Posted by Andy on December 16, 1999, at 14:04:52
In reply to Re: INSOMNIA, posted by Elizabeth on December 15, 1999, at 23:27:25
>
I've used it for a couple of years and have not developed tolerance. I try to stay under 10mg since at 10 I begin to have some side effect the next day (slight dizzyness, slightly slurred speech, slightly slowed thinking). Under 10mg no side effect for me.Often it won't get me through the night. So I "cheat"--I break a 5mg pill in half and that is usually enough for me to get to sleep. If (usually when) I wake up two or three hours later I take the other half. If I wake up again I might take 2mg (break a 5mg pill unevenly and take the smaller piece).
Works for me. I started it for straight sleeping difficulties. Need it regularly now because I started prozac about six months ago.
> Andy: From what I understand, Ambien is a great drug, but (please correct me if I a wrong)it's for short term use, whereas nortriptyline can be used for extended periods of time.
>
> I asked my pdoc about this when he prescribed Ambien to use for insomnia daily. He replied that many people are able to take it longer term without developing tolerance. He also said that in his experience it actually works better if you take it every day than sporadically - perhaps this is because it keeps you on a regular sleep schedule (something that's always been a problem for me).
>
> I took it - 20mg/night - for a year or so, pretty much every night, without tolerance. My main peeve about it is that it's too short-acting.
>
> BTW, nortriptyline was not sedating for me, and it had anticholinergic effects that I had trouble tolerating, even at very low doses.
poster:Andy
thread:16735
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991212/msgs/17026.html