Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 4804

Shown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by Donut on April 13, 1999, at 11:47:12

I have had chronic depression for years--prozac, but now on celexa because of tremors from prozac. The celexa works well for depression, but I have an impossible time falling asleep at night. I don't think it is related to anti-depressant med. I think it is a long time problem and I really need a med that will help but not be addictive. Any suggestions????

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by saintjames on April 13, 1999, at 16:05:13

In reply to SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Donut on April 13, 1999, at 11:47:12

> I have had chronic depression for years--prozac, but now on celexa because of tremors from prozac. The celexa works well for depression, but I have an impossible time falling asleep at night. I don't think it is related to anti-depressant med. I think it is a long time problem and I really need a med that will help but not be addictive. Any suggestions????

James here...

Any of the sedating AD's will do (at least they do for me) Remeron or any of the older tri cyclic's.... I've used tofranil, doxipin, and pamalor. All of these are non addictive.

j

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by Victoria on April 13, 1999, at 18:58:17

In reply to SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Donut on April 13, 1999, at 11:47:12

I'm taking trazadone (brand name is Deseryl--not sure of spelling). It's very sedating, knocks me right out and keeps me alseep all night, both of which I'd been having lots of problems with. Anti-depressant response is pretty good, too.

> I have had chronic depression for years--prozac, but now on celexa because of tremors from prozac. The celexa works well for depression, but I have an impossible time falling asleep at night. I don't think it is related to anti-depressant med. I think it is a long time problem and I really need a med that will help but not be addictive. Any suggestions????

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by anne on April 13, 1999, at 20:54:21

In reply to SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Donut on April 13, 1999, at 11:47:12

When my main problem is inability to stay asleep at night I always go back to Elavil. I've been on it several times over the past 10 years - by itself or with a another antidepressants. Doesn't take much, 10-25 mg at bedtime is plenty. It's especially great when starting a new antidepressant that keeps me up. I used it recently while getting used to Effexor XR; it was really keeping me up at night. After about 6 weeks of Effexor I started feeling really drowsy during the day and stopped the Elavil. Still sleeping great, feeling pretty wonderful.

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by Sean on April 15, 1999, at 16:32:02

In reply to Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by anne on April 13, 1999, at 20:54:21

> When my main problem is inability to stay asleep at night I always go back to Elavil. I've been on it several times over the past 10 years - by itself or with a another antidepressants. Doesn't take much, 10-25 mg at bedtime is plenty. It's especially great when starting a new antidepressant that keeps me up. I used it recently while getting used to Effexor XR; it was really keeping me up at night. After about 6 weeks of Effexor I started feeling really drowsy during the day and stopped the Elavil. Still sleeping great, feeling pretty wonderful.

I can relate; SSRI's seem to cause insomnia, and
for me this triggers hypomania- fun but not a
long term solution.
I have had luck with Elavil for both dep
and sleep...

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by Jen on April 17, 1999, at 13:10:11

In reply to SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Donut on April 13, 1999, at 11:47:12

Serzone is good for sleeping. It has less side effects in general than most anti-depressants. I had terrible sleep problems and am doing well on Serzone (5 weeks so far).

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by Joann on April 19, 1999, at 15:12:20

In reply to Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Jen on April 17, 1999, at 13:10:11

I have been taking Trazadone for the past 2 1/2 years. It puts me to sleep right away and I stay asleep all night. I would highly recommend it.

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by Sally on April 21, 1999, at 2:13:36

In reply to Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Sean on April 15, 1999, at 16:32:02

> > When my main problem is inability to stay asleep at night I always go back to Elavil. I've been on it several times over the past 10 years - by itself or with a another antidepressants. Doesn't take much, 10-25 mg at bedtime is plenty. It's especially great when starting a new antidepressant that keeps me up. I used it recently while getting used to Effexor XR; it was really keeping me up at night. After about 6 weeks of Effexor I started feeling really drowsy during the day and stopped the Elavil. Still sleeping great, feeling pretty wonderful.
>
> I can relate; SSRI's seem to cause insomnia, and
> for me this triggers hypomania- fun but not a
> long term solution.
> I have had luck with Elavil for both dep
> and sleep...
> Do you have to have a perscription for Elavil? I take some stuff to help me sleep but i think in the long run it makes me more irritable and depressed and I already have that problem.

 

insomnia ideas

Posted by Elizabeth on April 21, 1999, at 5:30:30

In reply to Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Sally on April 21, 1999, at 2:13:36

Elizabeth's sleep ideas (bound to include *something* you haven't tried yet!)

