Posted by JohnL on December 24, 1999, at 6:37:55
In reply to Re: INSOMNIA, posted by esquisse on December 24, 1999, at 5:55:52
You might want to consider one of the following:
1. Remeron (Mirtazipine), 7.5mg to 15mg an hour before bedtime. A good antidepressant for sleep. Not anticholinergic. Daytime sedation goes away quickly as you get used to the drug. It would enhance whatever SSRI you are taking also.
2. One of the benzos. These are the sleep meds. Xanax has a short halflife which is good for sleep with minimal effect during the day.
3. Ambien is another sleep med that works well with some people. Didn't do much for me though.
4. One of the sedating tricyclics you mentioned, like Amitriptyline or Pamelor, except also take Bethanecol with it. Bethanecol is a cholinergic drug used to counter the anticholinergic side effects of tricyclics. Or, just take a small dose of the tricyclic for sleep in addition to your SSRI. The anticholinergic effects of a low dose shouldn't cause any problems other than maybe a slightly dry mouth. And the combination of the small dose of tricyclic and the SSRI will probably work better on your depression than the SSRI alone.A lot of people use Trazodone. But like you, I didn't like it. It made me restless and gave me headaches and bad nightmares. But there are plenty of choices. Talk to your doctor about the choices I mentioned. Maybe your doctor has a favorite way to treat antidepressant insomnia.
I have tried everything. My personal favorite is a small dose tricyclic. It's a good sleep. My second favorite choice is Remeron. But we're all different. Other people might prefer one of the benzos. You might have to try a couple different things to find what you like best. JohnL
poster:JohnL
thread:16735
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991212/msgs/17417.html