Posted by Chairman_MAO on November 1, 2005, at 19:55:06
In reply to What are some of the best benzos for good sleep?, posted by blueberry on October 31, 2005, at 5:36:17
You could get good results using clonidine 0.1-0.3mg + ramelteon + hydroxyzine/diphenhydramine.
Benzos are not the best things to take for sleep if you can help it. If you need to though, I feel lorazepam (you can use alprazolam) is the best to try first due to its ~8hr half-life and lack of active metabolites.
Temazepam is often a favorite. Midazolam a lot of people seem to like and is used pre-op, but AFAIK it is nowhere near as special orally as if you took it intravenously--which I, fortunately and unfortunately, have never tried, so I cannot tell you what that's like. :)
Overall, the most effective (not potent, but effective) I ever took was nitrazepam 10-20mg. 5mg seems to be the starting dose. Too bad it also keeps you "tore up" for half the day!
I suggest you try zolpidem 5-20mg, zopiclone 7.5-15mg/eszopiclone 3-6mg before you even touch the benzos.
FWIW, for severe insomnia, nothing comes even remotely close--remote as in the north pole relative to costa rica on the globe--as the barbiturates. Of course, those build tolerance--which you will probably stop exceeding at some point when you are satisfied with your level of residual daytime intoxication. ;)
The _BEST_ ones IMHO (read: this is due to my reading of anecdotes, monographs, etc--I havent even taken these drugs) are flunitrazepam or brotiozolam (I may have spelled this wrong). Neither are available in the us. Nimetazepam is also incredibly powerful.
Avoid diazepam like the plague for sleep, please.
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:573671
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051031/msgs/574288.html