Clonazepam for epilepsy muscle spasm dosage?

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goodnightsprite
User offline. Last seen 2 years 7 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 12/14/2009

I am a person who has a history of epilepsy in childhood (which was severe and poorly controlled from age 3-11), tried every med available including some experimental ones which weren't even legal in Canada yet. Usually I was on many meds at a time, but the seizures, sometimes it controlled it for awhile but it always stopped working eventually. They were approximately to consider brain surgery (severing my corpus collosum) but as a last-ditch resort put me on the only drug left, clonazepam. At this point I was severely impaired by the seizures. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, but I guess it's better than brain surgery that wasn't even supposed to completely control my seizures), that, in conjunction with tegretol, which I was already taking, was my miracle drug. Within a week or two I went from completely abnormal and impaired to a normal, healthy child. I was on that combination from age 10 or 11 until I was 13 1/2 when they decided to try taking me off my meds. Long story short, I developed severe problems with my temper and intellectual health, commencing immediately after these withdrawals, such as irritability and depression. Prior to this I had no temper difficulties. I was also taken off the drugs (particularly the rivotril) way too quickly, about a 4-6 week period. My parents were not told this might have a negative effect on me (it's quite possible back then that even the Dr's didn't fully understand what being taken off that drug could do).

Anyway, at age 16 or 17 they discovered my seizures were back and I was again put on meds. In my early twenties, after having my child, I tired of feeling like somebody's chemical lab rat and went on a plan to eliminate my meds, tegretol, rivotril, and my antidepressants, which I had had to be on since the first withdrawal. The rivotril took a year and a half (i was at 3 mgs). Tegretol was 600 mgs. I also did neurotherapy for the epilepsy and temper issues before I did the reductions. The withdrawal from the rivotril was hellish but I did it, got off everything. Within the last little bit of my taper off the rivotril I developed suddenly a rebound muscle tension reaction. Every muscle in my body in severe spasm and of course severe pain. Fast forward to now, 7 years after I was completely off all these meds, I discover my epilepsy has come back again This time, given my age (32), I'm pretty certain it's not going away, clearly I am not just going to outgrow it at this point. The rivotril and tegretol I was on for years at a time and never lost its effectiveness, unlike most of the other drugs. There are new ones out there now, but I know these two work for me. My body clearly has not forgotten them because although I was crazy for about 7 days when I was first put back on it after being off for 7 years, the next morning I woke up and literally just like that my body re-adapted to the meds. In addition to this, I've had 7 hellish years of severe full body muscle spasms and severe pain since I came off the rivotril back then. I've been on T3s and muscle relaxants for the last several years, and they never do more than allow me to push past the hurting, take the worst of the edge off, let me move a little bit for a little while. I've been to the pain clinic (couldn't help me), tried massage, chiropractic, intramuscular stimulation, and exercise. Exercise does help but it doesn't make the hurting go absent or me able to operate anything shut to normal. My feeling is, whether I have to be back on this crap besides, I might as well at least try to see whether it can improve my quality of life and my ability to function, and allow me to move more easily. I can't stand still, bend or go up stairs without excruciating pain, and I have a daughter, so obviously I want to be able to do as much with her as I can. I don't want to be dopey or falling asleep in the middle of the day but do want to have my muscles as relaxed as possible. I don't know what dosage it would require to actually relax my muscles again. 7 years is such a long time maybe being that way has caused them to think that's what normal is. I can move somewhat more easily now, but it hasn't affected the spasm and hurting much yet. I was on 5 mg for approximately 2-3 weeks. We recently raised it to 1 mg but that was only final Thursday and it is Monday now, so I'm not certain how long before the full effect of that is felt. Also correct now I am taking 200 mg tegretol. Anyway whether anyone could give me some advice or guidelines with regard to the muscle relaxant effect and dosage (since I pretty much already know regarding seizures). And yes, obviously since I've been through the withdrawal twice, both times with disasterous effects, I'm aware of the physical dependence of this drug, but a) I don't expect to ever be able to stop taking meds for my epilepsy now and b) this drug and others like it have been more my body's norm than being med-free. I don't think that really applies the
way it would in a person being prescribed these as an adult. My first benzo was when I was 5 years old. Thank you in advance, maybe there is someone who either knows a lot approximately this or is in the medical field who can answer my question--tried googling but muscle relaxant is kind of considered an off-label use and it doesn't say much approximately what you would need to achieve that effect. Thank you again.


essentiallysolo
User offline. Last seen 2 years 7 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 12/11/2009

your impeach here is very complicated, you need to talk to a neurologist And a psychiatrist approximately appropriate dosing of clonopin.

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