A little over a week ago I was prescribed Clonazepam to help with my anxiety. The walk-in clinic doctor (I am currently without a family physician or psychiatrist) told me to take 1 pill anytime I was feeling anxious or when I knew I was going to be in a stressful situation. The directions printed on the bottle told me to take 1 pill every 12 hours as needed.
The following week, I began taking 1 pill each day about a half hour after getting to work. My job is pretty stressful in that I have a heavy workload, with a lot of diverse responsibilities that all seem to compete for my attention at the worst possible times. I also work in a small office, and many of my co-workers annoy me and get on my nerves easily. I didn't really think this was outside of what the doctor had in mind. Also, I wasn't worried about the risk of side effects since I'm a number cruncher, and the heaviest piece of equipment that I operate is a keyboard.
My initial impression of Clonazepam was that I was very pleased to be on the medication. I found the sedating effect to be enjoyable, as it made getting through my day a lot easier. A lot of the time my workload can seem overwhelming and cause me to shut down, but with the medication I found it easier to remain calm and focus on one task at a time. I was actually happy to be at work for a change, and found myself watching the clock a lot less. The days were going by faster, and I was working at my desk until 5 instead of looking for some excuse to sneak out early.
At one point during the week I decided to go to the mall on my lunch hour. I was going to pick up a CD that I had wanted for a while, and grab some Chinese takeout to bring home for a surprise lunch with my wife. I generally hate going to the mall and avoid it whenever possible. Some of the anxiety symptoms I suffer are excessive sweating, feeling as though I have to walk very fast to my destination, difficulty breathing, and a self-conscious, nervous sensation that people are looking at me, laughing at me, and/or judging me. These feelings intensify anytime I am forced to wait in a long line of people.
This trip was completely different. I felt very calm without any of the above mentioned symptoms, and I felt comfortable taking my time in walking to the music store while just enjoying a chance to get out of the office. I didn't feel self-conscious at all, which was great for a change. Standing in line at the music store and the Famous Wok didn't really bother me at all.
I did, however, notice that I was having a lot mild to moderate headaches in the evenings that I took note of in my log. I was also having a hard time falling asleep, would wake up several times throughout the night, and felt extremely groggy in the mornings.
Near the end of the first week I began taking a second pill 12 hours after the first. This was within the directions from the pharmacy, and I thought a second pill later in the evening may help me to fall asleep. Although it has helped to an extent, I am still feeling very groggy in the mornings.
Something else I've noticed is that the anxiolytic properties are not lasting much longer than 8 hours. The first incident happened last Friday when my wife asked me to stop by the grocery store on the way home from work to grab a few things. I went to the smaller, family style grocery store that's close to home. It's a bit more expensive than the big one, but also less busy and generally freaks me out less. I noticed a lot of the same old symptoms, in particular, difficulty breathing and feeling like I had to rush to get out of there. This was around 5pm, or about +9 hours after my morning does. Normally that store doesn't bother me as much, so I found that kind of weird.
The second incident happened on Sunday when I went to a small pick-up restaurant to get an easy dinner for us. It's a small, family run place with very limited seating. There were 3 couples occupying the tables, so I had to stand while waiting for my pick up order. It wasn't the standing that bothered me, it was the feeling as though all these eyes were on me and that I looked like some sort of loser. All I could think about was getting the hell out of there as fast as possible. As soon as I had my food and was outside, I took in a massive, deep breath and walked slowly to my car. This also happened around 4pm, or, around +8 hours after dosing.
Sunday in general wasn't a very good day for me emotionally, but that had more to do with some interpersonal stuff that I don't really want to get into here. I don't think it's entirely relevant to my evaluation of the medication.
Anyways I am back at work this morning, but barely. I had a really hard time dragging myself out of bed, and felt groggy as hell. I took my normal dose of Clonazepam shortly after getting to work, and while the sedating effect doesn't seem to have diminished at all, I do feel a little bitchy. Maybe it's just the lack of sleep catching up with me or the bad day I had yesterday. Either way, I don't feel as peaceful or cheery as I did last week and it's something I will have to keep an eye on. Maybe the honeymoon is over.
Something I would like to discuss with the walk-in doctor during my follow-up on April 2nd is the possibility of taking the medication 3 times per day. After my 2 incidents last week I feel as though a second dose around 4pm would be helpful in maintaining the anxiolytic effect, and a third does around 10pm may help improve my sleep. As for the grogginess, maybe I just need to go to bed earlier.
