Posted by bark2323 on November 11, 2004, at 18:04:30
This might be too late to even ask, as my dr's appt is tomorrow, but I need help with sleeping meds. Ok, first Ill say what Im on: zyprexa 10mg, klonopin 4mg, provigil 400mg. I know decreasing the provigil is probably the first thing that pops into peoples minds, but Ive done that before and it hasnt really helped, and actually the times Ive done it Ive found out how much provigil really helps.
My problem falling asleep is mainly because my mind races and obsesses the minute I hit the bed. Zyprexa used to help me sleep, but doesnt seem to cut it anymore. When not on zyprexa I have used a combo of seroquel and neurontin to sleep. Ive tried adding neurontin back, but it doesnt seem to be enough anymore. All that helps now is 3 or 4 beers, but I have a tendency towards excess in that department and so (obviously) dont really want to rely on alcohol for sleep.
Because I seem to consistently need an AP plus a GABAergic (Im lumping neurontin in this category which might not be completely true) drug to sleep, and since Ive got the AP, I am interested in hearing suggestions on drugs which affect gaba and/or reduce the release of glutamate, although any med options which reduce thinking (as opposed to just producing drowsiness, which zyprexa helps with) would be appreciated. I would also be interested to hear about tolerance issues in regards to adding another benzo, ambien, or even a barbiturate if I skip weekends. Of course, in order to fall asleep on weekends I will be using alcohol (not healthy I know, but part of my unhealthy college lifestyle) which is cross-tolerant to the three types of meds above, but it does more than potentiate GABA, so Im hoping not fully cross-tolerant. Ive tried ambien and benzos to sleep before (and of course am on one now for other reasons) and grew tolerant quickly, but that was on a daily basis, so Im hoping non-daily would be better. Also, short acting anticonvulsant med experiences as far as sleep goes would also be appreciated.
Im doing well during the day, so Im looking more for short half-life meds if possible and dont really want to increase the zyprexa.Right now I am thinking about ativan 2-3mg (which helps when used sporadically anyway), ambien 10-20mg (which was the dose range I used years ago before it became totally useless), gabitril (which Ive never tried), or some barbiturate (I seem to remember reading that although they are more addictive and deadly, tolerance to the sedative effect was not as common as with say benzos, although looking around I cant find that info again). I havent had much success with sedating ADs, probably because they produce drowsiness instead of slowing my thinking down.
Ok well sorry for the length and total lack of organization to this message, but any help would be appreciated.
thanks,
matt
poster:bark2323
thread:414713
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041108/msgs/414713.html