clonazepam versus valium

[StephN]

Has anyone tried clonazepam? If so did you find it helped at all? I was hoping to get a script for valium as I heard this can really help relax the pelvic floor and of course my doctor disagrees with the use of valium and closest I could get was the clonazepam. Although they are from the same family I was looking more for something to help relax the pelvic floor not something for anixety. Any thoughts?

And for anyone in the states. Can you get valium prescribed to you there. My doctor is staying it is so bad that it is not even available in the states anymore. . . .just wondering.

Thanks

[Snowden1]

Hmm.... I would have had no problem getting either. I had problems with Valium (breathing issues). I am taking Clonazepam now. I do think it helps a great deal - especially with my anxiety. But, also I do think it relaxes everything. I take .05mg and it makes me sleepy.

[Goldfinch]

Clonazepam and valium are similar. They belong to a class of drugs called benzodiazapines. Lorazepam (Ativan) and xanax are some of the others. They all have sedative, anti-anxiety and muscle relaxant properties.

Of course all drugs are different, and some of these meds may work better than others for different people, but there isn't any reason to assume that valium would be more helpful to you, really.

[asIshallbe]

It does a few great things. It helps me sleep very well. I went from 3-4 hrs. per night to 6-8. It takes away my anxiety. It helps the constant peeing.

It does not help with pain, but the 3 benefits listed above are very well worth it. I did start off with only .5 and now I am up to 1 mg, but in my eyes that is A ok! I went from a complete zombie, out of my mind from not being able to sleep, to a rested human with no anxiety. It is great!!!

[lonen86]

I would be very careful taking valium its very addictive and strong!!!

[mouse]

I have taken both and while I take the valium more often, just because that what the doctors keep prescribing, sometimes I wonder if the clonazapam doesn't work better!! But then again that may be just because my body is not use to the clonazapam and may have adjusted more to the valium. Bottom line I think either can help to relax the pelvic floor

[StephN]

Thanks for all the responses. I am going to try the clonazepam for a bit with the option to increase the dose if need be. So far I don't really see too much difference for any of my symptoms. I still get up during the night to pee or I quess I should say try to pee. I have a very full uncomfortable bladder feeling all the time and great problems peeing (weak, slow almost non existent stream) Has it caused urinary retention for anyone? This is always a concern of mine as I have great difficulty voiding.

[mouse]

Steph

I am not sure about clonozapam but i do know that urine retention is listed as one of the side affects of valium...although I have never gotten it from that. Basically it seems as if urine retention is a possible side affect of most drugs. I recently had servere urine retention from atarex....which is funny because I never got it from visteral, which is in the same class of drugs. Anyway I was at my witts end and my doc was talking about self cath! He convinced me to try uroxatral, which is a med for men with prostate problems, however it works on relaxing the urethra and neck of the bladder head. He knew I was fearful because alot of drugs (especially over active bladder meds) cause retention for me with the increased sensation to pee!! However, with the looming possibility that I would have to self cath I decided to try it and wonders of wonders it worked!! And I am actually having pretty complete bladder streams!! So my point is maybe you should talk to your doctor and see if there is something he can give you, atleast to help relieve this one symptom! Now if only there was a drug to releave them all.......Oh wishful thinking:pray:

[StephN]

I have tried uroxatrol and flowmax. Neither unforutnately have worked for me.

[mouse]

awww that's too bad. I know flomax did nothing for me but atleast uroxatral is helping me go! But trust me I havent found any thing else to help with all my other problems....We will all just need to keep searching! As a friend of mine recently told me "You just need to find the right doctor who thinks outside of the box".....I'm still looking

[StephN]

I am still looking as well. So far I've heard, "your a mystery", "we've done all we can do", and "we'll thrown eveything but the kitchen sink at you". I can tell you this gets very discouraging and then when I do have an idea I want to try such as the valium. I'm told no. I do believe this has to be a test of my patience. Sometimes I'm not sure how much more I can tolerate but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[mouse]

Trust me you are not alone. If I hear from one more doctor "Your a very complicated case" I am going to scream....I may even attack!! That's generally code word for I am not going to be able to help you!! I've tried helping myself by following those self help books for PFD but I seem to be making things worst!! I am so tired of this. I keep saying a year and a half ago I was fine....Where did I go????

