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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lawrence S. on September 22, 2003, at 22:10:28
I fall asleep while eating, driving, working. Could it be my cocktail?
I drag through every day. I'm affraid of getting fired because I'm so sluggish. Which one of these meds are likely to be the culprit?Here is what I'm on. The total daily dose on the left and the divided dose or time of day I take it on the right:
Nardil 90mg (morning, noon, dinner)
Klonopin 3mg (dinner & bedtime)
Ritalin 30mg. (morn, noon, dinner)
Elavil 30mg (at bedtime for sleep)
Posted by delna on September 23, 2003, at 0:32:56
In reply to I can't stay awake! Please help! , posted by lawrence S. on September 22, 2003, at 22:10:28
I suffered a similar problem a while ago. so sleepy that nothing could keep me awake- not even ritalin or provigil. my psydoc thought i had narcolepsy. turned out to be paxil, so i discontinued it.
anyway in my case drugs like Klonopin and Elavil would knock me out too. infact klonopin at just 2mg makes me really drowsy and i have a hangover effect the next day. so personally i would not be surprised if these two drugs are to blame. i have no clue about the nardil as i have never tried it.
hope you feel better soon
d
Posted by Bob on September 23, 2003, at 2:43:11
In reply to I can't stay awake! Please help! , posted by lawrence S. on September 22, 2003, at 22:10:28
> I fall asleep while eating, driving, working. Could it be my cocktail?
>
> I drag through every day. I'm affraid of getting fired because I'm so sluggish. Which one of these meds are likely to be the culprit?
>
> Here is what I'm on. The total daily dose on the left and the divided dose or time of day I take it on the right:
>
> Nardil 90mg (morning, noon, dinner)
> Klonopin 3mg (dinner & bedtime)
> Ritalin 30mg. (morn, noon, dinner)
> Elavil 30mg (at bedtime for sleep)
>
>Off the top of my head, I would say that any or all the the meds with the exception of Ritalin have a very significant potential for drowsiness (at least transitory) - especially the Klonopin and Elavil. For most, Nardil seems to activate, but I've also seen posts here where people are sleeping too much on it. As for the ritalin, I would say this is unlikely to be the culprit, as it's a stimulant. However, even here, there's a slight chance you could experience stimulant rebound, and become fatigued on it.
Posted by ridesredhorses on September 23, 2003, at 8:46:26
In reply to I can't stay awake! Please help! , posted by lawrence S. on September 22, 2003, at 22:10:28
HI LS,
I am interested in your experience with provigil. I am taking it for low energy or EDS, and sometimes it helps..but not always. I only know what I have read about dosage, and my pdr has no experience with the drug, so he doesn't want me to exceed 400mg. How much were you taking, and for how long, please? FYI, if I took Elavil once a week, I couldn't stay awake. Apparently some are very sensative to it..although my brother takes it every night, and feels no effect at all.
Thanks and good luck. Red
Posted by Bill LL on September 23, 2003, at 9:31:59
In reply to I can't stay awake! Please help! , posted by lawrence S. on September 22, 2003, at 22:10:28
Caffeine pills work for me. I'll take a 200 mg NoDoz pill and get instant energy and better focus for a few hours. A 200 mg caffeine pill has the same amount of caffeine as 2 cups of brewed coffee (or 3 cups of instant coffee).
Posted by utopizen on September 23, 2003, at 12:35:17
In reply to Re: I can't stay awake! Please help! , posted by delna on September 23, 2003, at 0:32:56
> I suffered a similar problem a while ago. so sleepy that nothing could keep me awake- not even ritalin or provigil.
>I've tried both Ritalin, and Provigil (at 500mg). Neither worked an inch for my sleepiness, unrelated to medications or amount of sleep.
Posted by utopizen on September 23, 2003, at 12:37:07
In reply to Re: I can't stay awake! Please help! , posted by Bill LL on September 23, 2003, at 9:31:59
> Caffeine pills work for me. I'll take a 200 mg NoDoz pill and get instant energy and better focus for a few hours. A 200 mg caffeine pill has the same amount of caffeine as 2 cups of brewed coffee (or 3 cups of instant coffee).
>Caffiene really won't work in someone with a true sleeping disorder, if it did, we wouldn't need to study sleep medicine and there wouldn't be any demand for things like Provigil (which doesn't even work for me).
I think you'd know if you were sleepy before the meds or not, I mean, you didn't start Nardil when you were 3, right?
Posted by lawrence S. on September 23, 2003, at 19:44:00
In reply to Re: I can't stay awake! Please help! , posted by utopizen on September 23, 2003, at 12:35:17
Thank you all for your advice!
I saw the Dr. today and he switched the ritalin to dextroamphetamine. I'm still tapering up the dose so I have'nt noticed any effect yet.
Utopizen, I tried provigil for a couple of weeks long ago. It was the "best" and the "worst" drug for me. It kept me awake all day and helped me sleep at night. It improved memory, cognitive funtion. Plus a big improvement in assertiveness! but then, flu-like symptoms started to creep in and made it intolerable to keep taking, so I stopped. I had the WORST withdrawl symptoms that I had ever had from any med. in my entire life! Totaly depressed and non-functional brain. which didn't get better until I started taking ritalin a month later. Lawrence S.
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