Posted by SLS on July 14, 2003, at 16:43:59
In reply to HALCION-Questions..........Please help if possible, posted by galkeepinon on July 13, 2003, at 0:53:22
Hi.
Halcion is a particularly powerful benzodiazepine - the most potent, in fact. It works great to put someone to sleep, but because of its short half-life, wears off rather quickly. I think Halcion has received a lot of bad press regarding its potential to produce amnesia. It is probably no greater than that of Ambien. Ativan works fairly well to put someone to sleep and help them stay asleep. Restoril is milder and, although not so good to put someone to sleep, is great for having one stay asleep. I found that I had no hangover using Restoril. Ativan is probably more likely to produce hangover, but I never really had much of a problem with it.
If your problem is primarily that of falling asleep, Halcion will work better than Ativan, Restoril, Ambien, Sonata, or Klonopin. When I was taking Parnate, Ativan was not strong enough to put me to sleep. Halcion put me to sleep quickly, but I would wake up in a few hours and have to take more. The ideal solution for me was to take both Halcion and Ativan at bedtime. I fell asleep and stayed asleep until morning. Initially, Halcion was prescribed in the range of 0.25-1.00mg. After the uproar about amnesia, the drug manufacturer, Upjohn, reduced the recommended range to between 0.125-0.500mg. I would not be afraid to take 1.00mg if necessary. I took 2.00mg, and have no recollection of it causing amnesia. :-)
Benzodiazepines have become demonized as of about 10 years ago in the US. I understand that doctors in the UK won't prescribe them at all. I think they are an invaluable tool that can be used safely if administered with care and respect.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:241371
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030714/msgs/241820.html