Part of me is worried that I am enjoying the sedating effect a little too much, and that my darker side just wants to walk around feeling half-baked all day. I am struggling to decide if that is "wrong" or not. We take medications to make us feel better. Is there a point where if they make us feel too good, we shouldn't be taking them?
The following week, I began taking 1 pill each day about a half hour after getting to work. My job is pretty stressful in that I have a heavy workload, with a lot of diverse responsibilities that all seem to compete for my attention at the worst possible times. I also work in a small office, and many of my co-workers annoy me and get on my nerves easily. I didn't really think this was outside of what the doctor had in mind. Also, I wasn't worried about the risk of side effects since I'm a number cruncher, and the heaviest piece of equipment that I operate is a keyboard.
My initial impression of Clonazepam was that I was very pleased to be on the medication. I found the sedating effect to be enjoyable, as it made getting through my day a lot easier. A lot of the time my workload can seem overwhelming and cause me to shut down, but with the medication I found it easier to remain calm and focus on one task at a time. I was actually happy to be at work for a change, and found myself watching the clock a lot less. The days were going by faster, and I was working at my desk until 5 instead of looking for some excuse to sneak out early.
At one point during the week I decided to go to the mall on my lunch hour. I was going to pick up a CD that I had wanted for a while, and grab some Chinese takeout to bring home for a surprise lunch with my wife. I generally hate going to the mall and avoid it whenever possible. Some of the anxiety symptoms I suffer are excessive sweating, feeling as though I have to walk very fast to my destination, difficulty breathing, and a self-conscious, nervous sensation that people are looking at me, laughing at me, and/or judging me. These feelings intensify anytime I am forced to wait in a long line of people.
This trip was completely different. I felt very calm without any of the above mentioned symptoms, and I felt comfortable taking my time in walking to the music store while just enjoying a chance to get out of the office. I didn't feel self-conscious at all, which was great for a change. Standing in line at the music store and the Famous Wok didn't really bother me at all.
I did, however, notice that I was having a lot mild to moderate headaches in the evenings that I took note of in my log. I was also having a hard time falling asleep, would wake up several times throughout the night, and felt extremely groggy in the mornings.
Near the end of the first week I began taking a second pill 12 hours after the first. This was within the directions from the pharmacy, and I thought a second pill later in the evening may help me to fall asleep. Although it has helped to an extent, I am still feeling very groggy in the mornings.
Something else I've noticed is that the anxiolytic properties are not lasting much longer than 8 hours. The first incident happened last Friday when my wife asked me to stop by the grocery store on the way home from work to grab a few things. I went to the smaller, family style grocery store that's close to home. It's a bit more expensive than the big one, but also less busy and generally freaks me out less. I noticed a lot of the same old symptoms, in particular, difficulty breathing and feeling like I had to rush to get out of there. This was around 5pm, or about +9 hours after my morning does. Normally that store doesn't bother me as much, so I found that kind of weird.
The second incident happened on Sunday when I went to a small pick-up restaurant to get an easy dinner for us. It's a small, family run place with very limited seating. There were 3 couples occupying the tables, so I had to stand while waiting for my pick up order. It wasn't the standing that bothered me, it was the feeling as though all these eyes were on me and that I looked like some sort of loser. All I could think about was getting the hell out of there as fast as possible. As soon as I had my food and was outside, I took in a massive, deep breath and walked slowly to my car. This also happened around 4pm, or, around +8 hours after dosing.
Sunday in general wasn't a very good day for me emotionally, but that had more to do with some interpersonal stuff that I don't really want to get into here. I don't think it's entirely relevant to my evaluation of the medication.
Anyways I am back at work this morning, but barely. I had a really hard time dragging myself out of bed, and felt groggy as hell. I took my normal dose of Clonazepam shortly after getting to work, and while the sedating effect doesn't seem to have diminished at all, I do feel a little bitchy. Maybe it's just the lack of sleep catching up with me or the bad day I had yesterday. Either way, I don't feel as peaceful or cheery as I did last week and it's something I will have to keep an eye on. Maybe the honeymoon is over.
Something I would like to discuss with the walk-in doctor during my follow-up on April 2nd is the possibility of taking the medication 3 times per day. After my 2 incidents last week I feel as though a second dose around 4pm would be helpful in maintaining the anxiolytic effect, and a third does around 10pm may help improve my sleep. As for the grogginess, maybe I just need to go to bed earlier.
Part of me is worried that I am enjoying the sedating effect a little too much, and that my darker side just wants to walk around feeling half-baked all day. I am struggling to decide if that is "wrong" or not. We take medications to make us feel better. Is there a point where if they make us feel too good, we shouldn't be taking them?
Let us know how it goes?