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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Rainbowlight on February 20, 2003, at 19:21:50
Do you take any type of sleep med/benzo at night? I find without one I can't get to sleep at all and I will toss and turn for hours until I finally fall asleep. I am getting very good sleep on the Elavil/1 mg. Ativan combo. I am soon going to try just the Elavil alone. Changing my sleep cycles screws my mood up really bad. For instance I have been taking daily naps for the past week or so due to an upper respiratory infection (and antibiotics). Today for the first day I didn't take a nap and I feel very depressed and tearful. I also know that Lamictal is very activating for me and I can't sleep at all without a sleep med on it. Could it be that the Effexor is doing the same thing to you? Geez, I know what you mean about that waking up early, tossing and turning. Yuck, that's awful!
Posted by Rainbowlight on February 20, 2003, at 19:24:09
In reply to Ritch, posted by Rainbowlight on February 20, 2003, at 19:21:50
Forgot to mention, about your question. I slept like a baby on the Remeron. Would fall asleep about one hour after taking it, sleep for like 9-10 hours and wake up and feel great. Never any daytime grogginess or wanting to take a nap.
Posted by Ritch on February 20, 2003, at 23:48:55
In reply to Ritch, posted by Rainbowlight on February 20, 2003, at 19:21:50
> Do you take any type of sleep med/benzo at night? I find without one I can't get to sleep at all and I will toss and turn for hours until I finally fall asleep. I am getting very good sleep on the Elavil/1 mg. Ativan combo. I am soon going to try just the Elavil alone. Changing my sleep cycles screws my mood up really bad. For instance I have been taking daily naps for the past week or so due to an upper respiratory infection (and antibiotics). Today for the first day I didn't take a nap and I feel very depressed and tearful. I also know that Lamictal is very activating for me and I can't sleep at all without a sleep med on it. Could it be that the Effexor is doing the same thing to you? Geez, I know what you mean about that waking up early, tossing and turning. Yuck, that's awful!
Forgot to mention, about your question. I slept like a baby on the Remeron. Would fall asleep about one hour after taking it, sleep for like 9-10 hours and wake up and feel great. Never any daytime grogginess or wanting to take a nap.I take my Depakote (currently 250mg) at bedtime with .5mg Klonopin. Usually I have to add a little Benadryl to sleep better (12.5mg). Elavil and doxepin (and low-dose Remeron) in the past were surefire sleep inducers for me. I just get hungover so badly from sedative meds the next day! You are lucky you could function the next day on Remeron. NOT ME. About the time I was ready to go to sleep the next night, my brain would just *begin* to start to clear up. My pdoc told me to increase the dose so I would feel more alert. I went from 7.5mg > 15mg > 30mg and I got *insomnia* from the stuff (light sleep-lucid dreaming-@30mg) and felt just as tired and foggy the next day as ever. Effexor, Wellbutrin, all SSRI's wreck my sleep. Even Serzone/trazodone didn't work very well. What works the best is to avoid/reduce those culprits that *cause* the problem, and to use something with antihistaminic and/or anticholinergic activity at bedtime. For sure, SSRI meds caused the worst sleep disruption for me than anything.
Posted by Rainbowlight on February 21, 2003, at 1:06:01
In reply to Re: Ritch-sleep-mood disturbances » Rainbowlight, posted by Ritch on February 20, 2003, at 23:48:55
I'm sorry you're not sleeping well. I think that is one of the toughest things to battle is the sleep deprivation. I do understand that drug hangover, that is how I felt on Seroquel. Would it help if you took one of the meds that work well for you at maybe dinner time instead of bedtime? Maybe the hangover wouldn't be so bad. Have you tried Atarax to help with the sleep? I am having the roughest day. Crying constantly. Don't know if it because I just stopped my ten days of antibiotics (Biaxin) or because I am reducing the Ativan she put me on to wean me off the Restoril. Going from 2 mgs. 2x a day to 1 mgs. 2x day. Think that is enough to throw me off?
Posted by Ritch on February 21, 2003, at 10:27:04
In reply to Re: Ritch-sleep-mood disturbances, posted by Rainbowlight on February 21, 2003, at 1:06:01
> I'm sorry you're not sleeping well. I think that is one of the toughest things to battle is the sleep deprivation. I do understand that drug hangover, that is how I felt on Seroquel. Would it help if you took one of the meds that work well for you at maybe dinner time instead of bedtime? Maybe the hangover wouldn't be so bad. Have you tried Atarax to help with the sleep? I am having the roughest day. Crying constantly. Don't know if it because I just stopped my ten days of antibiotics (Biaxin) or because I am reducing the Ativan she put me on to wean me off the Restoril. Going from 2 mgs. 2x a day to 1 mgs. 2x day. Think that is enough to throw me off?
