Posted by Xanablu on July 10, 2004, at 12:30:31
In reply to Re: Klonopin and Adderall: Dosing question. » sgoose, posted by chemist on July 9, 2004, at 8:58:02
Mornin' y'all~
goose~
My life has been incredibly improved by the addition of clonazepam and dexedrine to my A-D and pain control meds. Wow! When I took my 1st dose of Adderall in 09/2001, gosh, I felt that I was completely conscious, meanly, merely, that I felt like both my body and brain were awake, at the same time, for the first time, in decades.
I have lived my life since adolescence, feeling as if I needed just a few more more hrs. sleep, or one truly restful 1 1'2 hr afternoon nap, and then I wd., I thought, be OK, clear, sharp, on task, energetic, maybe even MOTIVATED. hahaha. Couldn't make it happen-no matter how much (what felt like) truly superior and consistent sleep I got. I still nodded off at our weekly 3 p.m. retail management meetings. How embarassing, not to mention gauche, unprofessional and very obvious to my mgr. She pretty much helped me nip that peccadillo in the bud, by making me 'mgr. on duty' during all meetings, so I had to answer all requests to the service desk or phones, various depts., etc. (We had previously rotated which of th 6 or 7 of us did this throughout the 45-60' meeting). I have ADD & EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness) and I demand either focus on an engaging task or movement, or both, in order to simply stay conscious. I ALSO need ADEQUATE sleep!Which, back to your dilemma, can be extremely difficult fot me to monitor and forcre myself to actively control. In my case, I was not diagnosed ADD until I was (may I interject, a very young & in many ways, immature and neurobiologically naive) 45 years of age.What, if I may ask,is ur diagnosis?
I DID NOT DWELL ON THOSE 'LOST YRS.' MUCH, 'CAUSE I WAS TOO (sorry, caps) much because I was so tremendously thankful that I FINALLY was going to be given a chance to actually -actively-
partake of the gift of a greater 'wholeness' of living. I felt that my existence until that point had been marginal, in the extreme, due to my persistent mental fog & debilitating, ongoing , PERPETUAL fatigue.
Fast-forward to now. I know that, as chemist (hiya c.) mentioned, I am not a 'clockwork' med taker. The wonderful thing about me and my present adjustment to my cocktail is that I can take 60 mgs. of dexedrine & either sleep for the next 6 hours, or, more effectively, considering this IS why I take the med-be reasonably alert, feel calm, but upbeat, and work for the next 6-10 hrs. Adderall was not the best choice for me. I was allowed to slowly test increasing my dosage (this was immediate release, I don't believe ext'd was available at that time) and I took divided doses, with my highest daily dose being 120 mgs.daiily (I'm 5'4"-124lbs.-but I've read that is not really the definitive way to know how much of any particular med a person will need-true chemist?-if u r still reading?-just a starting pt. for docs so they don't accidently sicken or o.d. anybody right off the bat).
Anyway, recommended daily high was 60mgs., so, it might seem that I was taking an awful lot, and yet, what happened? The higher the dosage, the more drowsy I became.
I didn't even remember, I was also, supposedly on Klono-I was zonked.But, no need!AND..... was also taking 375 mgs. effexor at the time for clinical depression and grief recovery/control. Effexor is also a very effective, for some things, but a highly sedating med for me, altho I know many people tout it as being quite stimulating.
So, p-doc and I have worked for a while at finding my best combo. We nixed the Eff. since I felt my grief, now was much more processed, accepted, and subdued, so I felt I shd. drop the Effexor 'Michelin Man' cocoon/buffer. I now take the following:
Dex spansule-15 mg.-1 or 2, preferably about 45"
before rising
clonazepam (generic Kl.)-1-2 mgs., before rising,
along w/my dex spansule(s)
propanolol (generic beta-blocker Inderal) 40 mgs.
also before rising.
Darvon-65 (gen) I take this before rising only
if I realize I am in cosider-
ably more pain/discomfort
than is usual for me in the
a.m.'s. (I have widespread
arthritis, fibro,yadda-yadda
but, am thankfully, in a very
tolerable place right now-if
I remain conscientious).
carisoprodal 350 (Soma) This is a muscle relax-
ant, quite effective, can be
habit-forming. I am allowed 3
a day, prn, Rarele take it
before afternoon, def'ly not
every day, and only if other
meds will not provide relief.
It can be quite sedating for
me, and rarely drive when I
use it-usually take warm
shower and nap or settle in
for the nite. I have A lg.
herniated cervical disc and
I often get really viscious
chronic myofascial pain in
my neck/shoulders, which will
b/c a migraine if not nipped
early on.
OK-Sorry, but figured u needed my overall med sched. before we discuss -THE TOPIC-dosing!!!Getting up-----UGH!!!. Hated it! Until I got my meds right and learned, that, I really must take my stims & have them well into my system in order to control my innate, ongoing, natural tendency to sleep on & on & on until "nature" finally calls and makes me get up. I have a really screwy circadian rhythm (that I have been known to dreadfully misuse). My life has been in a perpetual state of upheaval for the past 8 yrs., I had a 'REAL LIVE' breakdown in summer of 2001 & I am still in recovery, but much better, altho I am not yet working. It will come, however, it will come. Right now, my greatest challenge has been trying to raise the daughter I had 9/96.
