Body acting badly. Is Clonazepam a culprit?

[journeyofjoy]

Sandy was leaning so far left this evening in his wheelchair that he looked like he would fall out onto the floor. I actually spoon fed him his dinner so that he could hold onto the table with both hands to steady himself. This is a first.

He wanted to go to bed right away as he was so uncomfortable. Getting him into and out of Sara Stedy was so difficult. Finally got him onto the hospital bed which is when I usually swing his legs up onto the bed. Well, he was leaning so far left that he eventually just laid on his left side (opposite side where he needed to be). We tried for quite a while before calling the firefighters in who easily put him into bed.

Because of his severe rigidity, the doctor started him on Clonazepam yesterday. This is a muscle relaxant. The dose is .50 mg and he only took 1/2 of one of these tablets. One yesterday morning and one this morning. All this started 10 hours after taking the pill so I don't know if it's part of the problem. This morning he was slouched in the wheelchair and I didn't realize his arm was under the armrest. Bringing him in the kitchen door with that darn chair that is so sensitive, I wedged his arm between the chair and the door jamb and was afraid he was going to end up with a broken arm. Wondering if the drug is partially to blame here.

He is in bed now watching TV and very comfortable. What next?? Things had been going so smoothly for about four months. His mind is very good and he still enjoys life but his body is just awful.

I plan to order the ceiling mounted lift system tomorrow morning. It could take about two weeks to get it installed. Don't know what I'm going to do in the meantime if things don't improve.

Welcoming your ideas out there. Thank you.

[Javan]

The old bag has took this for years and recently she was given an antibiotic which caused a rag doll like reaction. The consultant at hospital said that he had seen this effect before.I now check all medications a watch for any symptom change.

[Dadshelper]

Since the slouching is a new issue that started soon after a new medicine was introduced I'd suspect the medicine. Call the doctor and explain the situation, let him make a decision on what to do. I don't have any experience with this medicine so did a quick read up, don't just stop taking it as that may cause withdrawals. Common side effects are loss of muscle coordination and general weakness, most often experienced when starting the medication.

Ron

[Birdlover415]

I’ve been taking Clonazepam since early this year with no ill effects. I take it before I go to bed because it does make me drowsy. I’m sorry that Sandy seems to be having a reaction.

[Hidden]

Staying ahead of your love needs is challenging just to know what will work,sounds like you are doing great

Leaning is very common for my husband, I find when he looks like he is broken in half and leaning towards the left we are in for another big decline.

Dee

[journeyofjoy in reply to Hidden]

It seems like he has declined in a few different areas at once. The leaning, extra rigidity, his eyesight getting bad, and his good hand is now giving him trouble. After about 4+ months of being relatively stable, here we go again.

[Hidden]

My mom is not on Clonazepam, and she has had all of the above issues with slouching leaning, etc. for at least 6 months. We always use the seatbelt on the wheelchair, and someone has to stand next to her while she's on the toilet because we learned the hard way that she can tip right off it it quickly. Her chin is nearly always pressed against her chest, so we have to apply a barrier cream in that spot to prevent sores, and we often tilt her back in a recliner to feed her; otherwise the food just falls right out of her mouth.

[journeyofjoy in reply to Hidden]

I'm so sorry about your mom. It must be terrible for her and all of you. He only took the drug for two days and I stopped it. It made no difference so I can't blame the drug now. He's been leaning off and on for several months but it's just escalated the last couple of days. We'll see how today goes.

The slouching was new with the Clonazepam but the dosage was such a small amount that maybe it didn't have anything to do with it.

Always a science experiment around here!

[Hidden in reply to journeyofjoy]

Yes, every day feels like a new experiment with trying to manage symptoms. My mom is severely agitated for several hours every day. I'm actually hoping the doctor will switch her to Clonazepam to see if it will help with that. When she's more mentally present, she can bear some weight on her feet when we transfer her. But when she's angry and agitated, she picks up her feet so her dead weight is swinging in our arms, which is a terrible, literal, pain in the back.

I'm so glad Sandy's mind is still tracking well -- that is a blessing for sure.

[journeyofjoy in reply to Hidden]

It really is a blessing that his mind is sharp. And that he is still able to eat and enjoy food. Other than that, his body is in very bad shape.

If your doctor doesn't want to put her on the med, insist on it. At least try it to see if it helps. We are the ones who are in the trenches with our people. The doctors only see them briefly on occasion and can't possibly know what's going on at home. Sometimes we have to tell them what we need if they don't respond to our asking.

[Hidden in reply to journeyofjoy]

We're going to finish out the higher dosage of the current medicine the doctor wants to try. So far it doesn't seem to be doing the trick, so we'll be asking for Clonazepam next.

[Red1990]

The new neuro wrote Clonazepam for my mother. She took it night before last for the first time. Yesterday was sooo challenging. Her reaction time was slower, speech slurred, more clumsy. Her PT was concerned about what was wrong as she was so dopey acting. She declined taking it more than that once. The dopey hangover feeling is still there today, but a bit better.