Posted by psychobot5000 on April 2, 2011, at 15:22:09
In reply to Re: Drugs that increase REM sleep?, posted by BetweenDreams81 on March 25, 2011, at 8:00:17
> I have been without Ambien for 3 days now. Used Hyland's Insomnia formula. It's a homeopathic remedy. Took 3, waited 15 min and took another 2...and about 10 min later I felt warm and fuzzy, calm, and ready for bed. I could have done an over-ride if I wanted to, but I didn't want to. The thing I don't like about Ambien is that once you take it, you really do have to be ready to sleep, and you can't really take it if you are only going to get 4 hours of sleep before you have to wake up (because you didn't take it earlier in the night when you should have...that is something I struggle with). The Hyland's Insomnia has been giving me a nice restful sleep, and I feel like going to sleep is my idea, not something I am forced to do. If I have to wake up a few hrs later, it isn't difficult, I'm not groggy or have a fog brain. I also have been augmenting with Ignatia Amara 6C and Arsenicum Album 6C which helps with nervousness, anxiety, and a mind that won't be quiet. Seems to be helping.
>
> Worth a go, they're inexpensive and can be safely taken with meds.This is good. There are a lot of interesting suggestions on this thread for sleep aids--I've tried a hundred of them, but I may as well try another dozen or so. All it hurts is the pocketbook. ...It's hard to know whether to trust the homeopathic ones, however--if they're properly diluted, there might not be a single molecule of the active ingredients in a given formula.
In any case, I'm trying to improve sleep without disrupting structure. So let's try another tack: what pharmaceutical sleep aids DO NOT suppress REM? Any ideas? Do benzodiazepines suppress it? I know Halcion is supposed to, but what about the rest?
Also: does anyone know why opiates seem to affect REM? In my experience, buprenorphine/suboxone seems to actually increase dreaming (which I assume translates to increased REM), and I'm wondering why that would be. (I suppose it could have something to do with its partial agonism, rather than full agonism, of mu opiate receptors, or the fact that it's apparently a powerful antagonist of kappa opiate receptors, in contrast to other meds...but I'm really just guessing).
So, yeah, I'd be very curious to hear any insight anyone has on these.
Psychbot.
poster:psychobot5000
thread:980994
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110321/msgs/981736.html