Category: Side Effects

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 6

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 6

My psychiatrist is having stay at 75mg for a bit because of the side effects I’ve been having. Last night I only woke up once, at 3:00am, and then I was able to go back to sleep without a problem. That was amazing! When I woke up this morning, I didn’t have any of the side effects that I’ve been having previously.

I actually feel pretty good, except when I breathe deep, my chest hurts a little. I don’t think it’s anything. I got my blood test back, there are a few things that are above normal, including my white blood cell count, but I don’t know what that means. I will just have to wait to find out from my doctor. I tried to do research to figure it out, but I still don’t know what it all means. No matter what, I feel better today than I have since I started this medication.

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 5

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 5

Today is day 5 of the Clozapine rechallenge. I took 75mg again last night as instructed. My psychiatrist didn’t want we to increase the dose because of yesterday’s side effects. I’m sleeping a little better; I slept for a couple hours in bed and then I came out to the couch where I was able to sleep a couple additional hours straight through. Then I also dealt with sleep on and off for a few hours, but this is still improvement from what it used to be, and that’s all I care about.

Today I have some muscle soreness again, but not as bad as yesterday. My soreness did improve yesterday as the day went on. My psychiatrist had me take my temperature to make sure there was no fever, and it was low at 97.2, which is good. My temperature today is 98.3, which is still good. I get a little dizzy if I stand up to quickly, so I just need to be cautious.

I go and get my weekly blood work done again today. My psychiatrist wrote me a new lab form to hopefully prevent the issues we had last week with my pharmacist obtaining the results.

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 4

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 4

Last night I increased my dose to 75mg, per the request of my psychiatrist. I slept a couple hours in the bedroom before coming out to the couch; at that point, I was in and out for the rest of the night. At least I’m getting 6 or 7 hours of sleep each night, even if I can’t sleep through the night, it’s better than nothing.

The only side effect that I seem to have today is that my whole body is sore. Every muscle hurts, as if I just did a major workout a couple days ago, but I didn’t. It seems that this rechallenge is going pretty well. I will schedule an appointment with the lab to get my blood work done again tomorrow.

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 3

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 3

I told my psychiatrist yesterday about the side effects I experienced. Even though they were getting better as the day went on, he decided that he did not want me to up my dose for day three. I ended up getting dizzy and weak feeling yesterday, but I think a lot of that had to do with the combination of the medication and anxiety; I went to a birthday party for a family member and felt a bit overwhelmed. Because of the side effects I had, I took 50mg again last night as instructed.

I had some trouble sleeping, but ended up getting a total of 6 or 7 hours. I wish I could sleep straight through the night, but I guess that’s not how it is for me. When I woke up for the last time this morning, I felt normal. I don’t notice any side effects or problems at all. I can’t wait to tell my psychiatrist. This is great progress and now I’m excited to continue the Clozapine instead of being nervous. My body is adjusting, it’s a good sign.

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 2

Clozapine Rechallenge – Day 2

Last night I took 50mg, as instructed. I had some problems falling asleep because I couldn’t breathe; I actually had to go get my inhaler and sit upright for about an hour. It’s a sign of an anxiety attack, except for the fact that I didn’t feel much anxiety. However, once I was finally able to fall asleep, I slept! I actually slept about 6 or 7 hours, and the best part is that I slept straight through the night! That almost never happens to me, I’m so excited.

Once I woke up, I noticed that I was a bit unsteady, but only if I bent over or was too active. So I’ve asked for help with things, and my husband was more than happy to assist me. I also noticed that I’m slurring some of my words, and I did wake up with a sore throat. The longer I’m awake, the better I feel. Both of these things are side effects of Clozapine. I will inform my psychiatrist, but I do not want to quit this medication so quickly. I’m prepared to tough it out.