My regular (non-LLMD) doc gave me an RX for both flexeril and clonezepam/klonopin for my neck pain issues.
I took the flexeril last night. I'm a little afraid of the other one. It has so many warnings all over the bottle.
It's omly 10 pills, .5 mg each.
Would you be worried? I see that you cannot stop cold turkey. Would taking ten pills in ten days be cold turkey? What if I only took one tonight just to see if it made my neck better then did not take any more?
Thank you for any thoughts.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
My husband takes one every once in a while for restless leg. So, I know that if you took one tonight to try it out, you would be fine.
I read one website about addiction to clonazepam. It says you can become addicted in as little as 2 weeks. So, that sounds like you could take it for 6 days in a row with no problem.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
You really are wise to be careful with Klonopin. Very addictive and I hear it can be a nightmare to get off of.
Is your neck any better?
Posted by woodstock (Member # 43072) on :
Hi
I took half a pill last night. I am not convinced it did much. I did fall asleep pretty quickly (took it with flexeril) but when I woke up at 3 AM neck still hurt (is that to be expected? how long will this take?).
I am up and my neck simply isn't comfortable although throughout this, the "most comfortable" for my neck is to be standing or walking (if you can believe it). Sitting and typing aggravates it, and lying down - forget it.
Sigh.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Is this neck pain from lyme, or from a bad disc in the neck, or from some other cause?
That determines what will help you.
I would not normally take clonazepam for neck pain.
If the neck pain is from lyme, you may want to try something for nerve pain--such as neurontin or Ultram.
Taking either clonazepam or flexeril will put you to sleep. Taking both will really knock you out.
Try ice and try heat. If the problem is resolved by changing positions as you seem to be indicating, then it could be a disc issue. For that, I would take an anti-inflammatory like Celebrex. My hubby takes Celebrex a few days in a row when his bad disc in his neck acts up. (He doesn't have lyme.)
So, as you can see, you have to figure out what is causing the neck pain to know what to take for it. My husband had his neck x-rayed and he knows he has arthritis, degenerative discs, etc. in his neck. So, the Celebrex does the trick for him.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Right... woodstock .. the klonopin is basically just to help you relax and to sleep. I doubt it does anything for pain.
Are you taking an anti-inflammatory of any sort?
Posted by woodstock (Member # 43072) on :
We are still trying to figure it out. It's been a little over two weeks and when I saw the lyme doc almost two weeks ago it was mostly just right shoulder and her theory was ileocecal valve issues caused by candida.
So I am being treated for Candida by her as well as waiting for CT scan results for my lower abdomen.
My GP thinks it's possible hyper extended due to sleeping wrong (on stomach, arms under head) and exacerbating it. He wants to treat the rock hard stiffness of my neck and shoulder muscles before looking into an Xray or MRI for possible disc issues.
So it is still early stages.
clonazepam will relax muscles. I think he does want me to fall well asleep to give it all a chance to simmer down.
Posted by Lymedin2010 (Member # 34322) on :
When I first took Clonopin I felt sleepy pretty quick & it had a big impact on me. Within 3 months I had to go from lowest dose .05mg I think it was & only 1/2 a pill to the entire pill.
After many months of use the effects wore off & I stopped cold turkey, despite the advice of many. I think I am built like a brick house, just like my father who could easily stop smoking after many years. He could just quit on the fly & it seems that I can do that too without any repercussions.
Now I take 1/2 pill on my worst days (Maybe 2-4 times a month) & try to stay away from pain killers overall. I don't think it is worth the side effects, addiction/dependency, & gradual tapering ineffectiveness overall just based upon my experience & relating it to others.
Posted by Abxnomore (Member # 18936) on :
Yes Klonopin is not only used for anxiety but is also prescribed as a muscle relaxer, which it does very well.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Have you tried a good brand of magnesium, like Mag-Tab SR?
I have known some lyme patients with a tight muscle just in one part of the body, and when they upped their mag, it went away in a week.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Good tip, TF!! I am a firm believer in plenty of mag! Get anything but mag oxide and it will help.
Posted by Lymedin2010 (Member # 34322) on :
Yea good tip on Mag-Tab SR & you got me thinking about my experience with Mag.
I took that a while back & stopped, because I did not notice a difference. Then I started taking it again but only 1 pill/day.
Then I started 2 Mag-Tab SR pills/day. One in AM & another at night. Do you think more than that is needed?
Maybe the effects are so subtle & maybe this is the reason I am not as dependent on Klonopin anymore. I would say try Mag-Tab before Klonopin as well.
Posted by woodstock (Member # 43072) on :
I will look at my mag pills. I just got them at Harris Teeter. Not sure what "kind" they are.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Lymedin.. Hard to say how much you need. You could easily do 4 a day.
I like ReMag for magnesium. My husband takes a brand called Jigsaw. It's good too and has Vit B6 with it.