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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Squiggles on November 19, 2006, at 19:54:23
I've been hunting this down for some
time now. The psychoanalytic sites are
quite laughable.What I did find, barring a virus that has
hit everyone in the Northern hemisphere, like
the tsetse fly (very unlikely) or bioterrorism
weapons in the water, etc., is that Hypersomnia
is associated with sleep apnea or respiratory
depression.Both my friend and I (she has been hit harder
and takes double the clonazepam than I do) get
sleep attacks.Because clonazepam CAN and probably DOES cause
respiratory retardation, sleep apnea may result.
Hence the sleep attacks or narcoleptic fits in the day.It is mysterious however, that this has happened in the past year and both of us have been taking clonazepam for longer than than.
That's a guess.
Squiggles
Posted by Phillipa on November 19, 2006, at 22:24:03
In reply to Hypersomnia, posted by Squiggles on November 19, 2006, at 19:54:23
Don't laugh but you can do you snore? That's a sign of sleep aphnea. love Phillipa
Posted by Quintal on November 19, 2006, at 22:41:47
In reply to Hypersomnia, posted by Squiggles on November 19, 2006, at 19:54:23
Well, I had respiratory depression from clonazepam around December last year Squiggles, but I was taking something like 20mg a day in combo with at least 400mg tramadol, so not surprising then :-) I kept blacking out all the time and still bear the scar on my left temple where I collapsed against the kitchen table and knocked myself out.
I do know what you mean about sleep attacks on clonazepam though. What I would do to have them now I'm off it.............. anything to get a few hours sleep - not even mirtazapine works, and that's supposed to be good for sleep apnoea?
I started using Breathe Right nasal strips to open my airways a bit at night and I do wake up feeling *slightly* more refreshed, well it's better than having to keep getting up to sip water because my mouth is bone dry where I've been breathing through it.
Q
Posted by Phillipa on November 19, 2006, at 22:46:24
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Squiggles, posted by Quintal on November 19, 2006, at 22:41:47
Do you snore? And do you get seizures? That's such a high dose how did you manage to tapper off? Love Phillipa
Posted by Quintal on November 19, 2006, at 23:13:31
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Quintal, posted by Phillipa on November 19, 2006, at 22:46:24
I don't know if I snore for sure a lot, but I would guess so as I do wake myself up sometimes with the noise I'm making. I was taking 200mg Lamictal back in December and that was the only thing helping me withdraw by reducing seizures. I had to quit cold turkey from both clonazepam and tramadol at the same time as I had been getting them from online pharmacies and my credit cards hit their limits.
I had been taking 7mg for a while, the 20mg thing was a short phase of despair before my supply finally ran out. I told my GP and pdoc but they believed it was all a plot to get my hands on more benzos. I did have a few minor seizures but luckily I was spending most of my time in bed wrapped up in a quilt for protection.
I did go back to benzos early in the summer so I could return to work, but had to withdraw abruptly again in July and I don't feel like taking them ever again now. It's just not work the pain if you know what I mean? I just hope I can find something to make life bearable soon.
Q
Posted by Squiggles on November 19, 2006, at 23:58:13
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Squiggles, posted by Phillipa on November 19, 2006, at 22:24:03
> Don't laugh but you can do you snore? That's a sign of sleep aphnea. love Phillipa
No, i don't, according to my husband.
But then again my dose is low and my
naps are short.Squiggles
Posted by Squiggles on November 20, 2006, at 0:02:13
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Squiggles, posted by Quintal on November 19, 2006, at 22:41:47
> Well, I had respiratory depression from clonazepam around December last year Squiggles, but I was taking something like 20mg a day in combo with at least 400mg tramadol, so not surprising then :-) I kept blacking out all the time and still bear the scar on my left temple where I collapsed against the kitchen table and knocked myself out.
>That sounds rough. 20mg is a high dose -- sorry
you have to take that much. It's really not
comparable to my friend's case.
