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Clonazepam's effects on nerve pain

paranoid android

paranoid android

Moderator: TDS
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I was recently put on clonazepam to help my anxiety. After being prescribed it i found out that it is also used to treat trigeminal neuralgia. I have trigeminal neuralgia that is controlled by amitriptyline. I know anti convulsants are usually the first choice in treating trigeminal but i couldnt tollerate them and besides the amitriptyline is working great.

I was just wondering why is clonazepam the choice benzo used in treating this as opposed to diazepam? I know clonazepam is marketed as a anti convulsant but i thought alot of benzodiazepines had this action.
 
Yeah, all benzos have some anticonvulsant properties.

I didnt think clonazepam was the choice benzo in treating nerve pain... but if it was, I'd put it down to some obscure subunit dependence. Either meaning it was slightly selective in treating neuralgia, or avoided some side-effect.
 
Well from everything ive read it seems to be the benzo of choice in treating trigeminal neuralgia atleast.

Your probley right there may be some obscure reason its better in treating trigeminal neuralgia then other benzos. Or it could have something to do with the fact that you can go up to very high doses with this drug.
 
"I was just wondering why is clonazepam the choice benzo used in treating this as opposed to diazepam? I know clonazepam is marketed as a anti convulsant but i thought alot of benzodiazepines had this action"

^^^^^
Maybe this info might help re: Clonazepam and its effectiveness as an anticonvulsant.

Clonazepam (a 1,4-benzodiazepine) and clobazam (a 1,5-benzodiazepine) are available as oral anticonvulsant drugs. Clonazepam is effective in myoclonic and generalised absence seizures but less effective in generalised tonic-clonic seizures.[84] Clobazam is also effective in these forms of seizures, but is usually reserved as adjunctive therapy in refractory epilepsy. It can also be valuable when used intermittently in epilepsy related to menstruation or in patients who have regular clusters of generalised tonic-colonic or partial seizures,[85] and as cover during changes of anticonvulsant medication. Most other benzodiazepines have anticonvulsant actions in varying degrees[84] and are useful in individual cases.

Souce: Taken from: http://www.benzo.org.uk/asgr.htm#4

It is a very good site covering lots of info on Benzo's.

"I know anticonvulsants are usually the first choice in treating trigeminal but i couldn't tolerate them and besides the amitriptyline is working great."

^^^^^
What dose of amitriptyline are you on? Using Clonazepam while on amitriptyline would probably boost its CNS depressant action.

Just curious about what anticonvulsants you have tried and the problems you had with them?

I know carbamzepine (tegoral) is often used for trigeminal neuralgia, and it actually structurally related to tricylics, such as amitriptyline. Have you tried that?

Maybe something like Gabapentin (Neurontin) would be better, or the more potent/newer version pregabalin (Lyrica)? These drugs act on GABA and are used in the treatment of neuralgic pain and partial seizures. Please correct me if I'm wrong but its theorized that it works by blocking signal transduction between gelatinosa neurons which are responsible for feeling heat and pain.

As it boosts GABA, and as GABA-A receptors regulate neuronal excitability ie. fear arousal, panic etc its reportedly successful for anxiety as well. And compared with benzo's fewer issues with tolerance.

These are unfortunately more expensive compared amitriptyline, but as anxiety is involved, maybe a better long term option.
 
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Well the first drug i tried was carbamazepine. I was started on a low dose and it started to help the pain fairly quickly. Unfortunatly after about a month on this drug i got sicker then ive even been in my life. I thought that i was going to die for sure. It took me about a month to get back to feeling normal after stopping the stuff.

Unfortunatly the doctor i had at this time was a complete moron. Even after i stopped the drug after experiencing vomiting that lasted for days on end he suggested i try it again. When i didnt go for that he suggested ketorolac which is basically a really dangerous ineffective NSAID. Your not supposed to take it for any longer then 5 days max but he suggested it for long term therapy. He downright refused to even consider giving me a strong narcotic painkiller saying that they would ruin my life.

After this experience i got rid of the idiot and went and found a new doctor. He suggested i try Amitriptyline. I started on 25 mgs then went up to 50mgs. It started to reduce the frequency of attacks and i wasent getting any severe side effects so he eventually upped the dose to 100mgs a night.

