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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tarabara on December 14, 2005, at 22:36:41
i have been diagnosed with bipolar II which i am just learning about now. i have had a lot of problems with insomnia in my past and i'm right back there again. i'm getting around 3 hours a night. i'm titrating onto topamax which my psychiatrist said would eventually help the insomnia. i have been prescribed ambien but the ambien doesn't touch my insomnia. it will knock me out but it wont keep me asleep longer than a few hours. anybody have some tips on getting some sleep? this will be my 4th night of really bad insomnia and now i am realizing why so many people abuse sleeping pills.
Posted by Phillipa on December 14, 2005, at 22:52:46
In reply to need to sleep one of these days, posted by tarabara on December 14, 2005, at 22:36:41
Not good you need sleep. Call your pdoc again. Tell him you are not sleeping. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by blueberry on December 15, 2005, at 4:40:29
In reply to need to sleep one of these days, posted by tarabara on December 14, 2005, at 22:36:41
My doctor gets very concerned when I tell her I have insomnia. She says lack of sleep seriously aggravates the problems we are trying to fix.
Lunesta works pretty darn good for most people. It is similar to ambien, except that it feels more powerful to me and it is longer lasting. It knocks you out and then keeps you out for 6 to 8 hours. It is approved for longterm use. It has a strange side effect of a bad taste in the mouth or sinuses, but that usually goes away after a few days of use.
Other options...very low dose doxepin or elavil (side effects are ridiculous at anything higher than really low doses). Low dose seroquel (12.5mg to 50mg), low dose zyprexa (2.5mg). Trazodone is popular with docs, but honestly it sucks for most of us. Remeron is fair.
Just my opinions though. I would have suggested one of the benzos except that I got the sense you were trying to avoid those.
Of all the options, Lunesta I think would be the best first option due to effectiveness and lack of side effects in the morning.
Posted by gardenergirl on December 15, 2005, at 7:45:16
In reply to need to sleep one of these days, posted by tarabara on December 14, 2005, at 22:36:41
I haven't had experience with it, but what about Ambien CR? It might help you sleep longer.
Good luck. Not sleeping is horrible.
gg
Posted by sleepygirl on December 15, 2005, at 22:53:57
In reply to need to sleep one of these days, posted by tarabara on December 14, 2005, at 22:36:41
sonata was a nice sleep med for me, but seroquel is better at putting me to sleep, it also helps with anxiety and stabilizing mood - some take it regularly, some take it as needed for sleep - it is an atypical antipsychotic
good luck
Posted by Lucia Francisca on December 16, 2005, at 14:18:08
In reply to need to sleep one of these days, posted by tarabara on December 14, 2005, at 22:36:41
Tarabara, so sorry you're not getting enough sleep right now. We've babbled before; I have bpII like you and yes, when I couldn't sleep for a few days recently and felt horrible and negative, my pdoc said it was a hypomanic state and switched me to Seroquel. Trazodone has helped me sleep in the past. Ambien really did not work well for me; I think it would only help for a couple of hours too and then I'd pop up. I think Amitryptyline helped in the past too; I think it might be the same as Elavil that someone suggested. Yes, I think talking to your pdoc would be the best thing. I hope you get a full night's sleep soon! I wish you strength. Will be thinking of you. Lucia
> i have been diagnosed with bipolar II which i am just learning about now. i have had a lot of problems with insomnia in my past and i'm right back there again. i'm getting around 3 hours a night. i'm titrating onto topamax which my psychiatrist said would eventually help the insomnia. i have been prescribed ambien but the ambien doesn't touch my insomnia. it will knock me out but it wont keep me asleep longer than a few hours. anybody have some tips on getting some sleep? this will be my 4th night of really bad insomnia and now i am realizing why so many people abuse sleeping pills.
