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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 9:04:27
My current combination seems to have me stable enough.
1 mg Klonopin at night
500 mg Depakote at night (up from 250 mg for migraine purposes)
an extra half Klonopin or .25 mg Risperdal as needed for extreme anxiety or agitation
100 mg Provigil for when I can't wake up in the morning or for when I get emotionally upset and keel over into an involuntary nap
plus Glucophage 500 mg (which has a psych effect because it makes me feel lousy and blah) and fish oil for high triglycerides (but which supposedly also have a psych effect
Therapy, of course.
My headaches have decreased, and I'm on relatively even keel right now (fingers crossed) but since increasing to 500 mg Depakote I've been having trouble waking up and staying awake.
I've also gained about five pounds from my already monstrous weight without noticeably changing my eating habits.
I sort of hate to back down on the Depakote, though that is the most obvious thing to do, because of the headaches.
So since I'm sleeping just more than fine on the Depakote, I wonder if it's time to back off on the Klonopin I've been on for ten years.
Or if there is a solution with timing that I haven't thought of yet.
Posted by MidnightBlue on May 19, 2005, at 11:34:40
In reply to Having trouble waking up, posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 9:04:27
Dinah,
I took a 1000mg of depakote for 10 years or more for migraines. I don't think it helped that much but it did help me sleep a bit and made me fat. It also made me feel "stupid" and "slow" so I took it all at night. It was hard to think at work when I took it during the day.
MidnightBlue
Posted by Ritch on May 19, 2005, at 12:14:52
In reply to Having trouble waking up, posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 9:04:27
> My current combination seems to have me stable enough.
>
> 1 mg Klonopin at night
>
> 500 mg Depakote at night (up from 250 mg for migraine purposes)
>
> an extra half Klonopin or .25 mg Risperdal as needed for extreme anxiety or agitation
>
> 100 mg Provigil for when I can't wake up in the morning or for when I get emotionally upset and keel over into an involuntary nap
>
> plus Glucophage 500 mg (which has a psych effect because it makes me feel lousy and blah) and fish oil for high triglycerides (but which supposedly also have a psych effect
>
> Therapy, of course.
>
> My headaches have decreased, and I'm on relatively even keel right now (fingers crossed) but since increasing to 500 mg Depakote I've been having trouble waking up and staying awake.
>
> I've also gained about five pounds from my already monstrous weight without noticeably changing my eating habits.
>
> I sort of hate to back down on the Depakote, though that is the most obvious thing to do, because of the headaches.
>
> So since I'm sleeping just more than fine on the Depakote, I wonder if it's time to back off on the Klonopin I've been on for ten years.
>
> Or if there is a solution with timing that I haven't thought of yet.Hi Dinah, I hope you find the answer to this trouble and post it because I've got a similar problem. The Depakote keeps me even-tempered, but seems to mess up my sleep.. I get to sleep easily, but tend to wake early and then feel tired and sleepy all day. I tried Keppra 250mg and it *worked*, but the stuff made me irritable and I had to stop it. The only thing that keeps me sleeping at least 5 hrs. is 25-50mg of dimenhydrinate (motion sickness antihistamine). I've found an anthistaminic seems to work the best for my particular case. At least antihistamines are varied and cheap. Hope this helps.--- Mitch
Posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 19:25:22
In reply to Re: Having trouble waking up » Dinah, posted by Ritch on May 19, 2005, at 12:14:52
I'll try tapering the Klonopin.
And let you know if I find the solution.
I hate to complain to my neurologist because she's threatening me with Dopamax, and I'm feeling stupid enough as it is. :)
Posted by Ritch on May 19, 2005, at 23:41:36
In reply to Sigh. Doesn't sound terribly encouraging., posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 19:25:22
> I'll try tapering the Klonopin.
>
> And let you know if I find the solution.