When i worked my way up to this dose the frequency of attacks of pain went down to almost zero. I havent had a severe attack in about 6 months now.

As for the clonazepam i started taking it because ive suffered from anxiety and panic attacks my whole life. Ive just lately sought help for it. Ive been on 2mg daily for about 3 months now and its still working as well as it did at first.

My panic attacks are pretty much gone and my anxiety is much better. I also have depersonalization and the clonazepam took care of that as well. It also helped my mood swings.

I am abit worried about the dependence potential of benzos. Ive heard horror stories about people trying to get off them and ive even seen a few cases first hand. But for me its let me live a normal life so atleast for now the benefits are far outweighing the downsides.

The other drugs you mentioned are indeed alot more expensive then the drugs im on now. As i have a very limited income and no drug coverage they are not an option for me right now. But i may look into them as future options.

Thanks very much for answering my question and for your advice.
 
Okay, my best friend has had serious panic attacks and clonazepan has helped him so much!!! I don't see it at all as a bad drug. I also take it in times of serious anxiety! I used to take anti depressants, and it helped me get off of them, I suffered from severe shocks while trying to get them out of my system and Clon. was the only thing that helped. There are times when I can not breathe due to stress and it puts me back where I am suppose to be. I believe it is the greatest pharmi created until told otherwise!
peace.
 
^^^^^^

I agree. Benzo's can be highly effective and powerful when used the right way. Dare I say it even fun!

And you describe using them in the right way. But they have diminished effectiveness with continual use. And I can't help but agree with the point you raise re: SSRI's, but your comparing apples to oranges in terms of the drugs and their action.

I was not going to say anything in reply to paranoid android as I really don't want to preach but I can't help but agree with MolokoVelocet. This is real catch 22 stuff, probably not the place for advanced drug discussion but without being melodramatic, if you really believe that benzo's are a long term solution you'll wind up in a dark side thread!

It's a real pity that someones financial situation comes into play, but it does. I hope that this current combo bridges the gab for paranoid andriod. Trigeminal neuralgia is reportedly a horrible affliction. Surely it would be stretching it to suggest that the treatment options are sustainable by long term benzo use.

What happens re: his anxiety when the benzo's cease to work?
 
One reason clonazepam is prescribed for chronic unpredictable conditions like epilepsy and neuralgia is that it has a long half-life and slow pharmacokinetics.
 
All benzos are anticonvulsants. The decision to market Klonopin as an anticonvulsant rather than an axiolytic was strictly a marketing one; like the decision to market temazepam as an hypnotic rather than an anxiolytic, or a "muscle relaxant," for that matter. What's most unique about clonazepam, really, is its kinetics (in particular, its apparent volume of distribution).

Clonazepam is just another benzo. It's high-potency and has a long duration of action. For that reason it's useful for benzo withdrawal, in the same way that methadone is useful for opioid withdrawal. But mostly benzos are interchangable, except for their kinetics, and slight differences in their subjective character. But for all their anxiolytic value, they don't even remotely produce anything that could be called euphoria. And once you're addicted to them (and it's startlingly easy to become addicted) getting off of them is really a nightmare. And, unlike dope, you're setting yourself up for this nightmare without even getting any euphoria in exchange.
 
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Well i know clonazepam isint really a long term solution but at the moment its the only solution thats available to me. I know that if i keep using them i will most likely get a physical dependence on them but at the moment im not all that worried about it. Since ive started taking clonazepam my life has improved drastically as i am no longer crippled with anxiety and panic attacks.

I always had anxiety problems but when i developed this disease the stress of it made it 10 times worse.

I once tried effexor for anxiety not only did it not help at all but i developed very severe withdrawal symptoms when i tried to quit it after being on it for just 2 months. This was before i had trigeminal neuralgia. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I dont think anything could be worse then those brain shocks.
 
SIgh... fucking LYRICA man. L Y R I C A. if the mods arent smart/aware enough to help you out by making you aware of this ill just keep fucking reiterating it until it catches your eye
 
MolokoVelocet said:
SIgh... fucking LYRICA man. L Y R I C A. if the mods arent smart/aware enough to help you out by making you aware of this ill just keep fucking reiterating it until it catches your eye
Click to expand...

Hmm would you care to pay for my LYRICA script?
 
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