Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

does anyone know if you get headaches from withdrawing from klonopin

Yes, you can get headaches, nausea and other side affects. I ended up in the ER with a migraine from dropping my dosage too fast. You probably need to drop it by a 1/4 tablet a week at a time. I was almost off and due to some other things I going on I had to go from .25mg to .5mg temp., but started last night lowering my dose again. Good luck!

Autume, you can get very severe withdrawal from Klonopin. Please talk with your doctor about withdrawing slowly.

Another name for this drug is Clonazepam. There is a very long thread about withdrawal from it.

I went through withdrawal from it a year ago and it was horrible.

My Aunt is on 2mg clonazepam for RLS at night, but lately it has not been working too well for her. I don't think she has tried any other meds for it. Is this usually one of the first medicines a doc would try? Should she ask for something else?

Helen, I highly recommend reading the Mayo Clinic Algorithm (follow the link in my signature to get to a thread; you'll find a link to this in that thread). It explains all the drugs that can be used.

No, Klonopin is not the first choice. It used to be, but it wasn't as effective as was hoped, but it was about the only option people had then. Now that the dopamine agonists are available - Mirapex and Requip - these are what are used first when DAILY treatment is needed. If occasional treatment is needed, then Sinemet is often used.

Klonopin works for some, but tends to work better (in reading posts here) when used in combo with other drugs). But, it also has strong potential for withdrawal issues, another reason it's not the first drug of choice. That's not to say not to use it if it works, just that there are better first options. And, many better second options, too.

My second recommendation, if you are going to be helping your Aunt, is to get one of two books that discuss RLS treatments in detail. They can be used with your doctor or to ensure you feel what your doctor is doing is "right". One is Restless Legs Syndrome by Buchfurer, Hening and Kushida. The more clinical one, written for doctors but easy to read, is Clinical Management of RLS by Hening, Buchfurer and Lee.