Posted by Sarah T. on December 10, 2005, at 4:14:05
In reply to Non-stimulant memory enhancers????, posted by Jimmyboy on December 9, 2005, at 11:23:20
Hi. You mentioned that you smoke pot and also take Klonopin. First, I think you have to stop smoking pot, especially if you do it on a regular basis. I cannot imagine taking all those difficult classes if you're a regular pot smoker. I'll bet that the pot impairs memory.
Secondly, Klonopin is a good drug, and I think it is definitely one of the better benzodiazapines; however, like all benzodiazapines, it does impair memory and it interferes with certain stages of sleep. You don't need memory impairment, and you don't need sleep disruption. Whatever you do, DON'T STOP KLONOPIN ABRUPTLY! It's one of those medicines that you have to taper very slowly over a long time. I don't know whether pot smoking has to be tapered slowly, but you should definitely get off the pot. If you do continue to smoke it, do it only once in a blue moon.
I know that Wellbutrin can be very agitating, so I can see why you might need to counteract it with more sedating substances like Klonopin, but since you are concerned about memory, I just thought you should know that benzodiazapines definitely interfere with memory and sleep.
Another thing I want to mention is that, if you do decide to take a stimulant at some point, be VERY CAREFUL if you are still taking Wellbutrin (or any other medicines, for that matter). I have met several people here and elsewhere who are able to combine Wellbutrin with a stimulant, but I know others, like myself, who could not tolerate that combination. I was OK the first day I tried to combine Wellbutrin and Dexedrine, but by the second day, I was severely ill. I stopped taking them together, and it took about 4-5 days before I was back to my old self, and that was after having taken very tiny doses of each. Also, I'm sorry to be an alarmist, but I know of someone who died on a combination of Wellbutrin and Adderall. She was a student who had been on Wellbutrin for depression. During finals week in December, a few years ago, she took some Adderall to cram for her exams. She was still taking Wellbutrin. She went into cardiac arrest and died. If you haven't already read about the cytochrome P450 liver enzymes and their role in drug metabolism, you will probably come across the topic soon. Each of us metabolizes drugs differently based on our genetic makeup, and different ethnic groups metabolize drugs differently. Some drugs compete for the same enzyme. Some drugs inhibit enzymes that are necessary to metabolize other drugs. It can get very complicated when you're on multiple medications (or "polypharmacy"). As I said earlier, some people have no problem metabolizing these drug combinations; others can get very sick. So be very careful. Good luck to you!
poster:Sarah T.
thread:586614
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051203/msgs/587707.html