Has Anyone Had These Symptoms with Klonopin?

[Gasten]

Last night was the first night I took 1 mg Klonopin instead of 1 mg Xanax at bedtime.  I have been at 4mg Xanax for 25 years and the Psych is transitioning me gradually to Klonopin before weaning.  The first transition was the bedtime dose and was last night.  It made me very drugged feeling, which was good as I have been suffering from insomnia and was ready for a good night's sleep.  But about an hour later I started getting involuntary muscle jerks and twitches all over my body--first my legs would jump, then my arms, hands, etc.  Then I got weird sensations in the brain--slight jolt-like feelings.  Whole thing was very unsettling.  I remember having these same exact symptoms when I was weaning off Zoloft 6 months ago.  The sensations were still slightly here in the morning.  I looked up the written material of side effects of Klonopin and it does not list those.  Pharmacist had not heard of it either.  Anyone else ever had this happen when transitioning from Xanax to Klonopin?   Doctor is not in office today (Friday).  If so, do the feelings go away with time?  Any ideas??  I don't think I can transition to this drug if this is a permanent effect!

[Gasten]

Thank you both for your answers!  I was suspecting the same thing....after being on Xanax for soooo  long, and recently experiencing withdrawal symptoms from it, I thought that maybe the Klonopin just quite was not "fitting" what the brain was calling for.  I called my doctor's answering service, and my new Psych, returned my call late Friday.  She was angry and hostile, and stated "It's all in your head!", implying that I am imagining the whole thing.  I was fuming inside, as that was far from the case.  I wanted nothing more than for this transition to work!

So that night I decided to give it another try and cut back on the pill, taking 3/4 of the pill instead of a whole one, thinking maybe the symptoms would be more tolerable.  I took it, watching TV for about an hour, got drowsy, and then prepared to sleep.  Sure enough, about an hour and 1/4 after taking the pill, the muscle jerks started, along with a horrible "vice-like" feeling in my brain--as if there were a tight band on it --a tight pressure that would not go away.   In addition,  I had strange thoughts that were like delirium.  "All in my head", My ***!, I thought!  This lasted til morning and went away gradually, after my morning Xanax.  I will NEVER return to that doctor.  She was rude, arrogant, condescending and uncaring.  Now, I must find another.  But Klonopin is definitely not the drug for me--and it is NOT my imagination!!

[snakejones]

I think Sandy's comment is dead on. I also think that you are in withdrawal from Xanax. Tremors and mental jitters are one of the most common side effects of Xanax withdrawal. Each drug has a different "key" to the lock of the brain's reaction to it. Some people will have an easy transition using a substitute drug; others, like you, are really feeling uncomfortable; the brain misses its regular drug and is making its displeasure known!
Would you be disciplined enough to taper from Xanax? If so, that might be a good option. Hope you feel better soon!

[sandstone27]

Hi Gasten,

I can't say that I've ever experienced that when I switched from xanax to klonopin, but we are so different in the length and duration of our use that it would be impossible to compare - i was on xanax for only 3 or 4 weeks before switching to klonopin - and then i was on the klonopin for about 9 months.  Could it be that since you're transitioning, that it may be a side effect of not taking the xanax?  I wouldn't think so, but it would be worth checking into.  

Well wishes to you...

Sandy ;)