Question:

If I have to take Theo-dur too late at night it keeps me awake.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was wondering if anyone has insomnia from their asthma medications.  I’m taking Flovent 2x a day 2 puffs. AJ

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I was wondering if anyone has insomnia from their asthma medications.  I’m taking Flovent 2x a day 2 puffs. AJ

Response:

I have experienced insomnia and I am on the same amount of Flovent. The doctor says that it would not cause it but I don’t know. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. *smile* Shannon

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was wondering if anyone has insomnia from their asthma medications.  I’m taking Flovent 2x a day 2 puffs. AJ

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Hello! Absolutely…I’ve not enjoyed more than 4 hours (undisturbed) sleep since I began taking Flovent and Serevent last year. Patrice – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was wondering if anyone has insomnia from their asthma medications.  I’m taking Flovent 2x a day 2 puffs. AJ

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Is Flovent a newer inhaled steroid?  Is it better than Flunisolide (brand name of Aerobid in US)?  Is it more effective than Aerobid?  I didn’t think inhaled steroids were that notorious for causing sleep problems, but I could be wrong. Is Serevent a Beta Antagonist (sp?)?  That could be very well be your problem.  Albuterol (Salbuterol), a Beta Antagonist, Theophylline, and the older family of bronchodilators (Metaproterenol Sulfate being one) are notorious for causing sleep problems. By the way, I’m curious to find out if anybody is still using Metaproterenol Sulfate (Metaprel) and/or Isoproterenol(Isoprel) as one their main medicines to control their asthma anymore and if so why?   I remember having really bad side effects from Metaprel, but that was once one of the main stay asthma medicines 20 years ago. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello! Absolutely…I’ve not enjoyed more than 4 hours (undisturbed) sleep since I began taking Flovent and Serevent last year. Patrice

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Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

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what are you taking? jen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

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Seroquel balances my sleep/wake schedule, otherwise I decline to a near annihilating dose of barbituates. Gabriel * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

I’ve been taking trazodone at bedtime for a few months, and it’s great. Fall right to sleep and stay that way all night. If you’re taking stimulating ADs like Wellbutrin, don’t take them near bedtime.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

Response:

Put a fan or something in your room that makes a noise loud enough to drown out small noises. Focus your attention on your breathing…until it becomes regular…as you do let your awareness go to different parts of your body. Any where you find tension…try to relax the muscles in that area, continue to go around your body until you’ve completely relaxed it…and your breathing is deep and regular. If your mind is not still and that is keeping you awake,..try repeating a phrase. The one I use is "I will develope and use my positive potentials thus becomeing a fully actualized and intergrated self." This should work, ..antother thing that works for me is to pretend it’s 100 years in the future and that I’m dead…nothing matters…no thoughts…no tension….just eternity….sometimes that works…even in very tense situations. It’s like surrender. Drink some milk before bed, or take trytophan. Go to bed the same time each night. Don’t drink before bed. Don’t do anything physical for a few hours before bed. That being said, If your getting that little sleep, you might want to get some meds for it. Antihistimines that don’t have a decongestant can help if you don’t have anything else. Try ASH Alternatives to Suicide Homepage http://members.home.net/askash/index.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

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I am currently taking 40 mg of Prozac (20/20 am/pm), 100 mg Luvox (between 5 & 10 pm), and 1 mg of Lorazapan (Ativan) every 4 – 8 hrs.  I have even tried taking my lorazapan, but I go into a light (very light) sleep, more of a rest than anything.  I sleep with a fan on.  I also sleep during the day and work all night. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – what are you taking? jen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

go to bed with a good book and TRY to stay awake. a lot of us are what a pdoc of mine called contra-suggestible aka bloody-minded. Isabel

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

Response:

Talk to your doctor about dropping the Prozac and starting on a mood stabilizer. Antidepressants are notorious for triggering mania in a bipolar person. Insomnia as you describe is a classic sign of mania. Also ask about Klonopin – it is a good med to take for bipolar insomnia. Before I was dx’ed I tried all the usual home remedies (warm milk, meditation, OTC sleeping pills) to no effect. My GP put me on Ambien (a prescrip sleeping med) but even at doses high enough to knock out a horse, I still couldn’t sleep. That’s what tipped him off that I might be bipolar. At one point in my treatment I was on nothing but Prozac (had dropped lithium in state of denial/rebellion), and it flipped me into the worst insomnia ever – went 9 days without a wink of sleep at one point. You need your sleep – please seek medical attention. jen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

