Generic Name: Clonazepam for Migraine Prevention (clonazepam)
"I've been taking 1mg per night for almost 5 years to prevent migraines. I had at least 15 migraines per month, now it's rare for one to come on. Why isn't this prescribed as a migraine prophylactic more frequently? It actually works and because it's used at night (at least in my case), there are no side effects that I have experienced...unless good sleep is a side effect."
"I have been suffering with frequent migraines for years, my neurologist tried everything under the sun. My PCP prescribed Klonopin to aid with sleep, and migraines all but disappeared! She told me last night that I likely have vestibular migraines. Everyone who posted here, Google it! There are some great articles on these, I cried this morning reading it. Explains everything. I occasionally see little white sparkly lights (which I complained to the eye doctor about, who said not to be concerned). Explains my need to have silence and lie down and be completely still. Klonopin did not completely eradicate the migraines, but helped a lot. Supposedly only 1% have this, but it is suspected many more cases exist (like mine, undiagnosed for years!) and the vertigo may not show up for years, but I have had a quiet high-pitched “buzz” in my ears for as long as I can remember. Oh my goodness, what a relief to know!"
"I was diagnosed with pediatric migraines when I was 3 months old. After that, I literally had a migraine every 3 months like clockwork for almost 23 years. I got so used to my 'every 3 months cycle' that when I knew it was time for it to come around, I would actually warn school and work that I'd be needing at least 3 to 5 days off. I literally don't know anyone who gets them as bad as I do. I vomit, and I'm extremely sensitive to light and sound, and I literally can't get out of bed for 3 to 5 days. They've caused me several jobs and several missed days of school. I've been prescribed over 20 different medications trying to find one that worked, but nothing ever did. Then I had a friend show me Clonazepam, and ever since then, I've been migraine-free!"
"I had migraines for 20 years and just dealt with it the best I could. Doctors put me on all types of pain and triptan class drugs, and while they numbed it, they didn't do much. I would always awake with a migraine, and it would last 3-4 days. 10 years ago, a doctor gave me 0.5 mg clonazepam at bedtime, and BOOM, headaches almost go away. I have forgotten the bottle on weekly trips and do find my quality of sleep is reduced, but overall no other side effects. Do plan to drop to 0.25 and 0.10 nightly if I can't cut them that small, but if the migraines return, I will start taking them again."
"I have had migraine headaches most of my life, averaging 3-5 a week. Mostly at night, waking up in the middle of the night. I have not had a single headache since I have started the clonazepam. It has been only two months, but right now I would call it a miracle."
Klonopin (clonazepam) "I have been having migraines at least twice a week for over 25 years now. I have been taking Klonopin for the last four months. Although I still get them as often, the length and severity have decreased dramatically. Some are still so severe that I have to stay in bed with no lights and no sound. But I have had 50 to 60% improvement since taking Klonopin. I am able to function normally for the most part and no longer spend half of the week in bed. To date this has been the best and most effective treatment I have had. I would certainly recommend it to anyone suffering frequent, severe migraines."
"I have many health issues, but the worst have been chronic migraines for the past 5 years! They have gotten progressively worse, and I feel like I am constantly fighting them off, and I've tried everything. I have Relpax as a rescue drug, and it works great, but I am only supposed to use it twice a week or else face rebound headaches. I asked my doc to prescribe Klonopin, mostly because I am under a lot of stress, and I had read that it could help with TMJ disorder (I grind my teeth badly), and I have restless leg syndrome, Fibro, and RA. What I didn't expect was for it to reduce my migraines considerably. I take .5 mg 3 times daily. I only had to take my Relpax 3 times last month! and I'm not fighting them off all the time! Freedom!"
"I was having severe right-sided headaches for the past couple of years that started in the evening and wouldn't let me go to sleep. I would push on my eye with my hand until it would weep because the pain was so bad. My neurologist gave me a vessel medication which didn't change anything. He gave me Klonopin, and they were gone by the next day. I just have to make sure I take the medicine before I get the headache. (On a side note, I have partial seizures from meningitis damage in my brain when I was two and take Lamictal and Keppra for that.)"
"I had these awful headaches, it felt like a tight band around my head and it was coupled with severe pain. I told my psychiatrist and he prescribed 0.5mg of clonazepam. Within a day my headaches went away. I tried lowering my dose every 3 months but the headache would come back. I was on it for over a year when I read more about headaches online, I came across a type of headache with symptoms similar to mine and one of the recommendations was magnesium. I took 25mg/day of magnesium for 1 week then cut down my clonazepam and my headaches where gone. However after being on it for over a year discontinuing clonazepam proved to be hard. I tried quitting cold turkey and had withdrawals within 2 days. I had to slowly taper down over a period of 4 months but I experienced 3 weeks of withdrawals after my final dose. A week of magnesium vs 1.5 years of clonazepam. I give this drug an 7 because it worked but I deducted 3 points because its hard to discontinue once you develop a dependency."
Klonopin (clonazepam) "Since taking Klonopin (past 4 months) for my migraines, which I get at least twice a week, I have had a significant decrease in either the length of the migraine or the severity of the migraines. Although I still get them just as often, I am now able to function and get through the pain without having to stay in bed with no lights and no sound most of the time. I still have very severe ones at times, but having a 50-60% improvement is very significant for me as I have been suffering with migraines for over 25 years now. I would certainly recommend giving it a try for those having frequent, debilitating migraines."
"I have taken clonazepam for years to sleep and to control anxiety/panic over my child's chronic illness. When my son had a medical crisis and was hospitalized recently, I had my first 2 migraines within 12 hours of each other. I became so anxious of having another it was non-stop anxiety. My psych said to use the clonazepam for the anxiety and another 0.5 mg tablet if I felt the eyestrain/nausea of another migraine coming on. Two times I have taken 2 Advil (200 mg) and a 0.5 mg tablet of clonazepam when I felt eyestrain/nausea/lightheadedness - but I have not had another migraine. Whether the increased dose is helping abort the migraine or just calm my anxiety over having one, the relief is good in either case."
