Posted by Phoenix1 on January 4, 2008, at 9:18:55
In reply to One more follow up... » Phoenix1, posted by johnj on January 4, 2008, at 8:54:25
> I wonder if something like neurotnin or lyrica could help with the sleep/anxiety? The only problem is it is a GABA drug and I don't know if their is a reaction problem because of how nardil works?
>
> Just a thought
>
> johnjHi John,
I'll reply to both of your posts here. For sleep, I take 25-75mg of Seroquel and Zopiclone (similar to Lunesta) 7.5mg as needed. Last night I slept 6 hours, although the last 3 were fragmented. I find I can sometimes skip the zopiclone and my sleep is no worse. Some nights I can get by on just 25 mg of Seroquel. Who knows what will happen as the Nardil dose increases? Some people have more trouble sleeping and others seem to sleep just fine.
On Gabapentin and Lyrica, I have LOTS of experience with each. I was prescribed these drugs for ulnar neuropathy, a side effect from a very badly broken arm. I was on each one for about 2 years separately. I reached max doses for each (3600mg for gabapentin and 600mg for Lyrics). For ME personally, they helped a lot with anxiety, sleep, and believe it or not, I found them to relieve my depression. In fact, I stayed on these meds for so long, not for the intended purpose of relieving pain, but to ease my anxiety. I did this without telling the prescribing doc, and without really admitting to myself what I was doing. But the doses necessary to achieve what I wanted caused the SAME thing for both drugs. Weight gain (20-30lbs), edema, loss of cognitive function, and emotional numbing. I didn't have much of a problem stopping Gabapentin. Stopping Lyrica, even after a long slow taper, was the single worst withdrawal reaction I've ever had in my life. I was incredibly depressed, agitated, restless, couldn't sleep or function. And it went on for weeks. Eventually I had to be put on a diazepam taper to try to deal with the withdrawals. There isn't enough patient experience yet to document this to much of an extent, but Lyrica definitely causes physical and mental dependence, and has abuse potential. I have added it to my mental folder as if it were a benzodiazepine.
Anyways, I probably told you more than you wanted to know, but I think it's important to know what discontinuation effects are possible before starting a new med. And Lyrica is still sort of uncharted waters as it is fairly new...
Phoenix1
poster:Phoenix1
thread:804083
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071225/msgs/804144.html