>
> I hate to complain to my neurologist because she's threatening me with Dopamax, and I'm feeling stupid enough as it is. :)When I tried Topamax it did seem to help me sleep really well. I tried reducing clonazepam myself to try to "solve" the sleep issue and I just had withdrawal reactions that made it worse. I don't want to tinker with the low-dose clon dose I now take until I can get the sleep issues settled some other way. I'm not sure how to explain it right, but Depakote seems to make a 24-hr day into a 26-hr day or something like that. If I force myself to stay awake an *extra* hour or two more than *usual* then I sleep fine.. don't know what to do or what to make of that.. it is just a temporary solution.
Posted by Maxime on May 20, 2005, at 6:03:38
In reply to Having trouble waking up, posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 9:04:27
I Dinah. Many people get migraine relief from Topomax. It does cause cognitive difficulties but it is USUALLY not as sedating as depakote. Some people find it activitating. Have you ever tried it?
Don't give up looking for a solution.
Maxime
> My current combination seems to have me stable enough.
>
> 1 mg Klonopin at night
>
> 500 mg Depakote at night (up from 250 mg for migraine purposes)
>
> an extra half Klonopin or .25 mg Risperdal as needed for extreme anxiety or agitation
>
> 100 mg Provigil for when I can't wake up in the morning or for when I get emotionally upset and keel over into an involuntary nap
>
> plus Glucophage 500 mg (which has a psych effect because it makes me feel lousy and blah) and fish oil for high triglycerides (but which supposedly also have a psych effect
>
> Therapy, of course.
>
> My headaches have decreased, and I'm on relatively even keel right now (fingers crossed) but since increasing to 500 mg Depakote I've been having trouble waking up and staying awake.
>
> I've also gained about five pounds from my already monstrous weight without noticeably changing my eating habits.
>
> I sort of hate to back down on the Depakote, though that is the most obvious thing to do, because of the headaches.
>
> So since I'm sleeping just more than fine on the Depakote, I wonder if it's time to back off on the Klonopin I've been on for ten years.
>
> Or if there is a solution with timing that I haven't thought of yet.
Posted by Maxime on May 20, 2005, at 6:06:03
In reply to Sigh. Doesn't sound terribly encouraging., posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 19:25:22
> I'll try tapering the Klonopin.
>
> And let you know if I find the solution.
>
> I hate to complain to my neurologist because she's threatening me with Dopamax, and I'm feeling stupid enough as it is. :)Sorry Dinah, I hadn't seen this post when I suggested it. But if you titrate it very slowly the "dopo" effect isn't as bad. I know someone who is on 400 mg as a mood stabiliser and she doesn't get that effect at all.
Worth a try?
Maxime
Posted by Maxime on May 20, 2005, at 6:07:45
In reply to Having trouble waking up, posted by Dinah on May 19, 2005, at 9:04:27
Doesn' the provigil make your headaches worse?
Maxime
Posted by Dinah on May 21, 2005, at 13:53:27
In reply to Re: Having trouble waking up » Dinah, posted by Maxime on May 20, 2005, at 6:03:38
I've about decided to ask my neurologist if we can give Topomax a try since my internist was so upset with my weight gain. If it doesn't work, I can always go back to Depakote. I'll be careful to increase the dose slowly.
You know, I've never noticed about Provigil and migraines. My migraines always seem to have a direct trigger - flickering overhead light or driving into the sun, too much time at the computer, a change in the barometric pressure (a big one for me), or an emotional upset. But it's possible that I'm more susceptible to those things when I've taken Provigil. I've just never tracked the idea, and I should.
Posted by Paulbwell on May 22, 2005, at 17:49:14
In reply to Re: Having trouble waking up, posted by Maxime on May 20, 2005, at 6:07:45
> Doesn' the provigil make your headaches worse?
>
> MaximeDo your 15mg Dexedrine Spansules give you any probs waking up you take 2 right?-if so do you take another? have you noticed any tolerance?
Reaguards
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