Old New Drug…Redux

On By demonsbymysideIn Mental Health, Uncategorized

If you’ve read my blog then you will have read my experience with Klonopin and my subsequent desire for a new drug.  If you haven’t read them they are several posts down, easily accessible if you are interested.

The latest in the drug trials of my life is that I was in fact convinced Klonopin wasn’t right for me and I did complain about it to my doctor.   I requested to try Xanax XR instead.  That seemed to be a mistake.  Xanax XR, although billed and marketed as a once a day tablet does not last all day long.  Oddly, I swear I could feel when it was dispensing its so called extended release.  It was smoother, more metered than me individually dosing Xanax IR but not markedly so.  Except for the extreme inconsistencies of the ups and downs attributable to the IR’s short life span, the other side effects were pretty much the same; and that’s not a good thing.

It seems whichever medication I am on I am still having elevated levels of anxiety.  I’ve had to dig a bit deeper and began to realize that I have some other issues going on.   The way I’ve been feeling had me thinking twice about my ability to properly evaluate these  drugs.  Combined with my sensitivity to drugs, and any changes in my regime, it seemed as though I didn’t know what was causing what.  Some of the side effects I attributed to Klonopin may have been simply me and a side effect of my conditions rather than the medication.

Taking Xanax XR was slightly better than taking Xanax IR but I felt it too failed to adequately dampen my anxiety to a functioning level.  I thought I needed a dose adjustment.  I walked into my doctors office ready to stick Xanax XR asking for the dosage to be adjusted but  walked out his office back on Klonopin.

In talking to my doctor and going over the past month I believe there is something else at play going on within me that is at worst causing additional side effects and at best is preventing me from properly evaluating the drugs.  I seem to be overriding the drugs with my thoughts, feelings, and emotions.  After considering all factors I decided to give Klonopin another go.  It definitely has a smoother more balanced feel and I may have blamed it for side effects that came from elsewhere.  I am more confused than ever about what is the right medication for me.

I am going to spend more time with mindfulness practices and try to get back in tune with myself.  I need to know who’s on first before I can be jumping around with medications.  Right now I can’t tell what causes what and I can’t determine what symptoms are a result of my conditions or medication side effects.

Time to try and right the ship.  Something has changed and I intend to find out what.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

7 thoughts on “Old New Drug…Redux”

  2. Klonopin put me in hospital for a week, fighting for my life, due to an allergic reaction to other medications I was on at the time. The last thing the doctor in the ward said to me (3 years ago) was “You are never to take that medication again!” Since it was one of his colleagues who prescribed it, I think he meant it.

    Having suffered from PTSD, OCD, Agoraphobia with Panic Disorder and Depression, on top of Diabetes, Chronic Respiratory Disease, Kidney Disease and more, I always carry (what seems like) a whole pharmacy with me, everywhere I go. My medications are strict, however, and as far as Xanax goes, it is the only medication that keeps me “normal” <– my own description, nobody else's. I take one in the afternoon at about 5pm, and another as I go to bed. I wake up calm and relaxed. I do not take another until the following afternoon. I take no more than 2 per day.

    Along with the Xanax, I take pain medication which alternates, as one is highly addictive and the other shatters my left kidney. With so many medications out there, it's hard and it is scary, trying to get what is right for you. Be very careful with Klonopin. I'd only taken one tablet before it interacted so badly with my diabetes medication that I'd passed out and when I was rushed to hospital (unconscious), they had to use hot water inside medical gloves to warm my body enough just to take my blood sugar, which had dropped to a staggering 2.7 – good luck finding the right combination xx

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    1. Xanax worked for a long time but then I began to notice the hills and valleys associated with its short half life. I was able to deal with that but I also felt like it was losing effectiveness. So far Klonopin is a mixed bag but it is helping with anxiety. It has its own set of side effects. Honestly, I’m using it to get me to a point where I can drive to a place for an intensive program and they might change it there anyway.

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