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I was wondering how many people have noted vision changes as a result of chronic seroquel use.   I was also wondering if seroquel increased the level of your creativity or your sense of being in touch with the afterlife or "grand scheme" of things in whatever sense you consider those things. Thumper – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Put a fan or something in your room that makes a noise loud enough to drown out small noises. Focus your attention on your breathing…until it becomes regular…as you do let your awareness go to different parts of your body. Any where you find tension…try to relax the muscles in that area, continue to go around your body until you’ve completely relaxed it…and your breathing is deep and regular. If your mind is not still and that is keeping you awake,..try repeating a phrase. The one I use is "I will develope and use my positive potentials thus becomeing a fully actualized and intergrated self." This should work, ..antother thing that works for me is to pretend it’s 100 years in the future and that I’m dead…nothing matters…no thoughts…no tension….just eternity….sometimes that works…even in very tense situations. It’s like surrender. Drink some milk before bed, or take trytophan. Go to bed the same time each night. Don’t drink before bed. Don’t do anything physical for a few hours before bed. That being said, If your getting that little sleep, you might want to get some meds for it. Antihistimines that don’t have a decongestant can help if you don’t have anything else. Try ASH Alternatives to Suicide Homepage http://members.home.net/askash/index.html Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

Response:

Hi Tammy- You got some really good responses–so I’ll only add to them. Inositol–a b-vitamin will help–250 mg at bed time Instead of milk, try a carbohydrate.  Dry corn flakes was suggested–I tend to eat macaroons. LOL  it works! Calm’s Forte is available at GNC stores–and it is great–you can take it with any med–it is basically minerals. Isotonic minerals and calcium work wonders for me. Tryptohpan is a script.  So, try 5htp–its precursor and OTC.  But check any possible reactions with your meds.  You should not take 5htp or tryptophan if you are taking SSRIs. That should give you lots of things to try to see what works for you. Trazadone does not keep me asleep.  I take it at bedtime and when I wake up at around 4AM, I take another dose.   And finally, I’m ramping up on Neurontin–but so far it has definately helped me sleep better–but nothing esle yet–too low a dose. HTH, Nancy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

Response:

Hi Tammy, Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

What meds are you now taking? Is your doctor away of your lack of sleep? For me, the sleep disorder specialist prescribed Melatonin 3 mg daily.Also, nocaffeine has helped as well. I can empathazie with you as I only was getting 2-3 hours of sleep anight and then had to nap during the daytime. Peace, Lynda

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I was wondering how many people have noted vision changes as a result of chronic seroquel use.  

My doctor says that although the likelyhood is very low, there is a chance seroquel can cause cataracts. She wanted me to have my eyes checked after a month of being on a low dose of it and wrote me a referal to an eye doctor. I haven’t seen any changes in my vision, but if you’re experiencing any, I’d recommend a routine eye exam. Sincerely, Little Girl "Lead paint : Delicious, but deadly."

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Hi Thumper, What sort of vision changes? I don’t know anything about Seroquel, but I have had some weird vision problems coinciding with onset of bipolar symptoms. These are characterized mostly by double vision/blurring. It occurs on and off – i.e., fine for weeks then I’ll get a full week in which I just can’t seem to focus. It is bad enough that I will have trouble reading those big green signs of the freeway. I’ve also had halos and floaters, but not as often. All of this is in one eye only. Had my vision thoroughly checked out, nothing wrong there. Had a cursory neurological exam by my GP, nothing wrong there. Tried going off my lithium for awhile, but still had problems. Was finally told it must be related to my migraines – perhaps a prodomal type thing. But sometimes I’m not so sure…. I wonder if the blurred vision gets so bad, it gives me a headache? Oh well…. thought I’d jump in and whine a little. jen * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

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I have found that seroquel has made me more creative, or lucid; whereas other anti-psychotics tend to make me become zombee-like. As for ‘increased spirituality,’ . . . If this is a referance to myself, I wasn’t referring to the anti-psychotics as causing me to become more spiritual, and am not going to divulge my experience here so. . . Gabriel * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

