Sleeping Pills

[Guest guest]

Hi, I was wondering if Dr Levin or anyone else can comment on what

works best for insomnia? I have tried the low dose antidepressants

like trazadone and doxepin and still cant fall asleep and sometimes

get abdominal muscle tics. What works best for falling asleep and

staying there? I have researched restoril and found it is pretty

good but doesnt help the falling asleep part, but has less rebound

effect. Is xanax or ambien better? I have a feeling I need

something relatively strong, I am on high doses of narcotics (

oxycontin and soma) and these used to help me sleep but no longer.

I just lay there feeling wiggly and anxious, almost panicky

sometimes. I just feel like I haven't got the ability to cross the

sleep threshold; I lay there all night long with no results.

PLEASE DR. LEVIN COMMENT ON THIS IF YOU SEE IT. Also, the soma are

not working for me as well as they used to, maybe because of lack

of sleep my muscles are rock hard and are so painful I can hardly

stand it. I have heard soma also comes with aspirin and codiene

added to it-- is it more effective in this form? Would that be an

option for someone already on oxycodone? I am so miserable. Thank

you so much for your assistance.

meg

[Guest guest]

Dear Meg,

I am not a doctor but I've been where you are. I know the misery of

laying night after night in tears because sleep just doesn't come, and I

had to face eight hours in the office the next day.

I shared my experience in this regard with this group. I finally went

to a psychiatrist who put me on Xanax.

My experience with Xanax is this:

1. Depending on the dose (anywhere from 1/4 mg. to 2 mg. (high)), it

will probably knock you out in about 30 minutes or less. Lasts about

4-6 hours. You might need a second dose to make it all the way

through. It was the best thing going for anxiety/panic-related

insomnia. That's the good news.

2. Please, please, please, if you are considering Xanax (or Klonopin or

any other benzodiazepene), discuss the dependency aspect with your

doctor. I believe this can be managed effectively and safely, if this

is dealt with right up front. It wasn't in my case. The rebound from

trying to taper off Xanax was WORSE than the originally insomnia, and it

took 9 days in a medically supervised detox to finally get me off. I

understand that the doctor's first concern was returning me to a normal

sleep pattern so I could function. He probably didn't want to burden me

further with dependency issues.

So I found Xanax was wonderful for helping me get to sleep, and for

calming down panic and anxiety. Only beware of the dangers of

dependency.

As far as anti-depressants, I had pretty good success with Elavil. A

friend of my wife mentioned that she was on Elavil for depression and

she slept great so I tried it. I slept better though not great but it

really didn't deal with RLS/PLMD.

I really feel for you, Meg. I know the misery and anxiety that come

with severe sleep deprivation. We can be transformed from

well-balanced, mild-mannered, stable human beings, to panicked,

desperate, raving maniacs in a few short days.

I know you've probably tried everything already to help yourself. But

I've learned I need to take a pro-active stance on my sleep disorders,

and not throw myself 100% to the mercy of meds. I need to learn what

relaxes me and helps sleep come more naturally. When to take hot baths,

what kind of herbal teas, soft music, what to read before bed etc. All

these things can be harnassed to help. And above all, EDUCATE

yourself. Arm yourself with facts. One of the things that caused me

the most anxiety was ignorance of what was happening to me. I studied

up on anxiety and depression, and their treatments and meds...and later

on about PLMD and RLS through articles and groups such as this one.

Talking it out, and finding compassionate souls who have been there and

know what we're going through. Just knowing you are *NOT* alone...makes

all the difference when some disorder threatens to siphen the life right

out of you.

I hope you find the help you need. Life without sleep is hell on earth!

Jeff P.

45 y/o

Colorado Springs, CO

vanchris@... wrote:

>

>

>

> Hi, I was wondering if Dr Levin or anyone else can comment on what

> works best for insomnia? I have tried the low dose antidepressants

> like trazadone and doxepin and still cant fall asleep and sometimes

> get abdominal muscle tics. What works best for falling asleep and

> staying there? I have researched restoril and found it is pretty

> good but doesnt help the falling asleep part, but has less rebound

> effect. Is xanax or ambien better? I have a feeling I need

> something relatively strong, I am on high doses of narcotics (

> oxycontin and soma) and these used to help me sleep but no longer.

> I just lay there feeling wiggly and anxious, almost panicky

> sometimes. I just feel like I haven't got the ability to cross the

> sleep threshold; I lay there all night long with no results.

> PLEASE DR. LEVIN COMMENT ON THIS IF YOU SEE IT. Also, the soma are

> not working for me as well as they used to, maybe because of lack

> of sleep my muscles are rock hard and are so painful I can hardly

> stand it. I have heard soma also comes with aspirin and codiene

> added to it-- is it more effective in this form? Would that be an

> option for someone already on oxycodone? I am so miserable. Thank

> you so much for your assistance.

> meg

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

I used to take a lot of Soma. And if you read the descriptions in the PDR, it

can have a rebound effect and actually cause insomnia. DR Levin, I'm

certainly not qualified to speak as a physician, so maybe you could fine tune

this for me. In my case, The Soma " turned on me, " and after the initial onset

of the drug, which put me to sleep, I was up every 2 hours, and had to take

more each time, to get back to sleep. Also, for me, opiates may have caused

me to " nod out " in deep relaxation, but I never really went into a deep sleep

on them either. You might discuss a drug holiday with you physician. Hope

that helps. Sweet Dreams, Elaine, Malibu

[Guest guest]

Hi Guys. My 2 cents, tho I'm not sure they're worth quite that much. I've

been put on nightly sleeping pills called Imovane (aka Zoplicone). I

understand they are mild and non-addictive, but they certainly do put me to

sleep. When I went to bed last night I was grumbling that I wasn't even

tired, but my husband was mighty amused when I was passed out cold in

literally 15 seconds. I did wake up a lot early in the morning, but I would

get back to sleep all right.

My legs are mercifully doing all right. I'm still on the 900 mg. of

Neurontin at bedtime, and it contnues to work fine. My sleep is

deteriorating, but I understand that this is due to the effects of Manerix,

the new anti depressant I'm on. The doctor bumped my dosage of that up to

450 mg. a day today, and I'm to continue taking the Imovane nightly. I'm

also taking 600 mg. of Lithium a day, as a boost for the antidepressant. My

Xanax had been bumped up to 3 mg daily last week by my g.p. because I'm

suffering terrible panic attacks now, but the psychiatric freaked and told

me to start taking it back down gradually to 1.5 a day at the most. He said

the Xanax might help the panic, but it will exacerbate the depression. And

since he's needing to bump the Manerix up, he wants the Xanax down. God,

this is getting confusing, difficult and annoying.

I know they can't fix what ails me in a hurry or easily, but I just can't

find enough patience lurking behind the constant anxiety and oftentimes

panic to believe that I can wait this all through. I was told that we need

to trial the Manerix for at least 6-8 weeks. I think I've been on it for 2

or 3 now. If it ain't one thing, it's something else.

Meanwhile, I hope you are all hanging in there, and staying cheerful. I'd

pay good money for a pill for that right now.

Hugs,

Eve