Ambien - short-acting but good for falling asleep; unlikely to stop working, even after a pretty long time. Most people only need 10mg, but if that doesn't work, consider trying 20.

benzodiazepines - various durations of action, tend to stop working within a couple weeks or so. I've heard especially favorable things about nitrazepam (Mogadon - not available in the U.S.).

zopiclone (Imovane, Rhovane, Zimovane) - seems to stop working with time more than Ambien does, but may be less likely to do so than a benzo. Otherwise, similar to Ambien, but longer lasting. Not available in U.S.

antihistamines - diphenhydramine (Benadryl), hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril), chlorpheniramine (ChlorTrimeton), doxcylamine, others - a reasonable choice, and several of the sedating
antihistamines are over-the-counter (hydroxyzine isn't).

tricyclic antidepressants - amitriptyline (Elavil), doxepin (Sinequan), and trimipramine (Surmontil) are probably the most sedating ones, but some people need one that's only moderately
sedating, such as imipramine (Tofranil) or nortriptyline (Pamelor). They have various side effects (Elavil usually being the worst) in addition to sedation, including dry mouth, constipation, orthostatic hypotension, and weight gain.

other antidepressants - trazodone (Desyrel), mirtazapine (Remeron/Zipsin), nefazodone (Serzone/Dutonin). Often sedating in low doses
(Remeron becomes less sedating at higher doses). Tend to have fewer side effects than the tricyclics.

anticonvulsants - valproate (Depakote, Epival), gabapentin (Neurontin), and carbamazepine (Tegretol, Epitol) have all been used, as they tend to be rather sedating. Gabapentin is the newest and safest of these.

clonidine (Catapres) - an antihypertensive with sedating effects, this can also work for anxiety. For some reason, it's widely used for kids with ADD who have Ritalin-induced insomnia. I'm not convinced this is a wise practice, but it's safe enough in adults.

atypical antipsychotics - olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine (Seroquel). At the low doses required for insomnia (for most people), these lack the risk of movement disorders that older antipsychotics, such as Haldol and Thorazine, are notorious for. Aside from sedation, the main side effect is appetite stimulation. Zyprexa is too long-lasting to use as a sleep aid for many people.

tryptophan - works pretty well, not available in U.S. Also an antidepressant.

melatonin - unless you can't afford a doctor, this would be very low on my list. It seems to work sometimes, but often it does not (some people even get insomnia on it), and it may
interact in a bad way with some antidepressants. Might be a good choice for people with certain circadian rhythm problems, though.

 

Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term

Posted by anne on April 22, 1999, at 21:06:36

In reply to Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by Sally on April 21, 1999, at 2:13:36

Elavil (amitriptylene) is indeed a prescription drug - doesn't take a lot if one is interested in suicide. This is not a suggestion! It is the most sedating tricyclic but I find it's side-effects are less bothersome than the SSRI's. They also tend to abate with time. My mother and aunt have taken it for about 15 years without a break; it's the only thing that keeps them from waking early everyday. Must run in my family.


 

tricyclics for sleep

Posted by Elizabeth on April 23, 1999, at 8:38:31

In reply to Re: SLEEP--does anything work for long term, posted by anne on April 22, 1999, at 21:06:36

I think doxepin is probably as sedating as Elavil without having as many other side effects.

 

Re: tricyclics for sleep

Posted by saintjames on April 23, 1999, at 11:55:30

In reply to tricyclics for sleep, posted by Elizabeth on April 23, 1999, at 8:38:31

> I think doxepin is probably as sedating as Elavil without having as many other side effects.

James here....

By far doxepin is the most sedating TCA.
For sleep start with 25 mgs. The first few days will be groggy but this generally passes. Increase dose as needed to give restful sleep.

The question you need to answer is "do you feel rested thruout the day" If the answer is no then the amount and/or quality of sleep needs to change.

 

Re: tricyclics for sleep

Posted by Bruce on April 23, 1999, at 15:41:20

In reply to Re: tricyclics for sleep, posted by saintjames on April 23, 1999, at 11:55:30

> > I think doxepin is probably as sedating as Elavil without having as many other side effects.
>
> James here....
>
> By far doxepin is the most sedating TCA.
> For sleep start with 25 mgs. The first few days will be groggy but this generally passes. Increase dose as needed to give restful sleep.
>
> The question you need to answer is "do you feel rested thruout the day" If the answer is no then the amount and/or quality of sleep needs to change.

Trazodone, 150mg plus 25mg Benydryl have helped me sleep for the past 8 years. Occaissionally I up the trazodone to 200 mg during stressful periods and then go back to 150.
That amount is not a full anti-depressant dose, but it works for sleeping. I recently tried Effexor SR in the morning for the depression but got pretty buzzed on it. Going to 200mg of trazodone overcame any possible insomnia from the Effexor.
Unfortunately I had to give up the Effexor, couldn't handle the side-effects and I'm now on Buspar trying to handle anxiety. By the way if you've had experience with Buspar, please let me know. How long does it take to effectively control anxiety.


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