Thank you to everyone who had written back or thought about it.  Received a lot of good feedback.  I did try a lot of them, including calling the Dr.  He has changed my meds around again.  I’m still taking everything, the only 2 exceptions are the I now take the Luvox in the morning before I go to bed and he cut my Prozac in 1/2 and take just 20 mg in the morning as well.  I immediately could see the difference in the fact I became more irritable, still insomniac to a point, still nauseated, and started back smoking again after quitting a couple of months ago.  I eat less now and am loding more weight.  I can handle everything but the irritability.  I am irritable at everyone around me without realizing it until later, then I feel guilty.  I try to not be irritable and apologize.  I don’t like this part of me and no one else does either and tell me.  I don’t like feeling like this at all.  Some times I hate myself because of it, even though I know it will be better.  My family asks me if I took my meds. when they begin to see me cycle through either being real irritable or real hyper.  They keep me in check some seeing my moods change, sometimes quickly.  I will call my doc Monday morning to tell him what is still going on.  I will be taking some copies of the suggestions with me at my next visit.  I’m sorry if I am writing on, I will try not to go this long next time, just had as lot on my mind. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone have any ideas on trying to get some sleep when you can’t.  I’ve tried everything I can think of.  I don’t know if it’s my meds or what.  I just need sleep.  I’m too hyper to sleep, too sleepy to do a lot of things (hyper-running around house and playing w/ daughter , etc. I will do to some extent when supposed to be asleep).  I’ve ran out of ideas (literally).  please help.  I’m going on 2 hours sleep for the past 2 days combined and I have still 1 more 12 hour night shift left before I am off and need some sleep.

Response:

Hi Tammy, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thank you to everyone who had written back or thought about it.  Received a lot of good feedback.  I did try a lot of them, including calling the Dr.  He has changed my meds around again.  I’m still taking everything, the only 2 exceptions are the I now take the Luvox in the morning before I go to bed and he cut my Prozac in 1/2 and take just 20 mg in the morning as well.  I immediately could see the difference in the fact I became more irritable, still insomniac to a point, still nauseated, and started back smoking again after quitting a couple of months ago.  I eat less now and am loding more weight.  I can handle everything but the irritability.  I am irritable at everyone around me without realizing it until later, then I feel guilty.  I try to not be irritable and apologize.  I don’t like this part of me and no one else does either and tell me.  I don’t like feeling like this at all.  Some times I hate myself because of it, even though I know it will be better.  My family asks me if I took my meds. when they begin to see me cycle through either being real irritable or real hyper.  They keep me in check some seeing my moods change, sometimes quickly.  I will call my doc Monday morning to tell him what is still going on.  I will be taking some copies of the suggestions with me at my next visit.  I’m sorry if I am writing on, I will try not to go this long next time, just had as lot on my mind.

Are you taking a mood stabilizer Tammy? If not then the irritability could be dysphoria triggered by taking an AD without the coverage of a MS. If you are taking a MS then another look at the ADS may be in order as well as perhaps adding an adjunct MS to the med combo. I hope you feel better soon. Please keep us posted. Peace, Lynda

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Funny how you mentioned your family asking you if you have taken your meds. My wife has started the same regular line "have you taken you tablet today" since we both found out I was a manic depreccant sufferer. Interesting point you’ve made there. Opened my eyes. Darrell

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Tammy, Thank you to everyone who had written back or thought about it.  Received a lot of good feedback.  I did try a lot of them, including calling the Dr.  He has changed my meds around again.  I’m still taking everything, the only 2 exceptions are the I now take the Luvox in the morning before I go to bed and he cut my Prozac in 1/2 and take just 20 mg in the morning as well.  I immediately could see the difference in the fact I became more irritable, still insomniac to a point, still nauseated, and started back smoking again after quitting a couple of months ago.  I eat less now and am loding more weight.  I can handle everything but the irritability.  I am irritable at everyone around me without realizing it until later, then I feel guilty.  I try to not be irritable and apologize.  I don’t like this part of me and no one else does either and tell me.  I don’t like feeling like this at all.  Some times I hate myself because of it, even though I know it will be better.  My family asks me if I took my meds. when they begin to see me cycle through either being real irritable or real hyper.  They keep me in check some seeing my moods change, sometimes quickly.  I will call my doc Monday morning to tell him what is still going on.  I will be taking some copies of the suggestions with me at my next visit.  I’m sorry if I am writing on, I will try not to go this long next time, just had as lot on my mind. Are you taking a mood stabilizer Tammy? If not then the irritability could be dysphoria triggered by taking an AD without the coverage of a MS. If you are taking a MS then another look at the ADS may be in order as well as perhaps adding an adjunct MS to the med combo. I hope you feel better soon. Please keep us posted. Peace, Lynda

