question about ritalin and clonopin and nictotine

[hund3062]

Hey everyone. I have been reading the forum for years but rarely post.

Here is my story. I am 35 and have been on meds for about 8 years.

when i was 27, i started off with ritalin which at first i was eating like candy but immediately went to my primary care and told her it was like a drug to me. She changed me to vyvanse which worked like a charm, except i didnt eat and cigarettes were like crack, not to mention that I was drinking like six redbulls a day and I had ambien to help me sleep.

A little background. i have my own IT company which is going great. I am thankful i have my business and started it without any meds. However, it gets heckteck at times. I have about 50 clients that i take care of and a few contractors that help me out with some other duties when i can't get to them.

Anyway, i took adderal xr for a while and changed to vyvanse, but no matter what I take, i couldn't fight the urge for nictotine. I can smoke a pack easily when taking vyvanse but it made me brilliant with the work I did.

long story short, one day I just said the heck with it. I stopped everything because my brain was just telling me 'NO MORE'. I went about 4 months and didn't take any meds but my work drive went down tremendously and I lost a few clients. having said that, i felt like a man again and physcially amazing during those months.

after I dropped a client or two, i went to a psychiatrist and told him I didn't want anything time released, but I wanted to take ritalin and clonipin and he was ok with that.

i get 10 mg of ritalin which means I am suppose to take 3 a day, and I have 3 1mg clonipin I am suppose to take twice a day.

my phone rings off the hook and i usually try to eat breakfast then take one, but that is usually the last meal until i decide to take a day off which I eat and eat and eat and feel so good physically but no focus.

this weekend i lost my clonopin at the beach and drove back two hours to my house. i couldn't even think straight. I felt like some girl had broken up with me even though wasn't dating anyone. it was a terrible feeling. i finally found a 1 milligram colonopin in my car which seemed to help with the weird depressoin/anxiety i was having. I friend of mine had some he gave me to get by until my next prescription.

i have come to the conclusion that i am going to have to use meds to control my work ethic using ritalin and the clonopin are a god send if you ask me.

it was just scary this weekend when I didn't have any and my brain was mush. it was like i was a worthless individual and the depression/anxiety was peaking. i stayed in bed saturday trying to sleep but finally got so good sleep.

i had a lot of work to do today, but it took me riding to my friends house and him letting my borrow some clonopin which did the trick.

i hate having to use meds. i even stopped cold turkey for like 4 months thinking my brain would somehow readjust to how it was before the meds, but obviously it didn't.

if i could just take ritalin and clonipin it would be great, but i can't fight the cigarettes, which depresses my appetite and I can go a day or two sometimes without eating before i don't take the meds and eat like crazy.

does anyone else use these combinations and crave cigarettes like i do?

i have also realized through this forum that i have to get my sleep on a regular basis so i am think of getting lunesta or ambien to help me sleep if i have over done it that day.

i feel like an addict because if i don't take ritalin i simply can't function on the most simple task but the colonopin seem to really help with any anxiety and keep my mood up.

it was just scary this weekend feeling that god awful anxiety and depression that follows when you don't take your meds.

anyone go through this type of situation?

with regards to eating, i think i am going to buy some protein shakes and just suck them down to keep my calories up. anything wrong with this?

thanks for all who contribute to this forum and any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

[sarahsweets]

It sounds like you are phyiscally dependent on klonopin. The question is ...do you want to continue to feel those withdrawal effects if you lose your meds or if there is a delay in getting your refill?

[BlackorWhite]

3mg/day of klonapin is alot. If you take this much for a good amount of time than stop suddenly it can make you feel horrible mentally, sort of like the opposite of what they do when you're taking 3mg/day. VERY anxious. With that dose, for just a couple weeks, I'd think would cause anxiety and depression when you stop. Benzo withdrawals kick your butt it so many ways. You most likely will have physical side effects. Stiff muscles, neck, back. Feel tense and agitated. All of a sudden your body is having trouble relaxing on it's own. Also, the ritilin you're taking may make these withdrawal symptoms worse. Stimulants sometimes cause similar side effects to these, so you may have a double whammy there.

I'm pretty sure taking an upper and a downer together will really put your body through the ringer in the long run. But if you are taking them both, I would say, try your best to eat better and consistantly, make sure you sleep enough/consistantly. And try to take your meds.....wait for it.....consistantly. i.e. don't take 3mg/day of klonopin regularly and then stop

[hund3062]

thanks for the input, i was feeling the withdrawal from the clonopin. i was like a zombie Monday morning and took a 10 mg ritalin, then about 30 minutes later, found my clonopin and took a 1 mg. About 30 minutes later i felt 'normal' again.

anyway, i found my clonopin and took my regular 1 mg twice a day and my ritalin 10 mg 3 times today and felt great and was very efficient, but i smoked as usual probably half a pack on cigarettes today and didn't eat much.

that is one of my biggest concerns. i don't care if i am on the meds because i feel 'clarity' and energy, but I smoked and did not eat hardly anything at all. i really don't want to smoke, but honestly can't fight it. if i don't take my meds, i don't smoke at all and eat all day but focus and self motivation is difficult to say the least.

any suggestions on how to not smoking or at least try to fight the feeling. i honestly can't just not smoke. i tried the vapor cigarettes, but smoked too much.

any suggestions about the ritalin and nicotine?

thanks for the responses

[sarahsweets]

Is it possible that the klonopin contributes to smoking? I smoke, and I smoke too much but I smoked before adderall and before dexedrine so its only increased a tiny bit. I think it really depends on your personality. I have an addictive personality...if its not smokes, it could be something far worse so I take some comfort in that. I have a script for xanax that I never use, however, when i have, the urge to smoke has been the same. I do know that in the case of some benzos, smoking makes them less effective.

[hund3062]

I don't smoke if I just take a clonopin, and the clonopin usually makes me smoke less if I take it with the ritalin. I have been sleeping much better since this Saturday, which has really helped. I just hate that urge to smoke 20min after take a ritalin.