Posted by SLS on July 24, 2009, at 5:33:50
In reply to Feel Better!!! but OhNo, Insomnia already, posted by ColoradoSnowflake on July 23, 2009, at 18:35:02
> I ditched the Amytriiptyline last night and took 12 1/2mg Nortrip. I already feel much better today, not so fatigued and sleepy. BUT, I only slept a couple of hours last night. My gosh that insomnia happened fast. I guess I'll have to get into the "sleep aids" but haven't been able to find one that doesn't give me a hangover, altho all I've tried are Ambien (Yuk), klonipin (double yuk) and Ativan (hangover).
>
> Anyone have any ideas about an effective mild sleep aid?
>
> Scott, do you think the Nortrip will cause me more insomnia as I take it longer? Pdoc didn't say anything about raising the dose or not.
>
> Thanks so much for the encouragement to get off the Elavil. I don't know that I would ever have figured that out myself! I really appreciate your interest and help!!
>
> Gayle
>My guess is that the insomnia is not so much attributable to the addition of nortriptyline as it is to the withdrawal of the amitriptyline. The insomnia might even be worse than it was initially, as some drugs cause a rebound effect when they are withdrawn. In other words, until the brain gets used to not seeing the amitriptyline you will have this rebound insomnia.
What other sleep aids have you tried in the past? Personally, I have tried Ambien (zolpidem) and had no positive effect from it. For me, Ativan (lorazepam) helps. Others have recommended Lunesta (eszopiclone). I don't see too many people taking Sonata (zaleplon). When I experienced 2 weeks of nearly total insomnia while taking an antidepressant cocktail, I needed two sleeping aids. I combined Halcion (triazolam) with Ativan. I don't recommend Halcion, though. It is very powerful and can produce amnesia along with rebound awakenings at night. Dentists like using it because it is potent, has a very short half-life, and the patient wakes up remembering nothing of the procedure.
Just work closely with your doctor and attack the insomnia aggressively if it continues.
How was your sleep before you began taking amitriptyline?
For how long had you tried the Ativan before discontinuing it? Another benzodiazepine often used for sleep is Restoril (temazepam).
There are people here who are more expert than am I on treating insomnia, so you might want to wait until you receive more feedback before committing to something.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:906439
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090721/msgs/908305.html