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi!  I’m looking for help from anyone out there who may have experienced symptoms similiar to mine. I have had a depression followed by a mild manic episode which has possibly caused 8 months of insomnia (ie early morning waking, and very light sleep). I have been told that I probably have manic depression but that the sleeping pattern I have  (ie extended insomnia) is unusual. I’m on trycyclic anti-depressants but they have been no help. Has anyone reading this had the same long-term sleeping problems? I would like to know what helped you! I’m using a friends e-mail at the moment, so , if you have any information for me would you be able to write to- Emma. C. Buninyong VIC  3357 Australia If you cannot rwrite you could reply by e-mail but please put EMMA as the subject. Thankyou! Emma, I haven’t been good and high in about 10 years, but in the past the most usual sign was insomnia, 3-5 days of it usually meant I was well on my way to a full blown episode. Lithium and wellbutrin (and time) have ended this pattern. -Doug    Hang in there, the sleep problems sound all to familiar.  I used klonopin at first but it is addictive, then Desyrl(sp?) which is a modern form of tricyclic that may have a serotonin effect as well and it helped tremendously….it will make some of us light headed and disoriented but it is a good sleep inducer.    I have found that sleep is the main area that changes regardless of whether i am high or low….it is tough.    i did try trcyclics at first and they helped.    we are all different i think, but there is a combination of meds that will kick in for you.    Ad you are not alone by a long shot, bpd, is simiply not publicized alot and when it is only he most extreme cases are mentioned.  those of us living a

‘normal’ Let’s start out setting the record straight.  Bipolar disorder, manic depression, uni-polor clinical depression on a good day or night for that fact, is a major pain in the ass!  The med merry-go-round gets so old; so very old.  I have started to feel like they’re I’m the brass ring everyone reaches for while reading the merry-go-rounds.  Sleep?  Who sleeps?  What is a normal sleep pattern?  Sometimes all I do is sleep 20 – 22 hours per day.  Others I sleep 2-3 hours and am wide awake for several days. I must add I am extremely cranky when going through this.  Will be glad to answer any other questions you may have. The Wild Woman (Claire)

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: Hi! :  I’m looking for help from anyone out there who may have experienced symptoms similiar : to mine. I have had a depression followed by a mild manic episode which has snip : I’m using a friends e-mail at the moment, so , if you have any : information for me would you be able to write to- : Emma. C. : Buninyong : VIC  3357 : Australia Emma, I am in Melbourne. I realise Buninyong isn’t very large but will "Emma C." be sufficient to find you at the P.O. there? I’ve got Bipolar disorder too, I’ve got a very good PsyDr at Royal Melbourne Hospital who my GP ("Dr Feelgood" from the radio show Pillowtalk – yep, shes a real GP!) referred me to. I’ll email an innocuous reply to your friend with subject line "emma" as instructed, look forward to hearing from you? — Graham. B’Doing!

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Sleep management has been number one in stabilizing my whole cycle. I targeted sleep as a major issue to get under control with meds. Ativan has consistently performed for me in this area. Some persons note a hangover with this med. I blooming well welcomed this, as reaching for a coffee in the morning had meaning again. It works for me in combination with Tegretol challenges as required

