Posted by LlurpsieBlossom on December 13, 2006, at 7:47:06
In reply to Re: Klonopin + caffeine +Alcohol - input sought » temoigneur, posted by yxibow on December 13, 2006, at 0:37:45
Hi temoigneur
first of all, I wanted to give you my best wishes for your romantic prospects.If your (woman?) is really fond of you, she'd probably be concerned that you were taking a lot of drugs in order to be comfortable around her.
I don't want to be too preachy, but I would be really concerned about chronic alcohol and chronic caffeine consumption on your psychiatric/psychological conditions.
1) caffeine is a stimulant, and can increase feelings of nervousness and tension. I was AMAZED that I felt so much better when I cut out caffeine. (I have depression and anxiety with a Dx of PTSD). My muscles felt looser, my heartrate didn't distract me from my work, I didn't have jittery hands, and my speech felt clearer and less hasty/jibberish. The detox took 4 days (I went from >500mg to about 50 mg a day (green tea and dark chocolate)
2) alcohol is a potent anxiolytic. my pdoc says its a better anxiolytic than klonopin probably. My T said that alcohol is a wonderful anti-depressant, with some bad side-effects, namely, depression... If you're drinking 2-3 drinks most days, this is definitely enough to contribute to a depressed mood and cognitive "fuzziness". For whatever reason, when I started taking psych meds, even a single drink will make me feel quite fatigued the next day (hence- coffee!). I'm sure you can see how this builds into a vicious cycle
alcohol to have a good time socially- the next morning feeling sleepy, groggy, so you drink caffeine-- so you feel jittery & take klonopin- so you drink coffee to help you feel "sharp" again, but you feel jittery and you drink more coffee, even at night... and alcohol. Repeat...
yxibow is correct about respiratory depression being a real concern with high levels of klonopin mixed with alcohol. The mild bronchodilation you would get from a hot cup of coffee is enough to treat a very very mild asthma attack, but as an asthmatic, I need albuterol to really stop an attack.
temoigneur, since I have cut out caffeine and limited my alcohol intake to a half glass of wine or so a week, I have felt SO much better. I've been able to cut down on the klonopin and provigil, and I've been sleeping better, thinking more clearly and feeling more stable.
best,
-Ll
poster:LlurpsieBlossom
thread:713105
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061212/msgs/713188.html