Posted by BrittPark on December 21, 2002, at 0:34:23
In reply to Re: Lorazepam doesn't work anymore, posted by gheld on December 18, 2002, at 8:36:10
As gheld said benzos are not effective long term sleeping pills. The body becomes accustomed to the hypnotic effect of benzos in a few weeks. My psychiatrist when he prescribes benzos for insomnia has his patients on a 2 weeks on 1 week off schedule. If you are taking benzos because you are anxious and it's the anxiety that's keeping you awake, then it makes sense to use benzos and quite reasonable to raise the dose if the anxiolysis is inadequate.
Outside of benzos and the benzo-like sleeping pills (ambien etc) there are other choices. Remeron at doses below 30mg is quite sedating. Trazadone is commonly used for insomnia. It's not much of an antidepressant but it makes a good sleeping pill. Personally I'd stay away from so-called natural remedies. Plants didn't evolve to produce substances for the benefits of man but as mechanisms of self defense. Morphine is produced by the opium poppy not to provide humanity with a pain killer but as a way to keep critters from eating it. Morphine is a very useful medicine but is quite toxic in the wrong dose. If you do try something like valerian, don't mix it with benzos. There probably isn't any danger in doing so but you never know.
Good luck finding the right solution,,
Britt
poster:BrittPark
thread:132230
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021217/msgs/132705.html