Posted by zeugma on February 20, 2006, at 5:57:18
In reply to Re: Better than amitriptyline, posted by Cairo on February 19, 2006, at 23:08:48
Nortriptyline promotes delta sleep, much like trazodone, and for the same reason (5HT-2 blockade). Nortriptyline is more powerful as a serotonin antagonist than as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It is much more powerful than trazodone as a suppressant of REM sleep because it is also an NRI.
It is much more sedating than fatiguing (i.e. it causes the desire to sleep but i don't feel hung over from it). Since my baseline is so fatigued and drowsy anyway (even 300 mg Provigil does not make me feel energetic, though it does help me focus, and combined with lots of caffeine I can stay awake) I don't think it causes any kind of 'crash' for me, unlike Strattera. If I do fall asleep in the afternoon, though, I know the nortriptyline has lost its effect, because I go immediately into REM, which is very unpleasant for me, as I suffer from intense hypnagogic hallucinations.
-z
poster:zeugma
thread:610851
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060219/msgs/611318.html