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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TimJim on September 13, 2000, at 1:06:44
I have been on zoloft off and on for a period of 7 years and it has been better than most. But, on zoloft I have noticed a disturbed sleep pattern which includes a lack of dreaming. I cannot sleep soundly it seems. I just have a waking period of at most a couple of hours and then I become tired. Usually in the afternoon I just have to lie down and crash for awhile but a solid sleep is never-ever at hand. It is as though I never get the steady deep quality sleep.
There are other side effects but this one seems to be the worst.
I have had several sleep studies done and all indicated I did have a sleep pattern but it also shows a wave pattern one expects to have when taking zoloft.
One study had to be scrapped because they failed to tell me that I had to be off the medication.
Doctors have confused the studies as suggesting that I am nothing more than a sleepyhead.
They could not be more wrong.
One doctor had suggested that I was suffering from a lack of REM sleep and it is causing me irritation in the daytime associated with anger and aggression problems. I was tried on sleep aids but they failed because all they ever do is make me more groggy the next day. nothing seems to work, that is until I come off of the zoloft and then I start having vibrant dreams which last forever.
But then the last time I came off of zoloft, the depression came back so I had to go back on it.
I hate this but nothing else seems have worked.
Posted by AndrewB on September 13, 2000, at 11:54:27
In reply to zoloft side effects, posted by TimJim on September 13, 2000, at 1:06:44
TimJim,
You may want to augment your Zoloft with Provigil (modafinil). See the study below. If you decide to do this, please report back and let us know how it goes.
Best wishes,
AndrewB
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Modafinil augmentation of antidepressant treatment in depression.J Clin Psychiatry 2000 May;61(5):378-81 (ISSN: 0160-6689)
Menza MA; Kaufman KR; Castellanos A [Find other articles with these Authors]
Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway 08854, USA. menza@umdnj.edu.BACKGROUND: Despite a relative lack of controlled data, stimulants are often used to augment antidepressant treatment in patients who have had only a partial
response to first-line therapy. Modafinil is a novel psychostimulant that has shown efficacy in, and was recently marketed for, treating excessive daytime sleepiness
associated with narcolepsy. The mechanism of action of modafinil is unknown, but, unlike other stimulants, the drug is highly selective for the central nervous
system, has little effect on dopaminergic activity in the striatum, and appears to have a lower abuse potential. METHOD: In this retrospective case series, we describe 7
patients with DSM-IV depression (4 with major depression and 3 with bipolar depression) for whom we used modafinil to augment a partial or nonresponse to an
antidepressant. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was administered as part of routine clinical practice prior to treatment and at each subsequent visit.
RESULTS: At doses of 100 to 200 mg/day, all 7 patients achieved full or partial remission, generally within 1 to 2 weeks. All patients had some residual tiredness or
fatigue prior to starting modafinil, and this symptom was particularly responsive to augmentation. Side effects were minimal and did not lead to discontinuation of
the drug in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: Modafinil appears to be a drug with promise as an augmenter of antidepressants, especially in patients with residual
tiredness or fatigue. It is a particularly attractive alternative to other stimulants because of its low abuse potential and Schedule IV status.
Posted by Terry1 on September 14, 2000, at 10:57:46
In reply to Re: zoloft side effects, posted by AndrewB on September 13, 2000, at 11:54:27
>
> You may want to augment your Zoloft with Provigil (modafinil). See the study below. If you decide to do this, please report back and let us know how it goes.
>
I have been taking Provigil for a few weeks for the same reason - my multiple meds (including zoloft) knock me out in the afternoon. The Provigil helps, but hasn't totally remedied the sisutation. And I'm still taking those long naps.Terry
Posted by Cara Linehan on February 11, 2001, at 12:34:14
In reply to zoloft side effects, posted by TimJim on September 13, 2000, at 1:06:44
I have been taking zoloft for about a year now, and i have been having the same problems. It helped a lot to take the medication in the morning with breakfastAlso I satrted taking a perscription sleep aid that works very well. It helps me fall asleep, stay a sleep, and not wake up early. After taking this sleep aid for a while I got used to a regular sleep patternand I could fall asleep on my own. Once falling a sleep on my own my dreams started coming back. So I suggest just taking the zoloft in the morning. It worked for me.
This is the end of the thread.
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