Hey docs,
I am using 1 mg of clonazepam before bed as a sleep aid, do you think it could have negative effects on my training?
Probably not.
With that said, we do not recommend the use of clonazepam for sleep in the first place.
What do you recommend for initial insomnia? Is zolpidem 10 a better option?
I know this is going to sound less than helpful, but I would recommend a detailed evaluation by your doctor, because hypnotic medications are intended as last-line treatments, and ideally only to be used on a short-term basis.
E.g. has this been formally diagnosed as “insomnia” by a sleep study? Or could there be a different primary / secondary sleep disorder going on?
Any untreated mental health, alcohol, or other substance use issues?
Any medications that could be contributing to sleep difficulties?
Has sleep hygeine been thoroughly addressed?
Has CBT-I been done?
Have any non-hypnotic medications been tried?
So yeah, this stuff is complicated.
It is a last line treatment, there is no way I can sleep. By the way it’s not primary insomnia, it’s just a symptom, I am bipolar and have ADHD.
Do you have a better hypnotic to suggest so I can discuss it with my psychiatrist?
Right, so now this becomes a much more complex situation given the bipolar disorder (which, as you know, can cause a number of issues related to sleep), plus the potential for various medication interactions, etc.
To answer your original question, I don’t think that medication will have a significant effect on training. Beyond that, I’ll have to defer to your psychiatrist.