Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 13540

Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

drug interactions

Posted by Kathleen on October 20, 1999, at 22:54:01

I've been prescribed a Buspar/Luvox combination by my mental health care provider for supposed OCD and phentermine by my family doctor for tiredness (a full-time job, 4 kids, an 18 year old and three under the age of 6). I am also on birth control pills and need a Tylenol PM to sleep at night. I also suffer from extremely detailed dreams which linger in my thoughts throughout the day. My psy. says I would need a sleep study to figure this out. Am I killing myself or just losing my mind?

 

Re: drug interactions

Posted by S. Suggs on October 21, 1999, at 7:12:42

In reply to drug interactions, posted by Kathleen on October 20, 1999, at 22:54:01

Kathleen, I agree with your doctor. I myself had a sleep study in the past. I was very sleepy during the day and fall asleep many times. In my case it was one of my meds that I was taking, Effexor. I switched to a new drug and my sleep was much better. How late to you take your phentermine? Being a stimulant, it might overide the Tylenol PM (by the way, you can take generic Benedryl-it has the same ingredient - diphenhydramine). You mentioned that your had "dreams which linger in my thoughts throughout the day". Do you ever nod off during the day, and if so, do you dream before you close your eyes? I am not sure of the technical term, but this can be a symptom of narcolepsy. There are two test that can be performed, one for sleep apnea and one for narcolepsy. I tested negative for both. Do you snore? Typical characteristic of sleep apnea. It can be hard to tell how well one sleeps at night. I felt I was sleeping well until the sleep study showed that I only had 15 minutes of REM sleep. Bottom line, do the sleep study as a diagnostic tool to determine what the problem might be, it's a great starting point. By the way, I cannot imagine 3 kids under the age of 6. My wife and I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 month old and it is a full time job by itself. Also, I don't think you are losing your mind. Blessings!

S. Suggs

 

Re: drug interactions/sleep deprivation

Posted by Noa on October 21, 1999, at 18:19:08

In reply to Re: drug interactions, posted by S. Suggs on October 21, 1999, at 7:12:42

I think parents of young children tend to be very sleep deprived. Their sleep is often extremely fragmented from getting up to console, feed, deal with a child in the night. This can interfere with normal sleep architecture. Sleep study, or at least a consult with a sleep specialist to review what is actually happening in your sleep time, would probably be helpful.

 

Re: drug interactions/sleep deprivation--PS

Posted by Noa on October 21, 1999, at 18:20:33

In reply to Re: drug interactions/sleep deprivation, posted by Noa on October 21, 1999, at 18:19:08

Try visitn sleepnet.com --lots of info on sleep disorders (did you know there are about 80 different kinds of sleep disorders?)

 

Re: drug interactions/sleep deprivation--PS

Posted by Noa on October 21, 1999, at 18:22:04

In reply to Re: drug interactions, posted by S. Suggs on October 21, 1999, at 7:12:42

try www.sleepedu.net/forums

 

Re: drug interactions (S. Suggs)

Posted by Elizabeth on October 26, 1999, at 22:21:42

In reply to Re: drug interactions, posted by S. Suggs on October 21, 1999, at 7:12:42

> Do you ever nod off during the day, and if so, do you dream before you close your eyes? I am not sure of the technical term, but this can be a symptom of narcolepsy.

The REM sleep attacks are just...uh, REM sleep attacks.

The waking dreams are hypnagogic hallucinations (I have them sometimes during the daytime; having them before falling asleep at night is within the normal range).

> Do you snore? Typical characteristic of sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea syndromes definitely can cause daytime drowsiness (though not all snorers have sleep apnea).

>It can be hard to tell how well one sleeps at night. I felt I was sleeping well until the sleep study showed that I only had 15 minutes of REM sleep.

Almost every effective antidepressant suppresses REM sleep to one degree or another, so this doesn't say much if you were on an antidepressant at the time!

 

sleep - Kathleen

Posted by Elizabeth on October 26, 1999, at 22:27:42

In reply to drug interactions, posted by Kathleen on October 20, 1999, at 22:54:01

> I also suffer from extremely detailed dreams which linger in my thoughts throughout the day. My psy. says I would need a sleep study to figure this out. Am I killing myself or just losing my mind?

It's possible you are awakening frequently in the middle of the night without realizing it. This could contribute to your daytime tiredness (along with those kids and that job!) and also make it more likely that you will remember your dreams. Also, while Luvox tends to decrease the amount of time you spend in REM sleep (the sleep in which bizarre dreaming occurs), it increases the number of REMs (the REM density) and can cause vivid dreaming as a side effect.

BTW, unless you have pain as well as insomnia, I'd suggest using plain diphenhydramine for sleep rather than a combination drug like Tylenol PM. Acetaminophen (another ingredient in Tylenol PM) is not great for your liver, so you shouldn't take it unless you need it.


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