Posted by Racer on August 3, 2004, at 12:00:22
In reply to Benzos v Barbs. » SLS, posted by Sad Panda on August 3, 2004, at 7:36:16
Just as a knee jerk reaction, I'd say that they do still have a good use -- but only in people who don't really need them ;-) You know, people who are not depressed enough to take the whole bottle in one go.
I'm guessing insomnia is one of the more common symptoms of mood disorders, and I know that it's a big problem for me. Believe it or not, the Provigil seems to be helping regulate my sleep patterns better than anything else ever has, with fewer side effects, etc. Then again, I'm weird -- ask anyone.
The other thing that has helped a lot, though, is the whole low-tech behavioral routine: no caffeine after whatever time, resist napping during the afternoon, some sort of regular exercise, etc. I can't say it's as easy as meds, and I certainly won't tell you it's anywhere near as reliable, but it really seems to be working for me as well as anything else has overall. ("Overall" is a relative term here: I'm sleeping at least five or six hours virtually every night, so not necessarily as many hours as I really need, but at least it's consistently close enough for government work; and even if I'm tired the next day, I'm not feeling doped up and groggy -- just tired. For me, that's an improvement, but for someone else, it might not be.)
Since this was a drug question, I'll add that Xanax has always worked for me at high enough doses, so I have nothing to base any recommendations on. Except, of course, that the Provigil really seems to help regulate my circadian rhythms. If the sleeping meds themselves aren't working out, maybe a waking med in the day might be worth a try?
poster:Racer
thread:373385
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040730/msgs/373597.html