"I am still in the very early stages of taking this med. My doc prescribed it after the Ativan wasn't enough anymore. I've been taking 2 mg every 12 hrs (still getting used to the side effects), but overall it seems my migraines are very minor so far. I've been taking less of my migraine meds, which I'm extremely happy about."
"I am so happy with clonazepam. My daughter has had migraines from the age of 5, and now she is 11. She's been on it for less than a month, and the results are good. I have suffered with her sleeping in a dark room for hours until she feels better, but now with this medicine, we have rested. Although she gets the attacks, they are not as bad as before."
"I began having daily headaches about 25 years ago, approximately when my menopause began. They were under control for quite a few years on Nortriptylene when that med stopped working. Then I was on Verapamil for a time till it stopped. Then at one time I tried topiramate but did not help. So for a good year now, I have been struggling with what docs call Tension Headaches. They would come on very slowly and last for hours and hours. Caffeine in the morning was helping quite a bit but I got to the point where coffee was bothering my stomach, so there goes my help with caffeine. So then I would have to take Fioricet, one of the only pills that took my headaches away, but was an absolute must since I couldn't even think with a headache. So I made an appointment with my gastro doc to find out why my stomach bothered me so much with coffee. He gave me Clonazepam and since the first day I took it, I felt better and have only had 1 headache in 2 weeks."
"I have migraines that become serious within 15 minutes. Since I have been on this medicine, I can actually function without getting really sleepy. The fatigue is just something I learn to balance out with rest/sleep. It sure beats the alternative."
"I have had migraines since I was twelve Especially on cloudy rainy days. Imetrex works but makes me so tired. Today I woke with a terrible migraine I got up took a Clonazepam 1mg and it went away I feel great ."
"Clonazepam is one of the very few treatments that help my migraine without making me fall asleep. I found it when I participated in a migraine study in 2008 and have been using it since. I usually take .5 mg to relieve the sharp pains, dizziness and extreme light sensitivity associated with the migraines."
"I had clonazepam for four years and was told by dr to take as and when I needed it and unknowingly I took as many as four 2mg a day , plus propanonol and naratriptan along side thyroxine125 mg for I had a thyroidectomy , when I realised what they were all doing I eventually weaned myself off two years ago but my head aches are back with a vengeance ,33 days now non stop and now I know the pitfalls do you think I would be silly to start again say o 0.5 as its the only thing that actually has worked , a massive dilemma but I need help"
"Have 2 kinds of epilepsy since 16 yo. Then at 38 years old developed left side migraine encompassing tempero-parietal migraine, with sharp pain across the left brow, down through the eye, across the maxilla and includes numbness of the left face to midline of the lips. Then beginning 2.5 years ago, I was struck with new additional areas of migraine: right parietal and right frontal. The pain in my right frontal lobe is excruciating, it is incredibly intense and 10 out of 10. Having taken every every drug I am clinically qualified to take to date, I only recently administered my loading dose of Emgality. So far, no joy. So, since my frontal migraine is giving me such pain today, I took a clonazepam one hour ago, then found this forum of sorts. My outcome after one hour (I took it with rather warm decaf coffee with hemp milk): I can honestly say my pain has decreased by at least 50% and I am impressed."
Klonopin (clonazepam) "I was prescribed Klonopin two weeks ago by my neurologist to help with migraines. My best friend passed away a month ago and dealing with that stress has caused me to not be able to let my mind slow down enough to sleep which triggers migraine attacks. I find the Klonopin does help me sleep at night but I feel my mind racing with the stress of my friends death while I'm awake so I'm dealing with headaches still while I'm awake."
"I have been taking these for over 5 weeks now as I suffer from the worst migraines ever, lose of eye sight on one side, sometimes speech will go, confusion, pins and needles from the hand right up the side of my face even into my mouth and my coordination will go. Also every medication I have tried has not worked only one when I get a migraine but takes 1 hour to kick in but dose not prevent them from happening. But the moment I started taking clonazepam they stopped I have not had one migraine which has been amazing... anyone out there thats not tried them please get your doctor to try you on them"
"I've taken Klonopin for many years at a low dose for panic disorder and anxiety. It is FANTASTIC for those conditions but in my experience doesn't do anything to prevent chronic migraines. It helps somewhat to relieve the severity and discomfort of a migraine in progress but does nothing to prevent them."
"I took Klonopin for a migraine variant. I had a positive EEG and vomiting all night about once a week every month or two and no migraine headache or aura and no one could figure out why. It took 8 years to get diagnosed by a psychiatrist. The Klonopin stopped the vomiting totally. I had previously tried antidepressants, benedryl to sleep, and nothing worked except to knock me out. About 5 years later I finally started getting the migraine headaches with aura. So I still had to take Imitrex for that and it worked. In my 50's now I got vertigo without migraine. Neuro checked CT scan and it is normal for no tumors. I had a normal hearing, no ear problems. My EEG's are still abnormal for migraine and so they tried Ciproheptadine and amitriptyline and that didn't work for the vertigo. It would throw me on the ground. They gave me topiramate and it worked some but Trokendi XR worked."
"I take this medication for anxiety, and have never found that it prevents migraine at all. It will sometimes listen the symptoms if I take it at the very onset of a migraine, but not preventative in my experience."
"Taking clonazepam keeps my stress level down, so I don't trigger migraines by muscle spasms, or TMJ, etc."
Klonopin, Klonopin Wafer
Klonopin