I spent a lot of the past few yrs. caring for my ill mom, my husband worked nites. I was up late and up early and slept whenever I had a free spot-irregularity was the name of the game.
After Mom passed 2 1/2 yrs. ago, I broke down, but, BANG! I had a little girl who had to be in kindergarten, b/t 8 & 8;15 sharp 5 DAYS A WEEK. And, I, LORD have mercy, ADD, depressed, and severely unorganized--was the person person in chg. of this unholy and,(lol) unhealthy and, seemingly IMPOSSIBLE demand. Her dad worked nites (4 days a wk., til 11 or 12) & initially refused to help me in any way. He, truthfully was sick of me being 'sick' and felt that supporting me in any way other than working his job, & taking my girl 'out' on his days off would on result in 'enabling' me. And, some days, I literally, either from pain, dep, fatigue or all 3--could not move from "my bed"-the l.v. sofa. My parents had recently died, my brother transferred out-of-state and my best friend sister also lived 500 miles away. So, Iwas on my own, support-wise-emotionally speaking.SOOOOO, interminable story short-you and ur doc must tinker w/ur meds and dosing until u are where YOU need to be. I had such a terrible sleep/wake problem that my daughter was tardy so often my hub and I had to attend '1st phase' juvenile court, b/c excessive tardiness is considered (& rightly so) child neglect.
We were warned, and I had my 3 alarm clocks, etc, but hub still refused to even get up in the a.m. to check and make sure we were awake! I was on Effexor for that 1st 6 mos. & Still quite ill, but.......He had a lot of resentment going on. My preg. was accidental & he did not expect to be a married father w/ achild and ill wife at that pt. in his life.
But, I switched to Lexapro, learned I had to take my meds EARLY, without fail, & if necessary drag him out of bed and force him to share OUR responsibilities concerning our wonderful child. And, she is FANTASTIC. Smart, sweet, all A's-a real miracle child-maybe the only reason I am still on this earth, not kidding.
We all got better at the morning 'thing' and now I CAN get my girl to school on time, myself, 95% of the time. I have no other family here, so, it was learn to cope or lose my child.
Sounds so simple, but re-organizing myself after 5 yrs. of neglecting many of those duties has me now facing great challenges. But, SOLDIER ON, I say, now that I am improving and separating from my husband.
My meds are in pretty good shape-but, goose, have you tried taking ur stims, earlier in the day, and then taking ur kloopin at a lesser dosage or perhaps, 1 1/2-2 mgs in 1 dose in the late a.m. after ur stims are already percolating in ur system? If I awaken agitated, I taske 2 ms. Klono,40mgs prop. and my pain med, do a little deep breathing, sleep another20=30" and then, get up, assess my anxiety, dep. pain, and if I feel ok (usually do) I then take my stims.Forgot to mention I also take 10mgs. Lex when I take my pre-rising meds. And I have found my optimal dosing for dex & klono are 2 15mg. spansules, 2 5mg. dexstrostat(which is brand name immediate release) ,plus the other meds I mentioned, all 45 minutes to an hour before I HAVE to leave my bed!!! I set 1 clock for med time, then my back-up alarm rings at true reveille. And, hub helps out much more now. During school and on appt. days, he rises and makes SURE I am upright & functionng, and after2 yrs., he even will take dear daughter to school, promptly, if I am ill.
Now, what I must work on is going to bed before 3 a.m., & def'ly before dawn. I am an artist, my jangly brain adores the quiet silence (duh) of the wee hours, when no-one asks me difficult ?'s like, did u pay the fphone bill, or where are the clean panties, Mommy?
SO, yes, I sometimes stay up all nite to make sure SweetPea will be clean, pressed, & prompt for school. My goal, when she and I move in W/ my sweet sister's family for the next year, is to establish the strict sleep schedule I maintained 15 years ago, durig my 20 yrs. of working. Clothes ready nite before, asleep by 11:30 or earlier, rise at 6-6:30, always (w'God's grace!)
I kept my life spare and simple back then, 1 man, 2 dogs, no kids, very ltd. social interaction. I passed for normal, but I was NOT happy. I was not really living.
Now,I consider my kid to be my greatest gift. She was my 40th b'day surprise. Her dad and I will live in the same city, but lead separate lives and he has quickly become a nicer, more responsible person, just -knowing- that he will soon taste freedom. I certainly understand that.
I will be with my own family again, surrounded by people who love me and my eccentricities. New job, new people, new life-eeeee-scary.But, my kid will be living w/3 other (older) kids, have a real family-I'm excited...but, I digress-----
goose-tinker with ur meds! Forgot to mention, I usually take 2 mor spansules and 2 mor klono + prop,l around 2pm., rest, nap for hour or 2, then pickup my daughter from school at 3:15, and start my 2nd shift. This is perfect for me, IF I make myself go to sleep by1am. at the latest.Otherwise, I do Like chemist does--skip the stims a day or 3--re-juice--sleep and eat better, and try again to get this darn thing`managing my mind` the best treatment I can provide it. Easy to say, sometimes very challenging. I really must start exercising again. Just a little helps so much!
Please let me know how things go with u--All the best. 'Scuse the novella.~~~~~~xanablu
poster:Xanablu
thread:364274
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040710/msgs/364730.html