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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Linda on March 5, 2000, at 23:17:47
Hi! My sis (Sarah) invited me to this site & I have already posted several responses today - I've had fun; this is truly interesting. I am a Nurse Practitioner & have experience in treating mood disorders, as well as experiencing them! I am curious about the use of hypnotics (Ambien & Sonota) for insomnia. These two medicines were meant for short-term treatment of insomnia (usually less than 10 days), but I'm seeing patients who take them nightly, long term. Anyone care to share their experience? I believe both medicines to be very effective & have little to no "hang-over" effect for most folks, but I'm very concerned about their addictive quality. Additionally, these two meds have a strong potential to actually cause problems with sleep if used long term - go figure? I'd love to hear your opinions. Thanks, Linda : )
Posted by Cam W. on March 6, 2000, at 0:21:12
In reply to New to this site - curious about use of hypnotics., posted by Linda on March 5, 2000, at 23:17:47
Welcome to Babbleland Linda - Thank you for correcting me on atypical depression. As for Ambien (zolpidem) and Sonata (zaleplon), I have no clinical experience as these hypnotics are not available in Canada. Hypnotics in general are not meant to be taken for more than 10 days in a row. I think this rule harkens back to the days of barbiturates and their propensity for quickly inducing tolerance and addiction. Ideally, one wants to avoid hypnotics unless absolutely necessary, so as not to disturb the body's natural sleep pattern (eg wipe-out REM sleep or 'hangover effect'). Other tricks for treating insomnia (eg warm milk - don't laugh - and working out a couple hours prior to bed) should be tried, maybe intermixed with low dose hypnotic use to take the edge off of anxiety. Many, many of my clients (patients?) are taking hypnotics for life. When you ask the psychiatrist why, it's because they don't sleep without them.
I hope you stay and contribute, we need a good nurse practioner with clinical experience to help round out our knowledge base. You'll be surprised how much you will learn. Sincerely - Cam W.
Posted by bob on March 6, 2000, at 19:39:22
In reply to New to this site - curious about use of hypnotics., posted by Linda on March 5, 2000, at 23:17:47
> I ... have experience in treating mood disorders, as well as experiencing them!
Gee, Linda, you sound so eager and earnest about it all ... like I always say, takes one to know one ;^).
To follow in Cam's footsteps, three cheers for NP's. I think all y'all are one of the only things holding the quality of health care with our HMO systems together.
Can't say much about hypnotics, but I do recommend hypnosis ... including self-hypnosis. It does take some practice, but it can be a fabulous sleep aid.
cheers and welcome,
bob
Posted by Elizabeth on March 6, 2000, at 22:16:56
In reply to Re: New to this site - curious about use of hypnotics., posted by Cam W. on March 6, 2000, at 0:21:12
Hi Linda. Welcome.
I think the general experience regarding Ambien (too early to tell about Sonata) has been that some people become tolerant to it, but it's not "addictive." It's also less likely to lead to tolerance than the benzos are, and it doesn't have the effects on sleep architecture that one sees with benzos. I don't know if it causes long-term EEG changes the way benzos can, but I doubt it.
I've been taking 20mg/night most nights for some time (the most I ever took it was a year), and it's always served me well. I definitely do much better with than without it, and better taking it nightly than trying to use it sometimes but not others.
Posted by Linda on March 8, 2000, at 10:35:28
In reply to New to this site - curious about use of hypnotics., posted by Linda on March 5, 2000, at 23:17:47
Thank you all for your input!
This is the end of the thread.
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