Posted by Lucia Francisca on December 16, 2005, at 14:22:58
In reply to need to sleep one of these days, posted by tarabara on December 14, 2005, at 22:36:41
One more thought, tarabara. I'm totally not a pdoc of course, and you need to get suggestions from your pdoc. But I don't know much or anything about topomax. But i'm wondering if what I'm on, Seroquel, might help you too, cuz it's used for BPII. I take 100mg about an hour before I go to bed and it helps me sleep because it has a sedating effect. I don't need anything else to help me sleep. When I had my hypomanic episode recently, I took the Seroquel and the first night I took it I slept really well and have been sleeping well since. t helped a lot more than the lexapro and trazodone combo which was still not helping me sleep. Cross your fingers. My pdoc says he likes seroquel the best out of the new mood stabilizer atypical antipsychotics, better than Abilify and others. But i don't think he said anything about topomax. Anyways, just an idea. I'm pulling for you! Hope you feel better soon! Lucia
> i have been diagnosed with bipolar II which i am just learning about now. i have had a lot of problems with insomnia in my past and i'm right back there again. i'm getting around 3 hours a night. i'm titrating onto topamax which my psychiatrist said would eventually help the insomnia. i have been prescribed ambien but the ambien doesn't touch my insomnia. it will knock me out but it wont keep me asleep longer than a few hours. anybody have some tips on getting some sleep? this will be my 4th night of really bad insomnia and now i am realizing why so many people abuse sleeping pills.
Posted by tarabara on December 17, 2005, at 21:34:36
In reply to Re: need to sleep one of these days » tarabara, posted by Lucia Francisca on December 16, 2005, at 14:22:58
i'm seeing the pdoc on monday and i thank you for all the suggestions. i have a lot to talk about. my brain feels absolutely fried. i have slept a bit more in the last few days but it has been out of pure exhaustion and it doesn't really feel like restful sleep. i seem to catch sleep in 3-4 hour spurts. the insomnia is now making me anxious about sleeping which doesn't seem to help matters. i fell asleep this afternoon for about 4 hours and now i have convinced myself that i will never get to sleep tonight. what a vicious cycle. the seroquel (sp?) sounds promising espeically because it is indicated for the bipolar II. do you just take it when you are in the hypomanic state or do you always take it? if you always take it is this a side effect that will wear off?
Posted by Lucia Francisca on December 18, 2005, at 12:52:55
In reply to Re: need to sleep one of these days, posted by tarabara on December 17, 2005, at 21:34:36
tarabara, I'm sorry you're still not sleeping well. I can only say that it seems like this may be a hypomanic episode you're going through, and it will pass in the cycle. But I know how painful it is going through it.
To be honest, I went through a period that sounds similar to what you went through about 2 months ago. That's when I started the Seroquel. I started taking it at 50 mg. I think, the first night, and then gradually increased the dose to 100 mg per night, taken 1 hour before going to bed. It was almost a miracle drug for me! I hadn't slept for maybe 3 nights and nothing was helping, and I took Seroquel the first night and slept really well. Seroquel has a sedating effect, so it helps you sleep. The only side effect is that the first week you take it or so you may feel drowsy in the morning; I did. I did feel pretty drowsy, but it was worth it to get a good night's sleep. And after maybe a couple of weeks, I didn't feel drowsy anymore. I do think you should ask your pdoc about Seroquel. It's an atypical antipsychotic/ mood stabilizer. It's used for schizophrenia, but now also in small doses for bipolar disorder.
I can relate to how you worry about not sleeping. Until Monday, are there any other sleeping meds you can take? I went to the emergency room to get some trazodone that hard weekend cuz my doctors' offices were all closed. It helped me sleep 1 night but not the next.
Good luck. Hang in there. Lucia
> i'm seeing the pdoc on monday and i thank you for all the suggestions. i have a lot to talk about. my brain feels absolutely fried. i have slept a bit more in the last few days but it has been out of pure exhaustion and it doesn't really feel like restful sleep. i seem to catch sleep in 3-4 hour spurts. the insomnia is now making me anxious about sleeping which doesn't seem to help matters. i fell asleep this afternoon for about 4 hours and now i have convinced myself that i will never get to sleep tonight. what a vicious cycle. the seroquel (sp?) sounds promising espeically because it is indicated for the bipolar II. do you just take it when you are in the hypomanic state or do you always take it? if you always take it is this a side effect that will wear off?
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