found to lead the pack on most addictive drug in america over oxy, soma, etc. half life of up to 52 hours. worst drug ive ever taken. if you start dont plan on quitting. recovery is up to 5 months. i know, i did it. if anyone has been on it for longer than the two week suggested use, ask them to quit for 5 days and see what they feel like. almost lost my family over klonopin.

BT

with such long halflife by the time you take your next dose your body hasnt come close to processing the last dose so you become saturated.


BT

There are so MANY natural things you can take. I am very ANTI DRUG as BT. HERSHEY MILK CHOCOLATE helps me, peppermint lifesavers, Sleepytime tea has peppermint and chamomile, Ashwagandha works.

You can google herb sleep aid --even lavender helps.

My friend was an insomniac for 26? years? and she used e ssential oils, a combination called VALOR I think. You DILUTE IT like crazy and even DILUTED, ONE drop rubbed into her feet has cured her. I will check with her, I think the company has the word young in it, like Young LIving ? It lasts for many months..

Alex,

My mother started with Ambien years ago for similar sleep problems to yours but, eventually, it didn't work for her, too. She's been on Clonazepam (generic Klonopin) for at least four years, starting with 0.5 mg and working up to 2 mg by the spring of 2013. It worked great for her, but the medical director of the skilled-nursing facility where she was at that time not only decided -- unilaterally! -- to take her off the Clonzepam but also did so too quickly, being known in this area for his anti-addiction advocacy "for" the elderly.

That action plus the fact that we had just lost my father, my mother's husband of almost 57 years, several weeks earlier and a nasty aide on the night-shift at the SNF made for the perfect storm. All this led to a heightened state of anxiety mixed with multiple nights' sleep deprivation, all of which led to a suicide attempt early one morning. (She, like comedian/actor Robin Williams, cut her left wrist. Fortunately, when that method was too painful to complete, she had no other options since she couldn't get out of bed unassisted, unlike Robin Williams who, regrettably, found another means.)

Since my mother's PD neurologist and the medical director know one another and may even be friends, our PD neurologist was reluctant at first to put my mother back on Clonazepam, despite my mother's wishes and my support of her. Who cares if my mother is addicted; she's 77 years old, has advanced PD and all that it entails, AND this drug gave her peaceful rest at night and prevented day-time anxiety. Nevertheless, she was put through months of experimentation with different drugs and combinations of drugs until, finally, last fall, we found a new solution: 1 mg Clonazepam and 250 mg Devalproex ER (generic for Depakote ER). And, so, the many, many nights of poor sleep and even plenty of nights of not sleeping at all came to an end, as did the afternoon anxiety.

I don't want to encourage drug addiction and it may not be the right medication for everyone or even many, but...it's the only medication that, alone or with an add-on sleep med. that's worked for my mother in this stage of the disease. The additional benefit of having her live anxiety-free (PD-caused anxiety) is also worth gold, both for her and for me since it keeps me, as her caregiver and only family, from having to get on meds myself. ;-)

Alex,

Your sleep schedule sound all too familiar to me. Been there with you many nights.

I have been taking clonazepam since the beginning of the year. I started at .25 mg went to .5 mg and am back down to .25 mg. It does help me to sleep more than 2 hours at a time and it also keeps me from screaming out loud and kicking in my sleep. I do not feel "hung over" in the morning although some mornings I do need an extra 30 minutes to get going.

It may work for you and it may not, but you won't know until you try it. That's what we do...... we try meds on until we find the one that works for us. That's the beauty of this group. You get feedback from different sources and you can choose what's best for you.

Best of luck in finding your sleep solution.

Madge

P.S. I found that earplugs help a lot, too!

Klonipin is on my BAD drug list -- for me the reactions to the drug were dementia. And it certainly didn't help my sleep. I am,, however not discouraging you from trying it. I have a nightly routine, which includes meditation. Most of the time that works. I can tax 1/2 - 1 mg of Xanax if I need it, but seldom do.

Prayers you find peaceful sleep!