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What Causes Depression Even After Taking Klonipin For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Anxiety?
my 61yo husband has ALS and high anxiety. Was put on Klonipin 5mg takes it once a day. appox 3 weeks. For the last 5 days he has been very depressed, given up, will not get out of bed, hardly eats will not change his clothes. cries but also angry. He was on ativan for almost 2 yrs and felt it wasn't working anymore, so his family doctor put him on the klonipin. He has has times when he would get teary but would snap out of it. I worry that this mood is the klonipin. He said he doesn't have much longer to live and has just given up. Even said he wished he had a gun to end it all. I do suspect he has FTD with his ALS , I am his caregiver and spouse of 41 years. He is just not the same person, but these last five days have been an emotional rollercoaster!
posted on
Thu, 6 Feb 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Thu, 6 Feb 2014
Answered on
Fri, 7 Feb 2014
Last reviewed on
Hi,
Medicines like Klonopin and Ativan are benzodiazepines. These can help in anxiety but cannot reduce depression. I agree with you that your husband appears to be quite depressed. He will need treatment with antidepressants like SSRIs (Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro etc) or SNRIs (Effexor, Cymbalta etc). Depression is quite common in people with chronic neurological illnesses and treating it makes a lot of difference in the patient's quality of life. Please discuss this with his doctor and ensure that he gets the best treatment.
Best wishes.
Medicines like Klonopin and Ativan are benzodiazepines. These can help in anxiety but cannot reduce depression. I agree with you that your husband appears to be quite depressed. He will need treatment with antidepressants like SSRIs (Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro etc) or SNRIs (Effexor, Cymbalta etc). Depression is quite common in people with chronic neurological illnesses and treating it makes a lot of difference in the patient's quality of life. Please discuss this with his doctor and ensure that he gets the best treatment.
Best wishes.
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