Posted by Ame Sans Vie on April 22, 2003, at 12:54:18
In reply to Re: Vistaril » Ame Sans Vie, posted by TrevorC on April 22, 2003, at 12:27:56
> Thank you so much-you explained it to me really well. My gp is thinking about changing me from Ativan to Vistaril. I don't have GAD that bad, more depression, but really mild-no medication.
> My wife was on Atarax and it worked well for her withdrawals, but she was also put on it for her high bp. I'm trying to understand her feelings and appropriate treatments that may help her, while helping myself too. Even though Vistaril is occasionally used to treat alcohol/drug withdrawal, preoperative anxiety, postoperative nausea/vomiting, and to potentiate narcotic pain medication, do you think it is ok for sleep? We go see the psychiatrist tomorrow.
>
> Thanks again.You're very welcome, glad I could be of some help.
Just curious, why does your doctor want to switch you from Ativan to Vistaril? Is the Ativan not working? Have you tried other anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants? I mean, a trial of Vistaril certainly couldn't hurt... in fact I'm sure it's worth a try. Just wondering if you've tried any more orthodox manners to control your symptoms.
As far as sleep is concerned, I'm sure Vistaril would be great for that, though as I mentioned, tolerance builds very rapidly if used on a continuous basis. No real dependency potential though, which is a good thing. I've always found it best to switch back and forth rather rapidly between two different sleep aids so that neither loses its effect. Ambien can be great, and may be preferable to benzodiazepine sleep aids such as Halcion, Dalmane, ProSom, or Restoril. Especially if you've been taking Ativan for a while and have a tolerance... I've always found that while taking benzodiazepines on a regular basis, the benzo sleep aids just don't do what they're supposed to. Cross-tolerance I suppose. But switching back and forth between sedating antidepressants--such as trazodone or Remeron (neither of which have sexual side effects), and an atypical hypnotic such as Ambien and Sonata, or an antihistamine like Benadryl, Periactin, or Vistaril--may just help you hold onto that precious sleep-inducing effect. I know how horrible it is to have problems sleeping then have your medication just flat out stop working. Personally, I found switching between trazodone and Ambien every 10-12 days to be very effective. But YMMV.
poster:Ame Sans Vie
thread:221446
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030417/msgs/221474.html