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi!  I’m looking for help from anyone out there who may have experienced symptoms similiar to mine. I have had a depression followed by a mild manic episode which has possibly caused 8 months of insomnia (ie early morning waking, and very light sleep). I have been told that I probably have manic depression but that the sleeping pattern I have  (ie extended insomnia) is unusual. I’m on trycyclic anti-depressants but they have been no help. Has anyone reading this had the same long-term sleeping problems? I would like to know what helped you! I’m using a friends e-mail at the moment, so , if you have any information for me would you be able to write to- Emma. C. Buninyong VIC  3357 Australia If you cannot rwrite you could reply by e-mail but please put EMMA as the subject. Thankyou! Emma, I haven’t been good and high in about 10 years, but in the past the most usual sign was insomnia, 3-5 days of it usually meant I was well on my way to a full blown episode. Lithium and wellbutrin (and time) have ended this pattern. -Doug

        Hang in there, the sleep problems sound all to familiar.  I used klonopin at first but it is addictive, then Desyrl(sp?) which is a modern form of tricyclic that may have a serotonin effect as well and it helped tremendously….it will make some of us light headed and disoriented but it is a good sleep inducer.         I have found that sleep is the main area that changes regardless of whether i am high or low….it is tough.         i did try trcyclics at first and they helped.         we are all different i think, but there is a combination of meds that will kick in for you.         Ad you are not alone by a long shot, bpd, is simiply not publicized alot and when it is only he most extreme cases are mentioned.  those of us living a ‘normal’ life with it are just a silent group i guess, busy dealing with it. regards Ernie ising

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Hi!   I’m looking for help from anyone out there who may have experienced symptoms similiar to mine. I have had a depression followed by a mild manic episode which has possibly caused 8 months of insomnia (ie early morning waking,  and very light sleep). I have been told that I probably have manic depression but that the sleeping pattern I have  (ie extended insomnia) is unusual. I’m on trycyclic anti-depressants but they have been no help. Has anyone reading this had the same long-term sleeping problems? I would like to know what helped you! I’m using a friends e-mail at the moment, so , if you have any information for me would you be able to write to- Emma. C. Buninyong VIC  3357 Australia If you cannot rwrite you could reply by e-mail but please put EMMA as the subject. Thankyou!

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi!  I’m looking for help from anyone out there who may have experienced symptoms similiar to mine. I have had a depression followed by a mild manic episode which has possibly caused 8 months of insomnia (ie early morning waking, and very light sleep). I have been told that I probably have manic depression but that the sleeping pattern I have  (ie extended insomnia) is unusual. I’m on trycyclic anti-depressants but they have been no help. Has anyone reading this had the same long-term sleeping problems? I would like to know what helped you! I’m using a friends e-mail at the moment, so , if you have any information for me would you be able to write to- Emma. C. Buninyong VIC  3357 Australia If you cannot rwrite you could reply by e-mail but please put EMMA as the subject. Thankyou!

Emma, I haven’t been good and high in about 10 years, but in the past the most usual sign was insomnia, 3-5 days of it usually meant I was well on my way to a full blown episode. Lithium and wellbutrin (and time) have ended this pattern. -Doug

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I have had insomnia for as long as I can remember.  I have taken trazadone, klonipin, ativan, xanax, restorial, and I usually always get perscribed Ambien because it works.  I am on Depakote, Topamax, Seroquel, and Effexor XR so you think that would make me fall asleep but it doesn’t. Betsy Ach – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – jack and lisa"  I have been annoyed by it for 3 years.  But, I now have a p doc who will give me prescrip. for Clonipin, telling me to only take 1/2 pill when possible, instead of whole one. Last year, I used to lay my head down for half hour at a time, never sleeping all night, finally get dressed at 5:30 AM, go to diner, to keep house quiet for husband, trying to sleep.He has no trouble sleeping, unless I am roaming around. the clonipin can give a side affect or 2, but when I need it, which is usually the case, I take it. GGOODD luck. Dot

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jack and lisa"  I have been annoyed by it for 3 years.  But, I now have a p doc who will give me prescrip. for Clonipin, telling me to only take 1/2 pill when possible, instead of whole one. Last year, I used to lay my head down for half hour at a time, never sleeping all night, finally get dressed at 5:30 AM, go to diner, to keep house quiet for husband, trying to sleep.He has no trouble sleeping, unless I am roaming around. the clonipin can give a side affect or 2, but when I need it, which is usually the case, I take it. GGOODD luck. Dot