[mouse]

Oh and my first urologist wouldn't give me valium either. I had to go to a psychiatrist to get it!! Now that's all subsequent doctors want to give me. they keep trying to increase the dose and I keep telling them it doesn't help and all they say is "That's because you havent found the right dose yet"! I swear in order to find the right dose they would have to overdose me! LOL Honestly it really hasn't helped for urinary frequency and retention but it does help to ease my anxiety and forget about pain....I might as well take a sugar pill

[StephN]

Mouse,

So you have had ungoing issues for a year and a half? Have you found any relief?
I have started the two warm baths a day, Physio, Acunpunture, herbs and I was hoping to introduce valium but that's out for now. I want so badly to get better as I know we all do.
My most annoying symptom is the full bladder feeling, burning in the bladder and big difficulty voiding.
I wish we had more resources here in Nova Scotia. It seems to be a very small community once you start looking for more opinions or experts they all go back to the same two or three . . . . .

[mouse]

Um initially Pt did wonders for me and helped get rid of that constant got to go feeling that was caused by extenal triggor points but the benefits sorta stopped. I still go to pt other wise those triggor points come back and I feel like I am going to loose my mind!!! But as of late there has been alot of Pain!! Nothing helps with that not even vicodin. I am working with a pain specialist who is moving slower then molasis. Doesnt he know I want my life back!! And even though I live in NJ and have access to all the top docs in ny it doesn't seem to help. They all just sit there scratching there heads asking me if I have been evaluted by my gyn. Um Yes I have endometriosis but this is different:cussing:

I also can totally related to how your feel about your situation with your boyfriend. I constantly wonder if my husband is ever sorry he married me! I have such guilt for all the extra work that my illness demands of him, the lack of sex life that we have, and the fact that he will never have a child!! I sometimes wonder why he stays....there really is nothing in it for him and unfortortunately I seem to be getting worse instead of better

[StephN]

Please let me know how you make out. I can totally understand with your comment about wanting your life back. I miss so many things and mostly it's the simple things . . .like wearing jeans, eating whatever I like when I like, running and the list could go on and on. . . . I think you know what I mean.

[mouse]

You are so right the simple things are the hardest. jeans...only on rare occasions and then I can't wait to get them off. I cried when I had to give up running on the treadmill this september.... It was just another thing this horrible illness took away from me!!!

Do you only have urinary frequency and pressure or do you have pain too? Have you tried pysical therapy for the pelvic floor....as I said initially it did wonders. We are both stumped as too what is going on????

[StephN]

I have been doing PT since late October and continue to do so. I have started acupunture and am entering my third week. I found the acupunture worked wonders for my lower back pain. I had exteme pain in that area.
As far as symptoms I have urgency and pressure . . . .like my bladder wants to explode and it burns alot. Sometimes I have sharp pains on the side of my thighs or vagina area but it typically comes and goes. The pressure to me is pain in a different way and at times I really don't think I can take it much more but of course no choice but to keep on plugging away at it.

[featherbullet]

hey guys
I can realate to all of you. Its too bad we cant all meet up in person and just vent! It really does help to talk to people who understand...because the doctors don't seem to!
I take clonazepam for anxiety, and have for about 7 years. This is a very long time to be on this medication, as it is only supposed to be a short term thing, but nothing ever worked for my panic attacks so it was a last resort to keep me on it.

I developed IC when I weaned myself off of clonazepam, and did not make the connection until recently. i find it helps with the pain and muscle relaxation to an extent, so I am back to taking it every day.

Does anyone else get the severe pain in their tailbone as well as burning down the legs and across the thigs and bum? (as well as feeling like your urine is made of acid of course).

IC is the most difficult thing I have ever had to deal with. It is there from the moment I wake til the moment I go to sleep at night. i cherish my dreams because i cannot feel pain when i sleep. : (

I am looking into alternative treatments.

My urologist said that they can inject botox into the bladder for frequency problems but a side effect is retention. sigh..isnt there a happy medium????