When to Take Klonopin/Clonazepam?

[Love2Sk8]

Hi,
I've been back on benzos (first Ativan and now Klonopin) for the past two months. My question is - do any of you benefit from taking it at night? Do you still feel the benefits throughout the next day?

I have been taking .5 mg Klonopin in the morning because I really want to feel the effects during the day so I can be productive. But I'm not sure if it is making me more tired or contributing to my fatigue. I am already tired and fatigued constantly because of anxiety (and because of interrupted sleep by two little ones).

Does anyone see good results taking this at night? Do you still feel the results the next day or might it wear off by then?

Thanks,
Anna

[tmmartin]

Anna,

I have just started taking this drug as well and have only been taking .25mg at night to start.  I have noticed that it does calm me a bit before bed, but I continue to have anxiety issues during the day.  One thing that I do notice is that it does make me drowsy a few hours after taking it, so I have been avoiding taking it in the morning.  Hope that this helps!

Theresa

[eduk8or]

Clonazepam makes me sleepy so I usually took mine at night.  I took .5mg, but not on a regular basis.  If I neede some during the day, I only took .25 mg because otherwise I was way too drowsy.  Again, I used it on an "as needed basis" rather than on a regular schedule, so I'm not sure if this helps...

[BusuB]

klonopin will not last 24 hours... most people who take it regularly take a dose 2-3 times daily due to it's relatively short half life of 16-20 hours.  My personal opinion and practice is to only use when absolutely necessary (aka on the verge of meltdown).  Haven't taken a dose since November when I did my Paxil start up and then it was .5mg twice daily for a period of 2 weeks, then halfing the dose every 3 days to nothing.

Personally I felt worse coming off the klonopin than I did starting the Paxil.  Mostly because benzo's act like alcohol on the CNS.  See paxil/alcohol thread for how I get when on alcohol.

[Love2Sk8]

16-20 hours is all I need (for now)  I started taking it last night (instead of yesterday morning), and what a difference it made today! I had much more energy. It wore off by the time that I was feeding the kids dinner and putting them to bed this evening, but at least in the evenings, I don't have to be ultra productive and thankfully have my husband to lean on for support.

So for me, it looks like taking it right before bed is going to work well.

Best wishes,
Anna

[shygirl26]

I have been taking klonopin for about 2 months now, I don't take it at night because it makes me feel horrible in the morning. I try to only take it when I absolutely have to - when I feel like I'm about or start to have a panic attack, or if I know in advance that I will be put into a situation where I'll feel anxious. It doesn't really make me feel sleepy anymore though, so I don't mind taking it during the day. Of course, that's different for everyone though.