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I have suffered from insomnia off and on all my life, well all my life that I can remember, even as a young girl like age 9 and upwords.. Tonight I am having insomnia and I know why..it is called alarm clock anxiety..When I have to wake up to an alarm clock I either can not sleep or I sleep restlessly.. So far I have not been able to fall asleep tonigh..it is almost 5:30am now and my alarm will go off at 11:30am..I have an appt to go to at 1:15pm.. In my early 20’s I was under a lot of stress because of bad relationships with my mother and my boyfriend so my anxiety would last for a week at a time..finally I had to go to the Dr. to get some Xanax..this knocked the shit out of me and I could sleep for days on that stuff.. I take 1mg of Klonopin twice a day but it doesn’t make me tired.. Now when I don’t have to get up to an alarm clock I usually fall asleep by 4:30am and sleep till about 3:30pm..I don’t work right now so that if why I have these crazy hours for sleeping..I am a night owl by nature..               MELISSA

HAPPY NEWYEAR–2000!!

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Melissa,     You sound alot like me, I’m a night owl too. I can remember not being able to sleep as young as 9 or 10 too. I usually try and go to bed before 2am, but not always successful. Getting to sleep isn’t usually that hard but staying asleep is my real problem. Waking up over and over and not being able to fall back asleep is really difficult to cope with. If I know that I’m going to have to get up via alarm clock I have a hard time sleeping too. It is almost unimaginable at the slightest things that can keep my brain awake and unable to drift off. It literally drives me nuts until one night I will finally just crash and sleep all night. Lisa – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have suffered from insomnia off and on all my life, well all my life that I can remember, even as a young girl like age 9 and upwords.. Tonight I am having insomnia and I know why..it is called alarm clock anxiety..When I have to wake up to an alarm clock I either can not sleep or I sleep restlessly.. So far I have not been able to fall asleep tonigh..it is almost 5:30am now and my alarm will go off at 11:30am..I have an appt to go to at 1:15pm.. In my early 20’s I was under a lot of stress because of bad relationships with my mother and my boyfriend so my anxiety would last for a week at a time..finally I had to go to the Dr. to get some Xanax..this knocked the shit out of me and I could sleep for days on that stuff.. I take 1mg of Klonopin twice a day but it doesn’t make me tired.. Now when I don’t have to get up to an alarm clock I usually fall asleep by 4:30am and sleep till about 3:30pm..I don’t work right now so that if why I have these crazy hours for sleeping..I am a night owl by nature..               MELISSA HAPPY NEW YEAR–2000!!

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I have had insomnia almost as long as I can remember back into my childhood. I’m Bipolar II and continue to be VERY annoyed by it. I was wondering how many bipolars out there have this constant insomnia thing too? So raise your hand and speak up! Lisa

Can I ever sympathize with that! My mom tells me that I was prescribed sleeping meds even as a toddler However I find that whatever I get now tends to work for about a week and then loses its effectiveness sharply after that.  My problem is falling asleep — sleeping in the morning wouldn’t be a problem, if it weren’t for that pesky job I have to go to Usually I end up sleeping about 5 hours a night, except when I get totally exhausted. Cheers, TAE

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20 years of insomnia.  Lamactil and trazodone for me did the trick so far. Too soon to tell for sure.  Tried it all before.  Good luck.  Not sleeping and bipolar are a bad mix.   TW – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I have had insomnia almost as long as I can remember back into my childhood. I’m Bipolar II and continue to be VERY annoyed by it. I was wondering how many bipolars out there have this constant insomnia thing too? So raise your hand and speak up! Lisa

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20 years of insomnia.  Lamactil and trazodone for me did the trick so far. Too soon to tell for sure.  Tried it all before.  Good luck.  Not sleeping and bipolar are a bad mix.   TW

My problem isn’t so much getting to sleep, but getting "good sleep". I usually wake up two or three times a night. Then even when I do sleep, I wake up the next day more tired than when I went to bed. My PDoc has siad it might be anxiety or maybe sleep apnea. My theory is that I am half asleep when I am awake, so I’m half awake when I am asleep.                       Ralph

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Hi Lisa,     I have had insomnia almost as long as I can remember back into my childhood. I’m Bipolar II and continue to be VERY annoyed by it. I was wondering how many bipolars out there have this constant insomnia thing too? So raise your hand and speak up!

