Posted by King Vultan on July 16, 2004, at 8:16:23
In reply to SLEEP NEEDED!, posted by stalwart on July 16, 2004, at 4:15:13
Restoril is a very effective sleep aid but has a longer half life than either Ambien or Sonata, so you would be more likely to sleep longer and/or wake up not as clear headed IMO. According to my "Psychotropic Drugs" book these are the elimination half lives of the common sleep meds and some of the others you mentioned:
Sonata 1 hour
Halcion 1.5-5.5 hours
Ambien 2.6 hours
Restoril 10-15 hours
Valium 20-80 hoursSorry my book does not list Xanax XR, but Xanax is shown as having a half life of 12-15 hours. Based on what you've said, if you haven't tried it before, you might want to try Halcion, which has a relatively short half life, and is regarded by my pharmacist, anyway, as one of the most powerful sleep meds available. I take 0.125 mg every other night myself, and the maximum recommended dose is 0.25 mg/night (it used to be 0.5 mg, but there are now concerns about that dosage). My pdoc does not want me taking it more often than three or four times a week. I use Benadryl the other nights, which is not nearly as effective.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:366763
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040714/msgs/366787.html