Posted by Molybdenum on May 25, 2008, at 20:20:22
In reply to Re: Sleep meds, posted by X-ray on May 25, 2008, at 12:29:20
Hi Ramji,
I've been taking one sleeping pill or another for 20 years. The best I've found so far are:
12.5mg Zolpidem CR - I've been taking this for years and have never built up a tolerance. I skip it occasionally when I feel I'm tired enough to fall asleep without it, and have felt no ill effects for "missing a dose". It is short acting, so no hangover effect the next day. Plus of all the benzos, I recall reading that it has the least negative impact on sleep. So highly recommended. Price-wise there's a generic now, so that's good too.
Mirtazapine has also been very good for me. I take it as an anti-depressant, but it has always been good at "knocking me out" without any hangover effects. Good news is that there's a generic for it too, plus the sleep inducing effects are obtained on the lowest doses. I recall reading that this drug has little negative impact on sleep too. So highly recommended. When I take it at 8pm, I am often asleep by 9pm. Sometimes I fall asleep watching TV - which is "not like me", hence it's "knock out" effect is not to be underestimated..!
Melatonin is good too and "natural", depending on your definition. I take 6-9mg of the "slow release" version at 6pm. Some people are very sensitive to it & need much less. If you have trouble falling asleep, you take the immediate release. If you have trouble staying asleep, take the slow release. It's very inexpensive. So again, highly recommended. If you're in the US I believe it's available without prescription. You can read more about it at http://www.melatonin.com.
Lastly, there's one I only discovered today "cyproheptadine". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyproheptadine. Wiki says "cyproheptadine enhances sleep quality and quantity whereas benzodiazepines tend to decrease sleep quality". It may not be an option for you if it interferes with your other meds (I can't consider it on these grounds), but otherwise it sounds worthwhile trying.
Take Care & welcome to Babbleville :)
Molybdenum.
poster:Molybdenum
thread:831018
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080519/msgs/831133.html