I have aninterrupted sleep cycle and was evaluated at the sleep disorders lab at UNC here in Chapel Hill. I was told the following: 1. Go to bed the same time nightty…30 min. leeway here 2. Get up the same time daily even if I didn’t sleep 3. Go outside and saty there for about 3o min, to receive the morning light (which is the strongest) 4. Take 3 mg of Melatonin nightly to reset my circadian Rhythm  which can take weeks to months. 5. Stop taking any sleeping medication 6. NO caffeine 7. NO exercise at night So, perhaps a consultation with a sleep disorders specialist would be a prudent thing to do. I do not recommend that you take any OTC drugs including Melatonin without your doc’s approval. My sleep cycle has been awry for over 10 years but it is improving with the suggestions I was given. Best of luck to you. Peace, Lynda

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Hi Lisa: My hand is up.  I’m also BPII and have had insomnia most of my life.  I take 100 mg. of trazodone at bedtime and it normally keeps me asleep most of the night. Toni – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I have had insomnia almost as long as I can remember back into my childhood. I’m Bipolar II and continue to be VERY annoyed by it. I was wondering how many bipolars out there have this constant insomnia thing too? So raise your hand and speak up! Lisa

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    I have had insomnia almost as long as I can remember back into my childhood. I’m Bipolar II and continue to be VERY annoyed by it. I was wondering how many bipolars out there have this constant insomnia thing too? So raise your hand and speak up! Lisa

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   I have had insomnia almost as long as I can remember back into my childhood. I’m Bipolar II and continue to be VERY annoyed by it. I was wondering how many bipolars out there have this constant insomnia thing too? So raise your hand and speak up! Lisa

I’ve had insomnia problems all my life, its now under control through medications used to treat my bipolar disorder. I take risperdol, depakote, xanax, and remeron at bed time. Quite a lot of drugs, but my sleep pattern is much improved since I started taking this mix. Hammer on you doctor, tell him that you’ve had these troubles all your life. I complained about it over several appointments over a few months and finally he listened. Web Page at: http://www.robertpo.com

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My 24 year old girlfriend can’t get to sleep and stay asleep.  Often she gets only two hours of sleep a night.  Any suggestions?  Please reply direct to me.  Thanks. Randy

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My 24 year old girlfriend can’t get to sleep and stay asleep.  Often she gets only two hours of sleep a night.  Any suggestions?  Please reply direct to me.  Thanks. Randy

Your girlfriend should try Reishi.  I used to have insomnia but since I started taking Reishi daily over a year ago, I have no more sleeping problem.  Furthermore, I wake up fresh in the morning without relying on an alarm clock and can start working almost immediately. I know over 200 friends who are on Reishi daily.  They report the same experience with Reishi. Dosage is important.  We take 4 capsules of 370 mg each of a 100% pure mycelium extract of Ganoderma Lucidum before going to bed.  The concentration of polysaccharides is over 40%.   500-1,000mg of Vitamin C should also be taken daily (after meals) to help the absorption of Reishi polysaccharides. Good health! Gilbert Ng, Ph.D.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I occasionally have bouts of insomnia and had a couple of questions which may or may not have answers. 1)During a cycle of insomnia which may last several days or longer, why   will I wake up at amost the same time in the wee hours, say 3:45 a.m. every time? This is regardless of what time I went to bed, or got up the previous morning, whether I fell immediately asleep or not, what I did during the day, etc. 2)Why, when I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night will I be unable to return to sleep until perhaps 20 or 30 minutes before I have to get up, after laying awake for perhaps two hours or more?  Many people told me they have had the same experience.  When I do fall asleep in that short time before having to rise, it always seem to be a very deep sleep and when the alarm goes off, I usually feel even more exhausted than when I was lying awake trying to falling asleep. 3)Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?  I have never taken anything like Sominex or other over the counter (or prescription drugs) for insomnia?  I was once told these drugs don’t really cause you to sleep, but rather put you in a "drugged state" and rather than asleep you are rather more unconscious, and what you get is not really as restful and healthful as "real sleep." Thanks. Deborah