It could be a benzo withdrawal. I find benzos somewhat depressogenic though. If anxiety is ragging you it can certainly make you more depressed, however if you lower a benzo. Do you think the Elavil is making you dysphoric (bipolar-wise)? Do you notice any increased irritability with these crying jags? You need to be on it for at least a couple of weeks to start seeing that sort of thing though (if you are going to). Too bad you can't continue the Remeron since it worked so well for you. Last night I took half as much Klonopin as usual (.25mg) and added 12.5mg Benadryl and slept *BETTER*. I've tried taking Remeron two or three hours before bedtime in the past and I wound up grazing in the refrigerator before bedtime and still woke up foggy-headed.
Posted by Rainbowlight on February 21, 2003, at 14:28:59
In reply to Re: Ritch-sleep-mood disturbances » Rainbowlight, posted by Ritch on February 21, 2003, at 10:27:04
Wook up this morning with my skin crawling, agitated, climbing the walls, you know what I mean. Took 1 mg. of Ativan and now I feel fine. I am guessing it is the benzo withdrawel? I don't know if the Elavil could be causing problems. I have been on it 2 weeks now. I take it at night for sleep. When she pulled me off the restoril she was having me take 2 mgs. Ativan 2x day (to avoid withdrawel). I felt good (very tired, but good). Now I have dropped it to 1 mgs. Ativan in the morning only. That is when the agitation/skin crawling started (per pdoc). Do you think it will get better in time as I get over the Restoril withdrawel? I have never been through benzo withdrawel before so I don't know what to expect. She did mention possibly putting me back on the Remeron. I am so tired of the weight gain though. I have actually lost about 6-8 pounds in the past month, due to being sick. But I was feeling so fat and the weight gain wasn't stopping. I am afraid what will happen if I continue to take it. I'm glad you slept better. I like Klonopin too, but my pdoc isn't too keen on benzos in general. About all she will give me is Ativan. WOn't give me Xanax, says it's too addicting (that's okay because I don't care for it anyway). In general I also find the benzos make me depressed too. Could be why I am crying? Geez, I am confused. Do you think Elavil could cause me problems? In what way? I have never combined an older tricyclic with an SSRI/mood stabilizer before. Gee, I am the human lab rat aren't I? The good news is I am no longer grazing in the refridgerator, LOL! I can't believe how much I was eating on the Remeron! Scary!
Posted by Ritch on February 21, 2003, at 22:10:35
In reply to Re: Ritch-sleep-mood disturbances, posted by Rainbowlight on February 21, 2003, at 14:28:59
> Wook up this morning with my skin crawling, agitated, climbing the walls, you know what I mean. Took 1 mg. of Ativan and now I feel fine. I am guessing it is the benzo withdrawel? I don't know if the Elavil could be causing problems. I have been on it 2 weeks now. I take it at night for sleep. When she pulled me off the restoril she was having me take 2 mgs. Ativan 2x day (to avoid withdrawel). I felt good (very tired, but good). Now I have dropped it to 1 mgs. Ativan in the morning only. That is when the agitation/skin crawling started (per pdoc). Do you think it will get better in time as I get over the Restoril withdrawel? I have never been through benzo withdrawel before so I don't know what to expect. She did mention possibly putting me back on the Remeron. I am so tired of the weight gain though. I have actually lost about 6-8 pounds in the past month, due to being sick. But I was feeling so fat and the weight gain wasn't stopping. I am afraid what will happen if I continue to take it. I'm glad you slept better. I like Klonopin too, but my pdoc isn't too keen on benzos in general. About all she will give me is Ativan. WOn't give me Xanax, says it's too addicting (that's okay because I don't care for it anyway). In general I also find the benzos make me depressed too. Could be why I am crying? Geez, I am confused. Do you think Elavil could cause me problems? In what way? I have never combined an older tricyclic with an SSRI/mood stabilizer before. Gee, I am the human lab rat aren't I? The good news is I am no longer grazing in the refridgerator, LOL! I can't believe how much I was eating on the Remeron! Scary!
Yeah, it does sound like a benzo withdrawal to me. Just before you take the only dose of the day of the Ativan (which really only lasts about 12 hrs or so), you are feeling the worst and then you feel fine after taking it. I think she ought to extend the 1mg of Ativan/day for another couple of weeks at least. You might also consider splitting it and taking 1/2 tab in the morning and the other half-tab 12 hrs. later.
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