Posted by Horned One on June 24, 2008, at 5:52:57
In reply to desperately need advice - Xanax, anxiety, insomnia, posted by sunnydays on June 23, 2008, at 14:28:40
Xanax isn't that great for sleep, and 1mg is a pretty big dose. A prescription for Lunesta or Ambien might be more effective as they have more hypnotic action than Xanax. They're also less likely to be addictive. Also, a normal starting dose of Ambien or Lunesta is equivalent to about 5mg Valium, while 1mg of Xanax is equivalent to about 20mg Valium according to reliable sources (not everyone agrees with these equivalencies). This means that you are much less likely to feel rebound anxiety when the drug wears off. In the case of Ambien, the drug is usually completely out of your system by morning (half-life 2 hours). With Xanax the anxiety comes back like a slap in the face, and with me it usually came on at night, making it very hard to sleep without the Xanax. It's easy to slip into a habit this way.
Rozerem is a different non-addictive sleep aid available on prescription. It works via melatonin receptors, much like melatonin. There are no trials comparing the efficacy of Rozerem to melatonin as yet. The manufacturers claim that melatonin is of no benefit as a sleep aid, but much anecdotal experience suggests this isn't true.
-Horny
poster:Horned One
thread:836059
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080617/msgs/836159.html