Posted by paxvox on August 7, 2001, at 12:02:17
In reply to sleep stuff » Elizabeth, posted by terra miller on August 5, 2001, at 23:31:46
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> On another note: what do you know about Sonota for sleep??? I see pdoc on Friday, and have been wondering about asking for scripts for both xanax and sonata. Opinions? Sonata can be taken in the middle of the night, yes? That is "SO" my issue.
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> -terraGonna jump in here before I read the follow-ups.
Sonata is OK, with an *. It does put you out, but you will wake up in 4-5 hours, generally having trouble getting back to sleep. Due to its short half life (1 hour) the med is rapidly metabolized. It can cause daytime anxiety, nervousness and can set off a panic attack (my personal experinces). However, you CAN take it in middle of the night to get back to sleep, or if you have been trying to get to sleep and you just can't. I took one last night at 12:45, and slept fine until 5:39, which is about the time (5:45) my alarm is set to. Perhaps that is its best use. I do not think it will help taken chronically, and may potentiate the negative effects that I had with it. Ambien worked a bit better for me, and kept me asleep longer, but my Pdoc took me off of it starting with my first visit to him 4 years ago. Alcohol does not help you in the sleep battle. True, it lets you GET to sleep, but it interfers with deep sleep, and thus sleep quality. When I quit drinking entirely, my sleep actually improved quite a bit. Benzos, however, are life savers for sleep problems as long as you don't increase the dose on your own. You may develop a tolerance to one benzo, but they are chemically different enought that you can switch to another one.
poster:paxvox
thread:72451
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010804/msgs/73966.html