Using Astepro to help sleep when tapering klonopin

[sal h]

Hi Alan
Hope all is well with you and sorry to keep bothering you.
Sunday night sleep was good (thanks God:). I took .25mg Klono + 1 Advil PM which contains 34mg of diphenehydramine.

By the way, I wanted to ask you about an antihistamine nasal spray called 'Astepro'. I recall taking it a few times last year and boy it really knocked me out and made me totally sleepy and groggy. Do you think it would be a good idea to take advantage of Astepro during the tapering of Klono when I’m down to ¼ of a dose? Also there was another one that makes me really drowsy (Zyrtec).
You mentioned any medicines that don’t act on GABA would be consider safe to help the tapering phase. Corretc?

The reason I bring this up is because it seems like everytime I go down to ¼ of Klono I could sleep for the first two nights but the insomnia hits me on the 3rd night. (at least according to my dairy) this happened twice already when I down to ¼ Klono.

I figure Astepro, Zyrtec or even Benadryl would be safer and have less side effects than Trazodone or that awful Neurontin. What do you think?
Btw, your pm is full and can't accept new messages.
Take care
Sal

[alankay]

Sal, at .25mg of klonopin I'm sure taking any OTC antihistamine at 1/2 or even the normal dose would be OK. If this seem to make you sleep better or more consistently try it. GABA is a major inhibitory(slowing) neurotransmitter on which benzos act so that's why it's best left out of the picture so GABA reuptake resumes more quickly that if other agents are used that also act on GABA. Antihistamines act on histamine but also glutamate which causes the drowsiness as it acts on excitory(decrease) effects of that one.
Mailbox is open again. :) Alan.