> I do know what you mean about sleep attacks on clonazepam though. What I would do to have them now I'm off it.............. anything to get a few hours sleep - not even mirtazapine works, and that's supposed to be good for sleep apnoea?
>Poor thing. I hope you find a drug that allows
you to sleep - maybe you withdrew too fast; maybe
you shouldn't have withdrawan at all.
> I started using Breathe Right nasal strips to open my airways a bit at night and I do wake up feeling *slightly* more refreshed, well it's better than having to keep getting up to sip water because my mouth is bone dry where I've been breathing through it.
>
That's an idea. I don't have that problem,
but i'll suggest it to my friend in case she
does -- i haven't asked her on that.Squiggles
> Q
Posted by yxibow on November 20, 2006, at 5:44:18
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Squiggles, posted by Phillipa on November 19, 2006, at 22:24:03
> Don't laugh but you can do you snore? That's a sign of sleep aphnea. love Phillipa
Snoring is a very common phenomenon and virtually everyone has probably snored at one time in their life and is not always a sign of sleep apnea. However, loud, interrupted, frequent snoring, especially in someone overweight can be an indication of sleep apnea.
I have experienced partially obstructive sleep apnea because of weight issues; when I was extremely overweight my uvula would be inflamed for part of the day, which was rather annoying because I could feel it on my tongue. Eventually with (or without) ibuprofen / acetaminophen it subsided during the day. Other odd mouth based irritations have occurred randomly at times.
Weight is one of the biggest factors, however serious sleep apnea (actual obstruction) is a medical diagnosis onto its own with a variety of reasons.
-- Jay
Posted by Phillipa on November 20, 2006, at 17:44:46
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Squiggles, posted by Phillipa on November 19, 2006, at 22:24:03
Jay I know I've snored some myself. That must be horrible about your problem. Doesn't sound pleasant at all. Love Phillipa
Posted by Quintal on November 21, 2006, at 10:03:26
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Quintal, posted by Squiggles on November 20, 2006, at 0:02:13
>Poor thing. I hope you find a drug that allows
you to sleep - maybe you withdrew too fast; maybe
you shouldn't have withdrawan at all.I would probably still be taking benzos if I had the choice. I'm looking to try Lyrica as an alternative but the GP refused as she has no experience with it.
Q
Posted by Phillipa on November 21, 2006, at 18:12:03
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Squiggles, posted by Quintal on November 21, 2006, at 10:03:26
So what class of drugs is lyrica? And it really works for anxiety and depression? Love Phillipa
Posted by yxibow on November 22, 2006, at 0:40:44
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Quintal, posted by Phillipa on November 21, 2006, at 18:12:03
> So what class of drugs is lyrica? And it really works for anxiety and depression? Love Phillipa
Lyrica is an AED (anti-epileptic drug), a class frequently used offlabel by psychiatrists because some do posess anxiolytic and anti-manic properties.
Specifically it is a structurally related GABA analogue / isomer / etc. such as Neurontin but with a Category V slapped on it (the lowest form of dependency -- I've never heard of any C-V drugs in recent times actually), which passes through the blood-brain barrier unlike the supplement GABA which basically never makes it there.
Posted by Phillipa on November 22, 2006, at 18:38:13
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » Phillipa, posted by yxibow on November 22, 2006, at 0:40:44
Jay so my interpretation is that it is a possible substitute or add on for benzos? Maybe instead of antipsychotics? Love Phillipa
Posted by yxibow on November 22, 2006, at 22:44:39
In reply to Re: Hypersomnia » yxibow, posted by Phillipa on November 22, 2006, at 18:38:13
> Jay so my interpretation is that it is a possible substitute or add on for benzos? Maybe instead of antipsychotics? Love Phillipa
I would say in the very short term a substitute, and when one becomes used to the sedative effects an add-on in my experience. They have somewhat different uses than antipsychotics, although lower dose atypicals are used for mania, and they are also add-ons to SSRIs.
-- Jay
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