Klonopin and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

In this article I would like to discuss the benefits that Klonopin has on the illness called CFIDS. CFIDS stands for Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome. The short name for this condition is called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Many of you may have heard of it but don't know much about it.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a syndrome where a person gets extremely fatigued. The fatigue can last for a matter of months or can continue on for much longer. Just as with other conditions sometimes a person can go into remission and stay in remission for years. The syndrome does not only cause extreme fatigue but it can also bring on a host of other ailments. Some of the other ailments can be sore throat, swollen glands, headaches, and muscle pain. Sometimes the syndrome can be very disabling to an individual. Activities that they once were able to do they can no longer participate in.

Scientists are still studying this strange syndrome. Everyday they are finding more and more information about it. Some doctors believe that a person with CFIDS experiences what is called "excitatory neurotoxicity". I got this information from a website called http://www.prohealth.com. You can go there to read more information if you would like to. The article was written in 2001. Basically what excitatory neurotoxicity is where the neurons in the brain are being overloaded. When the brain does not have the proper time to rest it can become injured. The overload can also bring on a seizure and this can cause some of the cells to die in the brain. According to the above article this is what happens in CFIDS patients. This is part of the reason for their extreme fatigue. Another way to describe this neurotoxicity is to say that the brain is extra sensitive to outside sensory. It is very sensitive to movement, sound, and light. This can cause rapid firing of neurons and this is what can cause the injury. Healthy people are able to go into regular sleep cycles whereas CFIDS patients cannot because of this condition. Because CFIDS patients cannot go into regular sleep cycles their brains are not resting. (This is my interpretation of the article).

There are several doctors that specialize in CFIDS. Many of these doctors have found that Klonopin has helped with this neurotoxicity. Some doctors also have their patients take a supplemental dose of magnesium and another drug called Doxepin. The amount of magnesium that they prescribe is 200 mg. at bedtime. A patient should not take more than this because they can get diarrhea. By the way, Dr. Paul R. Cheney, M.D., Ph.D. does not recommend using the generic for Klonopin. He has found that many patients had to take more of the generic medication to get the same effect as the Klonopin.

If you or a loved one is suffering from the condition known as CFIDS you may want to speak to your doctor about the above medications. According to Dr. Cheney they have been shown to be very affective in the treatment of the condition known as excitatory neurotoxicity which happens in CFIDS patients. For more information or to print out the article that I got my information from the website address is http://www.prohealth.com.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be in any way shape or form. The article that I have written is only my interpretation of the CFIDS article that was written by Carol Sieverling on October 12, 2001. If you need true professional opinions you will need to go to a doctor that specializes in the condition.