Hi Guys,
I wondered if anybody could shed some light on this...
I have a problem with my central nervous system that seems to be getting progressively worse over time. Especially after using the gym or drinking moderate levels of Alcohol. A few glasses of wine after dinner.
Back in my Twenties I was a DJ and music producer. Part of the lifestyle back then involved taking (a lot of) 'recreational' drugs (mostly cocaine and MDMA). I first took cocaine in my early twenties and soon became heavily addicted to it. The first 3-4 years of sustained abuse I actually enjoyed the drug very much. But towards the end of my Twenties and up until my thirtieth birthday I hated it. I took it mainly after drinking alcohol... to the point that I couldn't have a drink unless a line of coke followed pretty soon afterwards. If I didn't drink... I didn't want it. And after the first line I absolutely hated myself for taking it... but the need was so intense I had to have a line. In the end I simply stopped drinking to stop the need for coke.
I stopped taking recreational drugs when I hit 30 (I'm now 39). I stopped DJing and got completely out of the scene. I now run my own IT business and go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle... but not everything is great.
Towards the end of my habit I started to get severe spasms in my CNS after taking a line or 2. I could feel my whole CNS tense up and I would get heart palpitations. Without sounding too dramatic, I honestly thought I was going to die. I immediately kicked the habit and my symptoms subsided. However, when I started going to the gym and training the symptoms would come back.
Essentially what happens is, 30 minutes or so after a training session I can feel my heart beating abnormally a little too heavy. I feel a little tense throughout my body but it's not too serious. I'm pretty much fine throughout the rest of the day. All my problems start when I try to relax.
Because of the symptoms I usually train in the eve. I come home, eat and go to bed about 3 hours after returning home. If I did not take my medication (Clonazepam) the symptoms would be so bad that I would not be able to sleep. The more I relax, the more my heart starts to pound. I feel my CNS tense up throughout my spine and, at the point of falling asleep, my heart goes into an intense Spasm and I jump up out of my 'sleep' in a state of shock. It honestly feels like I'm about to have a heart attack... although as soon as I jerk awake the systems subside. if I get out of bed and walk around a bit I'm fine. But as soon as I go back to bed to relax, it starts all over again.
My Neurologist prescribes me Clonazepam, of which I take half of a 2mg tablet... unless the symptoms are so bad, in which case I'll take a 2mg tablet. This doesn't happen often but has happened in the past. Especially if I do a heavy shoulder set or put excessive pressure on the top of my neck in the gym.
My GP has insisted he will NOT prescribe me Clonazepam AT ALL so if I need further medication I need to pay £300 to see my Neurologist for 15 minutes or fly half way around the world to a back street chemist to get it. Neither solution is ideal!
I told him I was not addicted in any way to Clonazepam and that I only needed it at night to relieve my symptoms. I explained that I'd rather not take any benzos at all! And if he was so concerned about giving me Clonazepam then he should try giving me something else that would do the same job.
He has just prescribed me 300mg Gabapentin to take at night, which I tried a few days ago and today. The first day I took it it had absolutely no effect on my symptoms and I had to take 1mg Clonazepam to relieve them. Today I went for a 45 min swim. After coming home I took a 300mg Gabapentin to see if it would work. It didn't. I then took another 300mg Gabapentin about 3 hours later and it actually made my symptoms worse! I could almost feel the nerve endings miss-firing in the back of my neck. My CNS went into a minor spasm and my forehead felt a little tense. It seems to be reacting with the very nerves that were causing the problems when I was taking cocaine... but instead of nullifying the nerves, it was triggering them... or at least thats how it felt. I took 1mg clonazepam about 30 minutes after getting the symptoms and I'm feeling a little better. Do I need to keep trying Gabapentin? Does it take a long period of time before it starts to work it's magic? Or am I simply wasting my time with it if it's already making my symptoms worse?
My fitness and gym lifestyle is really important to me. I don't want to stop training. But at the same time I'm worried about having to take Clonazepam for the rest of my life and I worry about the fact that I may be damaging the CNS even more with my training regime.
I've seen half a dozen Neurologists about my symptoms and nobody seems to be able to work out exactly what is going on. My doctor won't prescribe me my medication and his alternative just makes things worse.
Obviously I'd love to be able to cure my problem but I don't think this isn't going to happen. The damage is already done it seems. I'm just wondering:
1. Has anybody had any experience with these types of symptoms? And do they have a medical explanation/solution for a possible treatment program other than taking Clonazepam? Can anybody tell me exactly what is going on with my CNS and what the prognosis is?
2. I've heard recently that prolonged use of Benzos can lead to early dementia? Are their any conclusive reports of long term use of Clonazepam that support this claim? I'm certainly by no means addicted to it and do not take it, or have any need to take it, when I don't train or have any symptoms.
It's either stay out of the gym, stop training and reduce the amount of medication I'm taking. Or stay in the gym, be as healthy as possible but run the risk of further health issues in the future. Neither option is a great one for me.
BTW...
*Let this be a lesson to anyone out there taking Cocaine and reading this... STOP IT NOW!!!! It WILL have a long term effect on your health... Learn from other peoples mistakes. Get down to the gym and live a healthy life!*
I wondered if anybody could shed some light on this...
