Hi,
I have not been on the forms in a few months. My father-in-law is doing much better. We have placed him in an assisted living facility. He is very happy as we are. I just took him to his regular doctor yesterday and we are waiting for a referal to see Dr Ringman at UCLA. His doctor has prescribed clonazelam for his sleep disturbance. Has anyone used this medication. and what are the pros and cons

Thanks
Carol

We've used Clonazepam (Klonopin) for about 30 years. I think that it is a pretty standard treatment for Rem sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD).

For us, here are the Pros:
1 It works. It greatly reduces and usually eliminates completely the acting-out-dreams behavior.
2 I am no longer black and blue in the morning. I am no longer considering separate bedrooms.
3 My husband does not injure himself flinging himself out of bed.
4 My husband experiences no side effects.
5 If he takes it, it works for that night. If he doesn't, he acts out his dreams that night. If he takes it the next night, it works again.
6 Insurance covers it (although in the early days it had to be justified by the doctor).
7 It is not huge or hard-to-swallow (for someone with normal swallowing function.)
8 It has continued to work at the same dosage for all that time.

For us, here are the Cons:



Carol, I'm glad the ALF is working well for your FIL. Let's hope for an extended period of smooth going.

Yes, clonazepam (Klonopin) is standard treatment for sleep problems. It doesn't sit well with everyone, however.

Have you read Dr. Boeve's "Continuum" paper published in 2004 on a standard treatment regimen for LBD symptoms? You can find the paper on lbda.org.

You can get good info on prescription drugs from websites such as rxlist.com or drugs.com.

My mother used clonazepam for three years or so before her diagnosis (though now I realize she had LBD for at least that long) and it worked wonderfully to resolve her anxiety. It was discontinued by the neurologists at the major teaching hospital when she was there for a workup and got her LBD diagnosis (not sure why--I wasn't aware of it until she had been discharged so I didn't have a chance to ask).

Now she is in an SNF and her local doctor has prescribed Ativan (not sure why the change) PRN for anxiety because she gets upset and cries on a regular basis. But sadly, the DON refuses to have it administered. We have discussed it and she says it is too much of a risk for dizziness and falling (my mother is still ambulatory with a walker). I informed the doctor, who called and talked to the DON, but no change. I do try to pick my battles with the DON so I am biding my time with this issue, but I wish my mother could just go back on clonazepam.

Julianne

Carol, my husband cannot tolerate Klonopin. It dulls him intellectually and in his personality. Makes him groggy and unfocused. It also can be habit forming and require increases in dosage to be effective.
So for some of us, it just is not worth the price.
Glad it works for many, though.
Pat

Pat, were you using this at bedtime only, for RBD, or for one of its other uses?

Leone, I Googled Seroquel and Klonipin taken together and I get an answer from wikianswers that it can be taken together and is sometimes prescribed that way. On an other thread the person said everyone she had sees taking both together were kind of like zombies. But then that would probably be in the daytime and you are just using it for sleep. You may want to Google it yourself and read more. Good luck, Leone. I have my fingers crossed for you that you will have found the answer to Dale's sleep issues. Here's for a GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP!!

Smiles, Nan

Leone, I saw your post early today, but I was not able to login -- kept telling me I wasn't on file. What did you wind up doing?

FYI, Coy takes 100 mg of Seroquel and 2 mg of Klonopin each night, immediately before bedtime.

That's great news, Leone! You must be so relieved.

Julianne

A good night's sleep AND a quiet day! You must be in heaven! Lynn

Leone, that is interesting. I wonder if now that he can sleep he is making up for lost time. It will be interesting to see if he becomes more wakeful after he has had several good nights sleep.