Posted by dlevine on October 1, 2002, at 22:46:12
In reply to Re: Nardil veterans...how do you sleep? » dlevine, posted by SLS on October 1, 2002, at 15:23:43
> How much Nardil are you taking?
> I have had bouts of total insomnia with Nardil in the past. The things that have worked best with me have been combining a powerful, short-acting drug like Halcion or Sonata with a longer-acting one like Ativan or Restoril. The former helps put you to sleep while the latter helps to keep you asleep. I think the regimen I used years ago included Halcion 1.0mg + Ativan 4.0mg. Many doctors are uncomfortable with prescribing Halcion, but it is the strongest of the benzodiazepines for sleep, and I have never had any side-effects or memory problems with it. I can't offer you any realistic idea as to how prevalent these occur in real life. Perhaps Sonata would provide the necessary impact.
>
> I don't think Klonopin is as effective a hypnotic as these other drugs. Are you sure you need it to treat your SP? How often is Ativan effective for SP? Do you think substituting Ativan for Klonopin and adding one of the short-acting drugs might be worth considering?
>
> Good luck.
>
> I'm not having very much of my own in trying to >treat bipolar depression. Are you taking Nardil >by itself? What drugs or drug combinations have >you tried in the past?
Thanks for the info. I'm currently taking about 42mg of Nardil (I cut the pills to get that dosage). That's as low as I can go and still have a therapeutic effect.My biggest problem is not falling asleep, but STAYING asleep. I rarely ever sleep more than 3 hours straight using my current sleep meds.
I take the Klonopin (and Trazadone) to fall asleep only--not to treat my SP. My Pdoc says that Klonopin is the safest benzo to use for sleep(it has a long half-life). I've never tried anything other than Trazadone & Klonopin for my insomnia. Maybe I should consider something else?
I fear taking more benzos for such a long time frame (it may be forever). Am I wrong to? What are my non-benzo alternatives other than Trazadone?
BTW, I also take a small dose (50mg) of Depakote to minimze any manic symptoms caused by Nardil. It works well. Maybe you should consider that for use in your bipolar treatment.
Any other advice related to Nardil and what to take for sleep would be GREATLY appreciated...
poster:dlevine
thread:121735
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020930/msgs/121895.html