Posted by mrgeek on February 16, 2004, at 18:58:16
Ok, so I am very excited that I finally got my hands on some Clonazepam after failing to treat my social anxiety with three different SSRIs. I've been taking it for about a week and keeping a diary of how it's working. I was going to wait two weeks to post the information, but I just couldn't help it. First...here's my "klonopin diary:"
Klonopin/Clonazepam Trial Diary
Taking Roche brand Rivotril 0.5mg tabs
Attempting to treating moderate to serve social anxiety
Other characteristics I have: very mild depression, irritability, low energy/motivation
General Notes:1) Very noticeable decreased appetite, especially as the dose rises
2) Does not give me the desire or motivation to be more outgoing or social, but is seeming to make social interactions easier and more comfortable.
3) Extremely effective as a sleeping aid
4) Noticeable disorientation and clumsiness for a short period of time (maybe a half hour) about 30-45 minutes after taking a dose
5) Effects seem to last for about 9-10 hours per dose for me
Day 1
Location: At Home All Day
First Dose: 10:00AM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Somewhat disoriented for a short period of time
Very slightly sedated for a short period of time
Second Dose: 5:00PM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Became very sedated and slept for approximately 4 hours
No noticeable anti-anxiety affects
Day 2
Location: At Work (9-5)
First Dose: 8:30AM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: No apparent sedation
Noticed a mild anti-anxiety affect, but still had some blushing
Second Dose: 9:00PM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Fell asleep 30 minutes after taking, slept very soundly for 11 hours
Day 3
Location: At Work (9-5)
First Dose: 8:30AM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: No sedation
Very little percieved anxiety, seemingly increased sociability. Held long conversation without getting flustered/blushing. Increased motivation + energy. Still had some mild negative thoughts that would normally lead to avoidance of a situation, but overcame them with little will power.
Second Dose: 9:00PM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Slept like a rock for 11 hours
Day 4
Location: At Work (9-5)
First Dose: 8:30AM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Less disorientation noticed, still noticed some anti-anxiety effects, but also had some situations which prompted avoidance. Talking to people seems a little easier, but conversations can't be too long. No spectacularly noticeable relief.
Second Dose: 1:00AM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Went out for dinner. Had a few drinks with dinner. Had a single drink after dinner. Slept very soundly until 11AM. Woke up feeling perfectly fine.
Day 5
Location: Friend's Apartment/Public Shopping Centers
First Dose: 12:00PM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Very noticeable disorientation for a short period when it kicked in. Went out to a few stores/mcdonalds. Felt very calm and somewhat silly, almost on the verge of a drunken buzz for a short period of time (the first hour). Apparent anti-anxiety affect.
Second Dose: 11:15PM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Stayed up until 2:45AM by choice (working on computers). Fell asleep easily and slept soundly.
Day 6
Location: At Home All Day
First Dose: N/A
Dosage: 0mg
Notes: Decided not to take morning dose becaues I had no plans to go out in public for any reason.
Second Dose: 10:30PM
Dosage: .5mg
Notes: Slept very well yet again. Does not force me to sleep, but makes it effortless to fall asleep when i want to.
Day 7
Location: At Work (9-5)
First Dose: 8:30AM
Dosage: .75mg
Notes: Decided to try increased dose. More noticeable affects than .5mg. Conversations very easy. Very slight blushing in one instance of a normal conversation, but went away quickly with barely any anxiety. Noticed an antidepressant effect. More motivation than normal to get work done. Was mostly happy all day.
Basically if you dont get the general jist of my notes--it seems to be working fairly well. I must admit that I've become a bit frightened by the withdrawal stories I hear about Clozenepam so I'm trying to keep my daily doses as low as possible. There is also the fact that my social anxiety isn't extremely severe--I got by without any drugs for a few years, just without a life that I was very happy with.Anyway...I'm looking for advice from some of the more experienced Klonopin heads out there. I am taking this drug without the supervision of a doctor as I do not have insurance. So far there are absolutely zero adverse side-affects and I believe that I'm managing my usage responsibly. Can anyone think of anything else I should try? I just recently upped my morning dosage to .75mg which I'm planning on trying for anything week. I am planning on trying 1mg in the morning after that. Hopefully I wont have to go any higher than that in the morning. The .5mg dose at night seems to be perfect-lets me get to sleep with the most ease I've had in years and not to mention that the actual sleep is absoltely wonderful. I was however thinking about even decreasing my nightly dose to .25mg since it's working so well at .5mg. Again, I'm trying to keep my daily intake down as much as possible.
One other question I have: Since I'm using this as a daily maintenence medication, is it alright to not take a dose If I do not plan on putting myself in any social situations for an entire day? For example, if I plan to be at home all day? I just dont know how long withdrawal symptoms take to show themselves. Just trying to be safe about this as I know it's a strong med and I'm taking it without the supervision of a doctor. Any advice anyone is willing to give me is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
poster:mrgeek
thread:314271
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040215/msgs/314271.html