Friday, May 29, 2009

My take on Bottle 3

I feel like it is possible that Bottle 3 may be Pagoclone, but, if it is, the dosage is much too weak for me. I felt a little less tension in my throat after taking pills from Bottle 3 for a few days - but the difference was very, very slight. Stressful day at work today, and I feel the old, familiar tightness in my throat even as I type this.

I'll discuss it with the medical research team on my next visit, but I feel certain that Pagoclone - at a certain dose - can help me speak more fluently by reducing the tension in my throat. And if I pair this medical treatment with stuttering prevention techniques (passive airflow) and fluency shaping techniques (gentle onset, light contact) and speak at a moderate pace - I think I can achieve a higher degree of fluency than I could by using any of these components on their own.

The medical treatment of stuttering will likely be most successful in tandem with speech therapy, imo, and I am eager to move forward and more fully explore this approach.

2 comments:

  1. I’m in the study also. I stutter severely. I finished the first bottle (2 pills 2 times a day) and am 99 % certain it was placebo. Today is my first day on bottle 2. We will see. I fear it may also be the placebo. It’s weird waiting to notice what the effect will be. I was under the impression that everyone got a consistent dose for most of the study.

    ReplyDelete
  2. [pricklypete] Thanks for your comment. I don't remember the numbers off-hand, but I do know that you have like x% chance of placebo in each of the three rounds - and that it varies from round to round. It seems likely that most (but not all) participants get Pagoclone at least once in the three rounds. Don't waste too much time wondering if it's placebo or Pagoclone (I know, easier said than done - no pun intended) - I am pretty sure that after this initial phase, participants can begin taking the real thing. I go for my next appointment in a few weeks, will advise. Thanks again for commenting, and good luck with the trial.

    ReplyDelete