Posted by survivin bpd on September 23, 2006, at 23:11:14
Hi
I have biploar disorder and manage this by using just a small amount of chlorpromazine now and again if I get the first hint of a prodrome coming on. this seems to work well and I am pretty lucky that I don't get the sort of regular mood swings that makes this impossible, and has only happened 2 oe 3 times since my last illness. I have been well for 5 or 6 years. The only other meds I take are temazepam sometimes - 10mg or if really bad 20mg - as I seem to go through patches of insomnia that are really disabling. I then go through weaning myself off the temazepam after needing it for 3 or 4 nights to get my sleep back into a pattern. Last couple of weeks have been very stressful so ended up on the 20mg for a couple of nights, now down to 10mg. I am commuting an hour or so at the end of each day so just have to get that sleep - means I stay on the temazepam longer than I want to as I don't want to risk not sleeping and having to drive / work / manage to look after kids on no sleep.
Sleep was better on carbamazepine which I had a few years ago, but couldn't concentrate - felt fogged and I have a big academic workload. Withdrew from carbamazepine about 4 years ago under advice of consultant who thought I could manage the illness without it. I am sort of wondering whether I am paying the price for choosing not to take a mood stabiliser by going through patches of bad insomnia. Put loads of weight on and felt really nauseous all the time on lithium (before the carbamazepine and a long time ago).
I have just bought some melatonin. Took for the first time last night at around 10pm. Well - it is now 4.43am! my mouth tastes kind of milky, I have a banging headache which is not unusal when I can't sleep and it gets to this time in the morning. I dozed lightly for an hour or so and that is about it. I took 2 mg of melatonin- from reading other posts not sure at all whether that is too much, not enough, or it just plain didn't work, in which case I am pretty upset and feel like the thing I thought would save me from all of this is just plain useless.
Could be a rebound insomnia cos I didn't take any temazepam last night after taking it for a week or so.
I was worried about taking the temazepam together with the melatonin..... so thinking of either going to only 10mg of temazepam, withdrawing from it (usually have to reduce by a quarter of the dose at a time or I can't get off the stuff - a pain breaking up the tablets but the only way - if I go to fast the insomnia rebounds in full force) and at the same time starting the melatonin -no idea what dose to go for apart from the 1 or 2mg suggested on the packaging. other alternative is to keep taking the temazepam until this bad sleep patch goes away (though unlikely for a while I have too many stressors) and then getting going with the melatonin in the hope that it prevents the insomnia next time,
now that's the background, here are the more specific questions
1 has anyone taken temazepam and melatonin in combination? cross tapered off the temazepam and replaced with melatonin? any effects?
2 has anyone had a hypermanic / manic episode that they believe to be triggered by taking melatonin and not other factors? if so, please could you tell me a bit more about it
3 would be great to get some advice / support on getting the melatonin dose right - any would be really appreciated.
4 would be great to hear from anyone who manages bpd without a mood stabiliser
5 any advice/ suggestions most welcome
Thanks in advance
Maria
poster:survivin bpd
thread:688575
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060919/msgs/688575.html