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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MoBe on March 24, 2003, at 23:10:25
I am presently using wellbutrin as my chief antidepressent. It does however have the side effect of hurting my sleep. My doctor has been augmenting it with remeron. Unfortunately, in 15 mg doses - it makes me gain weight. Has anyone had the experience of using very low doses of remeron ie 7.5 mg and perhaps had good sleeps with no weight gain. I have tried increasing it to increase the norepinephrine effect but then it just gives me a tired but wired feeling at night. Yuchh!!! Thanks for any help.
MoBe
Posted by hopko on March 25, 2003, at 8:14:24
In reply to using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid, posted by MoBe on March 24, 2003, at 23:10:25
I used 7.5mg of Remeron for sleep for a long time, but also was using varying amounts of Klonopin. I started at 15mg of Remeron (and this was all for insomnia and anxiety), went higher and couldn't tolerate it, went back to 15mg and continued to have a raging appetite and so went down to the 7.5mg level. I think this very low level helped reduce my appetite a little but I did not lose any of the weight that I had already gained. Also, my sleep gradually got worse until I was having a very hard time again. I recently switched meds all together and am doing better. But, have you tried Trazadone to help you sleep? I don't know if the combination of Wellbutrin + Trazadone is ok, but it might be worth talking to your doc about.
Posted by Bill L on March 25, 2003, at 10:17:47
In reply to using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid, posted by MoBe on March 24, 2003, at 23:10:25
Ambien is very safe, and good for sleep without side effects.
Posted by hopko on March 25, 2003, at 10:26:29
In reply to Re: using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid, posted by Bill L on March 25, 2003, at 10:17:47
I would respectfully disagree about Ambien. I used it extensively at one time and can say that it seriously affected my short-term memory (a side-effect which went away after I stopped using it.) I have read that others have had the same issue with Ambien. Also, stopping the drug without tapering caused me rather severe re-bound insomnia. I had to go back on it and then slowly taper off (like with many other drugs.) Trazadone on the other hand, if it works, seems to work without that kind of side effect and is better for long-term use.
Posted by Ritch on March 25, 2003, at 10:52:55
In reply to using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid, posted by MoBe on March 24, 2003, at 23:10:25
> I am presently using wellbutrin as my chief antidepressent. It does however have the side effect of hurting my sleep. My doctor has been augmenting it with remeron. Unfortunately, in 15 mg doses - it makes me gain weight. Has anyone had the experience of using very low doses of remeron ie 7.5 mg and perhaps had good sleeps with no weight gain. I have tried increasing it to increase the norepinephrine effect but then it just gives me a tired but wired feeling at night. Yuchh!!! Thanks for any help.
>
> MoBe
When I was trying Remeron I found that as little as 3-4 mg (7.5mg half-tab cracked in half) would knock me out like a sledgehammer. If you don't have trouble with daytime sleepiness the next day and you don't gain any weight it might be a really cheap way to get the sleep you need.
Posted by Stan on March 25, 2003, at 22:45:17
In reply to using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid, posted by MoBe on March 24, 2003, at 23:10:25
> I am presently using wellbutrin as my chief antidepressent. It does however have the side effect of hurting my sleep. My doctor has been augmenting it with remeron. Unfortunately, in 15 mg doses - it makes me gain weight. Has anyone had the experience of using very low doses of remeron ie 7.5 mg and perhaps had good sleeps with no weight gain. I have tried increasing it to increase the norepinephrine effect but then it just gives me a tired but wired feeling at night. Yuchh!!! Thanks for any help.
>
> MoBe>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
at very low doses, remeron supposedly acts primarily as an antihistamine -- its effects on serotonin and adrenalin receptors hardly get a chance to kick in at these levels and are overpowered by the histamine blocking actions. antihistamines (otc benadryl, rx hydroxyzine, etc.) are sometimes helpful for short-term relief for insomnia, but using them for many successive days/weeks in a row can make things worse for some people. i'll third the recommendation that others have made for trazodone as a sleep aid which retains its effectiveness over time (although sometimes a dosage increase will be necessary after awhile). start with as little as 25 mg before bed and move gradually upward as needed.
Stan
Posted by MoBe on March 25, 2003, at 23:00:11
In reply to Re: using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid » MoBe, posted by Stan on March 25, 2003, at 22:45:17
> > I am presently using wellbutrin as my chief antidepressent. It does however have the side effect of hurting my sleep. My doctor has been augmenting it with remeron. Unfortunately, in 15 mg doses - it makes me gain weight. Has anyone had the experience of using very low doses of remeron ie 7.5 mg and perhaps had good sleeps with no weight gain. I have tried increasing it to increase the norepinephrine effect but then it just gives me a tired but wired feeling at night. Yuchh!!! Thanks for any help.
> >
> > MoBe
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> at very low doses, remeron supposedly acts primarily as an antihistamine -- its effects on serotonin and adrenalin receptors hardly get a chance to kick in at these levels and are overpowered by the histamine blocking actions. antihistamines (otc benadryl, rx hydroxyzine, etc.) are sometimes helpful for short-term relief for insomnia, but using them for many successive days/weeks in a row can make things worse for some people. i'll third the recommendation that others have made for trazodone as a sleep aid which retains its effectiveness over time (although sometimes a dosage increase will be necessary after awhile). start with as little as 25 mg before bed and move gradually upward as needed.
>
> StanDear Everybody
Thank you for your comments on remeron and trazodone. Is low dose trazodone compatable with 150 mg wellbutrin twice a day?
MoBe
Posted by Rainbowlight on March 26, 2003, at 1:59:53
In reply to Re: using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid, posted by hopko on March 25, 2003, at 8:14:24
Just a note: Beware of the Remeron weight gain. I have gained 30 pounds from it and have been unable to get rid of it inspite of doing heavy exercise and watching what I eat. But I do agree, it makes a wonderful sleep aid. I sleep like a log. I now take 45 mgs. I did get that edgy/wired feeling from this dose too, but it passed after a few weeks and now I feel fine.
Posted by Stan on March 26, 2003, at 22:19:59
In reply to Re: using Remeron in very low doses as a sleep aid » Stan, posted by MoBe on March 25, 2003, at 23:00:11
> Dear Everybody
>
> Thank you for your comments on remeron and trazodone. Is low dose trazodone compatable with 150 mg wellbutrin twice a day?
>
> MoBe
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>i'm fairly certain that those too are fully compatible -- in fact, trazodone is the "downer" drug of choice amongst many pdocs who have wellbutrin patients w/insomnia issues -- it's not habit-forming, and can provide a subtle anti-depressant effect of its own for some people, even at low doses. trazodone is also dirt-cheap, or at least it was a few years ago -- about 10 cents per 100 mg tab. you can split those into halves or quarters and one piece (either 25 or 50 mg) should be enough to make you drowsy and relaxed enough to nod off, at least in the beginning before your body/brain adapt to it, after which time you might need to up the dosage somewhat. weight gain is not a commonly reported side effect, so no worries there. i think its half-life is about 6-8 hrs(?), so you might experience some morning sluggishness if the dosage is a bit heavier than you need. if you take your wellbutrin in the morning, that'll probably counteract the sedative effects of the remaining trazodone and the tiredness will go away in short order. if i could tolerate wellbutrin (can't do it, makes me nervous), i'd try this combo myself. good luck
Stan
Stan
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