Yeah, back when I was prescribed clonazepam, (2mg per day, instructed to take it as I see fit...or all at once, or divided in quarters, halves, etc), I noticed that particular benzo seems to have this sort of "ceiling" effect. I was on it for about 9 or 10 months, and 2-4mg always worked exactly the same way. Taking more didn't really do much, maybe make me a little drowsier. After a while, with my tolerance and such, sometimes I'd feel like taking a "recreational" dose and take 10-16mg at a time. Didn't really make any difference at all. It seems like once you go past the 6-8mg point with clonazepam, the effects don't really increase in any noticeable way. Clonazepam is probably the most well-rounded benzo, IME, it lasts the longest, and puts me in the best mood, without feeling too sedating (and with a tolerance, I would feel pretty much no sedation at all). Sure, it's not very "recreational" in a "let's-get-fucked-up" kind of way, like the stronger hypnotics (midazolam comes to mind...probably because it's the one I've been abusing the most recently to get recreational effects; 15mg sublingually, a drink or two, then another 15mg sublingually and another drink would feel really euphoric.
As for alprazolam, I don't know why, but I used to find it quite euphoric back in the day, 4-6mg would put me in a really giggly, happy mood. These days it doesn't really seem to do anything but make me act a fool and stumble around (especially when combined with alcohol...and I almost always combine benzos with alcohol if I'm looking for recreational effects due to my tolerance...makes any benzo + 2 beer feel like I just drank 6!), without me even noticing it, and without much of a euphoric quality to it. Last week (or was it the week before? damn benzos messing with my memory...), I took 5.5mg of alprazolam over the course of a couple of hours along with more than half a bottle of wine...I didn't notice it but everybody says I was stumbling around and basically a complete mess. And it didn't even feel euphoric, to top it all off.
Diazepam, these days only seems fun in really high doses, but either way it just tends to make me feel kind of sluggish (...amusingly, I can take 50mg one day and feel sluggish and slightly euphoric, then the same dose the next day and feel speedy and chatty as hell), and even though it has a long-ass half-life, the noticeable effects don't seem to last more than 6-7 hours or so.
As for temazepam, when I used to have a script for it, I remember the first month or so I had the script, it was actually pretty fun. 45mg would put me in a pretty good mood, and 60-90mg would have me feeling pretty euphoric and giggly, with that "dreamy" feeling to it. Last time I took it, then again, after being on a ridiculous benzo bender for a good 10 days, I took about 180mg over 4-5 hours along with a liter or two of beer, and it just kind of felt like the temazepam intensified the alcohol more than anything, or the alcohol distorted the temazepam's effects. Either way it didn't really hit the spot like it used to.
Clonazepam, though, even after all these years, always seems to do the trick, and it seems that regular dosing actually
improves the effects without having to raise the dosage (I'm talking on a short-term basis though, 4-6 weeks). It's just so well-rounded, subtly euphoric, and makes me feel quite social. I'm not so anxiety-ridden as I used to be, so maybe that's why apart from the hard-hitting hypnotics I don't find benzos all that recreational anymore, but I like taking them for social situations, they just put me in a good mood and make me feel like everything is okay. Clonazepam seems to be the only benzo (then again I haven't experimented with bromazepam, along with a few others, in a long time...) which retains all its original qualities even after abusing and fucking with my GABA receptors for so long, and without the need for ridiculous dosing.
Benzos are definitely the drugs which have the most subjective effects on people...some people hate clonazepam with a passion (actually before I got used to it, it used to make me go into fits of rage and irritability, like I would literally bang my head against the wall because I was so mad...just like my first few times experimenting with diazepam provoked extreme irritability and short-temperedness. After getting used to it though, these effects seem to go away. But I've noticed many first time benzo users get these so-called "benzo rages." Also, my first few times experimenting with clonazepam I would take ridiculous doses...like 15-20mg at once. Ceiling effect once again, didn't seem to improve any of the positive qualities, just completely fuck up my motor coordination to the point I couldn't even climb up a flight of stairs without tripping and stumbling (but not like alcohol, where you feel the stupor and drunkenness ...it actually felt like I was walking fine, until I'd trip and fall head first right to the floor. Same thing would happen, but with slurred speech).
Anyways, maybe nitrobenzodiazepines might be my thing, if clonazepam seems to work so well for me? Too bad it's the only one I've ever had access to, the other ones being hard to get a hold of...flunitrazepam, nitrazepam, nimetazepam. I live in Portugal but unfortunately I don't think Rohypnol (flunitraz) is sold here anymore, and I don't think Mogadon (nitraz) is sold here either...as for Erimin, well, maybe one of these days if I go on a visit to Thailand or something... *sigh* However, it's widely prescribed in France (along with Lexomil (bromazepam)), good thing I grew up there so I go there on a regular basis! I'll try hitting up the docs for some next time I'm in Paris. :D
How do the effects of those compare to clonazepam? All I know they seem to have in common is their long-lasting effects. I hear nitrazepam is very drowsy, and seems to have a hangover effect, but what about the euphoria? And is it a straight "knock-out" sleeping pill, or can you function fine on it in social situations? I've heard contradicting opinions regarding this benzo.
Anyway, thanks for the input.
