who is being successfully treated for REM sleep disorder may not actually feel anything differently since the activity that is supposedly being treated happens while the person is asleep.

If on the other hand you are having symptoms of extreme daytime fatigue and now you are not experiencing that sort of problem then, it may be due to the fact that your nocturnal sleep disorder is in fact being properly treated.

The easiest way to tell if you're responding to the medication is to ask whoever is usually your bed partner to advise you of what's going on with your sleep behavior while you're asleep. Or can you put a video camera on yourself while asleep?

The final tool that can definitely help tell whether the medication is working or not would be to get a repeat SLEEP STUDY that you likely got in order to diagnose the problem in the first place.

If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.

Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others.

This query has utilized a total of 20 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Follow up: Dr. Dariush Saghafi (19 minutes later)
My wife witnesses my sleep behavior and also the sleep study was to determine if I have sleep apnea. It was found I have veery mild case.

The prescribed Kolonopin, was suppose to relax means help with the sleep disorder. I do not really feel any more relaxed than when not taking and my wife tells me that I am still talking, singing, picking at the air or trying to swat at something
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dariush Saghafi (44 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Then, the answer is right there, is it not?

Detailed Answer:
So then, if your wife is witnessing ongoing behavior of this REM sleep disturbance and you feel no differently taking the medication then, I believe the only logical conclusions from this information is that:

1. The medication is not being dosed high enough (speak to your physician and report what's going on)

2. The original diagnosis of the type of sleep disorder is incorrect (again, speak to your physician and question the diagnosis since treatment seems not to be working)

3.The medication prescribed simply doesn't work well enough for you.

I believe those are the 3 conclusions that can be drawn from everything you're describing, do you agree?

Klonopin is actually the most commonly prescribed medications for this condition but there are certainly some people who don't seem to respond to it which is why I tend not to use it in most cases. I use MELATONIN......plus melatonin does not have any significant dependency issues associated with its use with Klonopin is fairly addictive in a short period of time. Still, it's a good drug for this condition. Another option which is considered a potential treatment option though not as popular is MELATONIN.

I very much like MELATONIN for REM sleep disorder but the dose for therapeutic effect is usually much higher than standard instructions for over the counter usage/ Typically, one needs 3-5x higher dosing which most doctors don't feel comfortable giving which explains why most don't prescribe it to patients. I, on the other hand, very much like melatonin and highly recommend you consider its use.

If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.

Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others.

This query has utilized a total of 35 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dariush Saghafi

Neurologist

Practicing since :1988

Answered : 2473 Questions

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How Effective Is Klonopin In Treating Sleeping Disorders?

Brief Answer: Is there someone who can witness you asleep? Detailed Answer: Good evening. I'm not sure how you got the diagnosis in the first place. In other words, was there a person (wife, sleep partner, etc) who got you to go in for testing because THEY noticed you were being very active during dream periods or thrashing about while asleep? Or was this diagnosis fortuitously found because someone ordered a sleep study on you for some unrelated purpose? Typically, someone who is being successfully treated for REM sleep disorder may not actually feel anything differently since the activity that is supposedly being treated happens while the person is asleep. If on the other hand you are having symptoms of extreme daytime fatigue and now you are not experiencing that sort of problem then, it may be due to the fact that your nocturnal sleep disorder is in fact being properly treated. The easiest way to tell if you're responding to the medication is to ask whoever is usually your bed partner to advise you of what's going on with your sleep behavior while you're asleep. Or can you put a video camera on yourself while asleep? The final tool that can definitely help tell whether the medication is working or not would be to get a repeat SLEEP STUDY that you likely got in order to diagnose the problem in the first place. If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out. Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. This query has utilized a total of 20 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.