Experience with Clonazepam/Klonopin?

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

Mom's been having some changes in her sleeping habits and right now I'm trying to figure out if it's the medication she's on or something else.

About a month and a half ago, she was put on hospice, all her regular meds stopped, and was put on Clonazepam. I thought it was to help her sleep through the night; my sisters said it was for the convulsions she had.

She was doing the shaking thing about a year ago. She'd start doing in her sleep, wake up right after, and meander around the room. My older sister was supposed to bring the issue up to mom's doctors but I don't know if anything was done about it..

At that time she had been on Mirtazapine for sleep for roughly a month or two. My younger sister and I were doubtful about it helping her sleep after being on it for three or four months. She's been officially off of it and on Clonazepam when she started hospice.

Her shaking in her sleep has stopped, according to my dad, but now she's doing a lot of rocking back and forth and a lot of movement in her sleep since starting the Clonazepam. Being on her stomach seems to get the most rocking, less of it if on her side, none sleeping sitting up. While awake and alert, which is very infrequent these days, she also seems to be compelled to shake or move. When she's awake but not alert, she's in bed rocking on her belly and would fall asleep and then wake up and rock again.

She's also taking melatonin, given by hospice to help her sleep. No idea if it works or not because she is rocking instead of sleeping.

Has anyone else experience similar things with Clonazepam?

M1

Clonazepam is a short-acting benzodiazepine that can be used to treat anxiety and/or seizures. It isn't typically used as a sleep aid, although I suppose it could be. Since there's a question of your mom having had seizures, I wouldn't stop it, and certainly wouldn't stop it suddenly. Is the rocking bothering her, or is it bothering you guys watching her? I know it must be hard to not know what to do. Have you asked about pain medications? Morphine if you think she's in distress?

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

So glad you're here M1, hope you're fairing well.

Hospice gave us morphine so we have it on hand. Have not used it and lacking any information about it.

She doesn't seem distressed, just extremely tired (sometimes she so tired that she has no reaction to anything negative that happens to her. Except for her flu shot, she said ow). The rocking seems to be preventing her from sleeping and since she still shares a bed with dad, it bothers him (but we've got a hospital bed we're working on getting ready for her so that should not be a problem in the near future). The rocking doesn't bother me beyond not knowing if that means she's awake and ready for the day or not.

My older sister was supposed to ask about liquid/dissolvable painkillers, I currently don't know if she did. Thank you M1 for the reminder.

The way the hospice nurse talks, it sounds like they're also using Clonazepam as a sleep aid. She started on .25 dosage and the shaking stopped but her waking up constantly continued so they upped it to .5. The melatonin was started after that, not sure what dosage, but that amount was also doubled at their suggestion to get her to sleep. The one nurse doesn't want to give her "any of the heavy stuff" because they're afraid she'd be like a zombie, but she practically is now.

She is hardly able to speak words, rarely makes expressions, is constantly nodding off when not outright asleep, and refuses food. I don't know if this is the disease or lack of sleep. This is typical as the disease progresses, I have read, but in the past she'd be like this when she had insufficient rest as well.

M1

If she's refusing food, you may be getting pretty close to the end times. Don't be afraid of the morphine, though you do have to watch for constipation with it. It comes as a liquid as well, you might want to ask about that. Morphine might put her to sleep too.....klonopin is very short-acting, therefore not great for sleep.

Hope that helps, and I hope your hospice nurse is helpful also-

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

I've only thought morphine was liquid. Hospice is only here once a week, randomly, and I have only met with them once in the roughly two months she's been with them.

Thanks for saying it might be close to end times. I've been trying to be of aware when it happens but things I'd call telltale signs hadn't happen yet. That probably affected my assessment of her.

I feel like there's a lot I need to be studying up on that I've missed, thank you

M1

Morphine is available in a lot of different forms--liquid, IV, immediate release and extended release tablets. The liquid drops are nice because you can titrate the dose pretty easily in these circumstances--maybe that's what you already have. Even if they only come once a week, don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call if you're not sure.

jfkoc

Yes, please talk to Hospice. They are there for you too and they have a social worker and a chaplain.

You can get a lot of info re drugs online. I use drugs.com but there are others.

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

Oh I think I've heard of drugs.com. I usually do a web search and read through a few pages about whatever it was I was looking up.

I need to read up on what things hospice provides because so far two things I have asked them about, they said they don't do it.

mrsabaldwin

My mom does not shake but does experience choreoathetosis movement. Apparently from a recent stroke and arterial fibromuscular dysplasia. The movement does bother my mom. Seroquel does help. Aricept made it worse. She does not sleep well even with Seroquel and melatonin does nothing for her. Maybe ask if Seroquel is appropriate for your mom’s condition?