Chapter 11: My Brain Scans; Outside Surface View

Getting off the drug clonazepam is brutal! Clonazepam is the generic name for Klonopin, and is in the benzodiazepine family of drugs.  They are sometimes called benzos for short.  The last time I lowered the dose it brought me down to .03125 of my original dose of .50 at night.  This time the withdrawal symptoms did not subside in 2-3 days, they persisted. 

After having a headache, slight nausea, a strange dizzy feeling, and increased anxiety for a week, I increased the dosage of Neurontin.  I am now taking 300 mg of Neurontin three times a day and 600 mg before bed. The main side effect of Neurontin (for me) is a dizzy feeling; so I am just more dizzy now.  Increasing the dose of Neurontin has decreased the anxiety, and the other withdrawal symptoms as well.

The supplements recommended by the doctor at the Amen Clinic are also helping.  (Refer to Chapter 10 for more details)  I take Restful Sleep and Neuro PS at night and they have helped me continue to sleep well.  Adding the extra Neurontin capsule at night also helps me sleep. Taking Brain Vitale in the morning seems to help with anxiety.  Luvox, Neurontin, and the supplements are making the withdrawal tolerable.  I would hate to do it without them!

I am hoping in the next two weeks the side effects of Neurontin will be over, and the clonazepam withdrawal symptoms will have stopped.  If this happens, I am going to stop taking clonazepam.  I am anticipating a spike in anxiety when I do this.  If this happens I can increase the dosage of Neurontin again. 

Being addicted to clonazepam gives me more compassion for anyone addicted to anything!  I want to get off clonazepam because it is causing scalloping on my brain. This scalloping shows I am not getting the blood flow I need in those areas.  It is hard to remember the reasons to quit when I feel sick day after day and know if I took a little clonazepam I would begin to feel better.  It is a hard place to be.

Here are SPECT scan photos of the outside of a healthy brain.  These are scans of the top down surface and the underside surface of the outside of the brain.  These are 3D Surface renderings, looking at the top 45% of brain perfusion.  (Perfusion means injection of fluid into an artery in order to reach tissues.)  A normal scan shows full, even, symmetrical perfusion.

These are my SPECT brain scans of the outside of the brain during concentration.  The scalloping is circled in white. The scalloping on my brain is mild and should heal after I am off clonazepam. The scalloping holes mean cerebral blood flow and metabolism are poor in these areas.  It does not mean my brain is missing in these scalloping holes. After the scalloping heals my brain will have better functioning capabilities.

These are my SPECT brain scans of the outside of the brain during rest.  The scalloping is circled in white again and you will notice an object has been put in one of holes to show how deep it is.  I think it looks like I put a Mentos candy in my ear and it went to my brain. :)

          

                             

Below are three examples of more severe scalloping and the causes.  These scans are taken from a poster made by Dr. Daniel G. Amen.  They show a 3-D surface view of the brain, acquired by SPECT imaging, looking at cerebral blood flow and metabolism.  I think these scans are fascinating and intriguing!