[Martinelv]

I've got a stock of different benzodiazepines that (DISCLAIMER) I delve into occassionally, should the need arise, and I've got a query for anyone who is more experienced with the devils drug that I am.

The other day....drum roll.....I took .5mg of Klonopin (Clonazepam) for the first time and at the same dose I would with my old favourite, Diazepam, which is 10mg equivalent, I believe.

Now, the question is, Diazepam, apart from making me less anxious, also makes me sleepy..even now. Klonopin, and again it took away the anxiety, didn't make me sleepy at all. Is there a reason for this in it's pharmacology, or is it just different from person to person ?

When I take a benzo (and please, before the rants begin, it's once in a blue moon) I always take the equivalent dose to 10mg of Valium, so with that in mind:

Lorazepam: Did nothing.
Ozazepam: Did nothing.
Librium: Did nothing.

Comments. Rages.

 

[dakotajo]

If those benzos did nothing then you probably have developed a tolerance to them which can take many months to return to normal. When I first took 1 mg of klonopin it felt like I was in a coma and yet at the end, 3mg(equiv. to 60mg of valium)did absolutely nothing. Ativan worked the same way.

 

[Dreamer]

I can't explain it, but Klonopin (I'm now on clonazepam) is the only benzo that helped my DP/DR significantly. Taking Valium, Ativan, Xanax... trying different ones back in the 1980s did NOTHING. I could take a high dose and I felt I was taking a sugar pill. No drowsiness, etc.

I went off of them without any problem. Didn't feel better, didn't feel worse.

It was only Klonopin at first 8mg, brought down to 6mg that made a big dent in horrendous chronic 24/7 DP/DR. I've never grown tolerant to it, it's never lost its effectiveness. The fact that I can tolerate that level would indicate at minimum I have a different metabolism.

My husband wanted to try one once. He took 1mg Klonopin and fell asleep for 12 hours, LOL. He's a guy, obviously weighs a good bit more than I, and zoned out completely.

I would say, and I talked with my new shrink about this. If someone has used alcohol, to excess -- and Martin, I think you have said you do, this might be indicative of the need for caution with a benzo.

All of these benzos are "the same" and yet have minor differences in chemical configuration. Same with the SRIs. I went through a number before ending up with Celexa (now citalopram). Prozac made me jumpy as Hell, Zoloft, Luvox.... we just moved from one to the other. I had odd experiences on all -- oh Paxil too -- "odd shift in perception" -- not DP, but something weird there.

Celexa -- did the trick. Less depression. No INCREASE in anxiety which stayed over time. Shakey hands were the worst on Prozac.

My mantra -- "We are all unique"

"Ask not what disease the patient has, but what patient the disease has." -- William Osler, M.D., neurologist

Also, I'm one of the few here who has responded to Lamictal. I did have some Borderline characteristics. The Lamictal evened out my mood and gave me less fear of the DP. Impossible to articulate, but it made a huge, yet subtle difference.

Bestest,
D 8)

 

[Dreamer]

Didn't answer your question, LOL, in full. None of the benzos I tried even touched my anxiety. They didn't tire me out. Once I drove up the coast in CA, stayed in a motel one night, and took extra benzos to sleep. I wasn't trying to do anything to myself, I was just miserable.

NOTHING. I still couldn't sleep. I was as antsy as Hell.

The other benzos, and don't ask me why, did not even help my anxiety. Initially I think there was a placebo effect.

Ah, and this is interesting. I did have something of a panic attack... on TOP of my current meds combo about 3 years ago. At that time, someone gave me one of their Xanax. I don't know what mg, but not that large. I THEN felt relaxed.

BUT, I have some, a small stash that I never have used. I tried one another time when I was terribly anxious and it made me feel lousy -- like I'd had a drink (which makes me feel bad -- I don't drink at all anymore, never drans that much).

Why I am this way, I can't tell you. But metabolism of meds, what is being targeted in the brain, what your past history with various meds, your weight, your age, etc., etc. all are factors.

Clueless here, but I know what works for me. :shock:
D 8)

 

[Da'Burgh]

Klonopin seems to help me too.

 

[bat]

hi

i've only taken oxazepam over a couple of weeks but, although it's hard to single out the effects of one drug when i was in such a bad mental state and starting on an ssri, i think:

it 'harshly' cut my anxiety which was terrible (it really didn't feel gentle to me)

20/30 mins after i took it, as i could feel it hitting, i went through a serious black hole depression stage. after the first few times i realised this and only took it when the anxiety was unbearable but it was a bit like the devil and the deep blue sea.

as i said i really was in a bad state so it may have been the drug acting on a no win situation