I have a problem with my central nervous system that seems to be getting progressively worse over time. Especially after using the gym or drinking moderate levels of Alcohol. A few glasses of wine after dinner.
Back in my Twenties I was a DJ and music producer. Part of the lifestyle back then involved taking (a lot of) 'recreational' drugs (mostly cocaine and MDMA). I first took cocaine in my early twenties and soon became heavily addicted to it. The first 3-4 years of sustained abuse I actually enjoyed the drug very much. But towards the end of my Twenties and up until my thirtieth birthday I hated it. I took it mainly after drinking alcohol... to the point that I couldn't have a drink unless a line of coke followed pretty soon afterwards. If I didn't drink... I didn't want it. And after the first line I absolutely hated myself for taking it... but the need was so intense I had to have a line. In the end I simply stopped drinking to stop the need for coke.
I stopped taking recreational drugs when I hit 30 (I'm now 39). I stopped DJing and got completely out of the scene. I now run my own IT business and go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle... but not everything is great.
Towards the end of my habit I started to get severe spasms in my CNS after taking a line or 2. I could feel my whole CNS tense up and I would get heart palpitations. Without sounding too dramatic, I honestly thought I was going to die. I immediately kicked the habit and my symptoms subsided. However, when I started going to the gym and training the symptoms would come back.
Essentially what happens is, 30 minutes or so after a training session I can feel my heart beating abnormally a little too heavy. I feel a little tense throughout my body but it's not too serious. I'm pretty much fine throughout the rest of the day. All my problems start when I try to relax.
Because of the symptoms I usually train in the eve. I come home, eat and go to bed about 3 hours after returning home. If I did not take my medication (Clonazepam) the symptoms would be so bad that I would not be able to sleep. The more I relax, the more my heart starts to pound. I feel my CNS tense up throughout my spine and, at the point of falling asleep, my heart goes into an intense Spasm and I jump up out of my 'sleep' in a state of shock. It honestly feels like I'm about to have a heart attack... although as soon as I jerk awake the systems subside. if I get out of bed and walk around a bit I'm fine. But as soon as I go back to bed to relax, it starts all over again.
My Neurologist prescribes me Clonazepam, of which I take half of a 2mg tablet... unless the symptoms are so bad, in which case I'll take a 2mg tablet. This doesn't happen often but has happened in the past. Especially if I do a heavy shoulder set or put excessive pressure on the top of my neck in the gym.
My GP has insisted he will NOT prescribe me Clonazepam AT ALL so if I need further medication I need to pay £300 to see my Neurologist for 15 minutes or fly half way around the world to a back street chemist to get it. Neither solution is ideal!
I told him I was not addicted in any way to Clonazepam and that I only needed it at night to relieve my symptoms. I explained that I'd rather not take any benzos at all! And if he was so concerned about giving me Clonazepam then he should try giving me something else that would do the same job.
He has just prescribed me 300mg Gabapentin to take at night, which I tried a few days ago and today. The first day I took it it had absolutely no effect on my symptoms and I had to take 1mg Clonazepam to relieve them. Today I went for a 45 min swim. After coming home I took a 300mg Gabapentin to see if it would work. It didn't. I then took another 300mg Gabapentin about 3 hours later and it actually made my symptoms worse! I could almost feel the nerve endings miss-firing in the back of my neck. My CNS went into a minor spasm and my forehead felt a little tense. It seems to be reacting with the very nerves that were causing the problems when I was taking cocaine... but instead of nullifying the nerves, it was triggering them... or at least thats how it felt. I took 1mg clonazepam about 30 minutes after getting the symptoms and I'm feeling a little better. Do I need to keep trying Gabapentin? Does it take a long period of time before it starts to work it's magic? Or am I simply wasting my time with it if it's already making my symptoms worse?
My fitness and gym lifestyle is really important to me. I don't want to stop training. But at the same time I'm worried about having to take Clonazepam for the rest of my life and I worry about the fact that I may be damaging the CNS even more with my training regime.
I've seen half a dozen Neurologists about my symptoms and nobody seems to be able to work out exactly what is going on. My doctor won't prescribe me my medication and his alternative just makes things worse.
Obviously I'd love to be able to cure my problem but I don't think this isn't going to happen. The damage is already done it seems. I'm just wondering:
1. Has anybody had any experience with these types of symptoms? And do they have a medical explanation/solution for a possible treatment program other than taking Clonazepam? Can anybody tell me exactly what is going on with my CNS and what the prognosis is?
2. I've heard recently that prolonged use of Benzos can lead to early dementia? Are their any conclusive reports of long term use of Clonazepam that support this claim? I'm certainly by no means addicted to it and do not take it, or have any need to take it, when I don't train or have any symptoms.
It's either stay out of the gym, stop training and reduce the amount of medication I'm taking. Or stay in the gym, be as healthy as possible but run the risk of further health issues in the future. Neither option is a great one for me.
BTW...
*Let this be a lesson to anyone out there taking Cocaine and reading this... STOP IT NOW!!!! It WILL have a long term effect on your health... Learn from other peoples mistakes. Get down to the gym and live a healthy life!*