I recently started taking a product made by Twin Labs called GABA Plus to see if it would help with insomnia.  Each capsule contains 100 mg. GABA, 600 mg. inositol, and 200 mg. niacinamide.  I take 4-5 capsules at bedtime.  I have been sleeping much better and in deeper stages of sleep.  I have tried many natural products that are supposed to help sleep, but this seems to have helped me the most.   Hope you find benefit also.   Also, I have read that if one wakes up at 3:00 in the morning, it may indicate a lack of calcium and magnesium.  Try taking some before bed. Another thing I think is helping me is to engage in aerobic exercise 3-4 times a week (the kind where you get your heart rate in the correct zone for you and keep it there for 15-20 minutes).  Let me know how it goes. I know how frustrating it can be to have insomnia.  I’m with you–natural remedies are the best.–ms

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What you describe are known in homeopathy as modalities. Modalities are the things that make a particular health problem worse or better. As my doctor, Peter Hinderberger said, "Homeopathy lives in the modalities." They’re the most important clue to the selection of the proper remedy. The particular modalities you describe (wakes up at 3 AM, has trouble falling back asleep, and wakes up feeling wretched) are well known modalities of the homeopathic medicine Nux Vomica. While I can’t conclude on the basis of your post that Nux Vomica is the correct medicine for you, you may want to consult a homeopathic book on self-care such as "Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine" for the proper use of homeopathic medicines against insomnia. — Bernie Simon          Confucius said, "It is after the coldest weather that

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my aunt is tryiong out a ayurvedic formula commercially available as "Trimax" and she sais it is helping her with uneasy sleep… maybe it’ll help with insomnia… an herb known as valerian puts me right out but i heard it shouldnt be used continually… tryptophan is supposed to be very effective but the us government outlawed it for who-knows-why… it is present in milk… used to be able to find a food supplement for horses that contained 20% tryptophan but now i cant even find that… itxs the war on medicine i guess… GABA is upposed to help with sleep also, i believe you can still get that… …x

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     Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?   A music teacher of mine from South India used to drink warm milk with saffron and honey before retiring. While I can’t vouch for it as a remedy for insomnia, I must say it certainly is delicious. JB.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I occasionally have bouts of insomnia and had a couple of questions which may or may not have answers. 1)During a cycle of insomnia which may last several days or longer, why   will I wake up at amost the same time in the wee hours, say 3:45 a.m. every time? This is regardless of what time I went to bed, or got up the previous morning, whether I fell immediately asleep or not, what I did during the day, etc. 2)Why, when I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night will I be unable to return to sleep until perhaps 20 or 30 minutes before I have to get up, after laying awake for perhaps two hours or more?  Many people told me they have had the same experience.  When I do fall asleep in that short time before having to rise, it always seem to be a very deep sleep and when the alarm goes off, I usually feel even more exhausted than when I was lying awake trying to falling asleep. 3)Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?  I have never taken anything like Sominex or other over the counter (or prescription drugs) for insomnia?  I was once told these drugs don’t really cause you to sleep, but rather put you in a "drugged state" and rather than asleep you are rather more unconscious, and what you get is not really as restful and healthful as "real sleep." Thanks. Deborah

There is a homeopathic remedy, Nux Vomica, that fits your symptoms pretty well.  A quote from Boericke’s Materica Medica:         Sleep–*Cannot sleep after 3 a.m. until early towards;         early morning; awakes feeling wretchedly*  Drowsy after         meals, and in early evening.  Dreams full of bustle and         hurry.  *Better after a short sleep,* unless aroused. Your symptoms don’t have to fit this description exactly, and if you fit just the emphasized portions you should definitely try it.  Nux is for people who suffer from mental strain due to overwork and seek relief from stimulants, tobacco, wine, sex, or over-indulging in food. It is the "hangover remedy" and will definitely help when you have a hangover, but you should use it only rarely for this.  I took Nux 200c for sleep problems (prescribed by my doctor), but maybe you should start with 30c and if it helps but the effect isn’t long lasting then try 200c.   BTW you should get a book on homeopathy if you decide to try this and read up on how to use homeopathic remedies safely. Karen Allen

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I occasionally have bouts of insomnia and had a couple of questions which may or may not have answers. 1)During a cycle of insomnia which may last several days or longer, why   will I wake up at amost the same time in the wee hours, say 3:45 a.m. every time? This is regardless of what time I went to bed, or got up the previous morning, whether I fell immediately asleep or not, what I did during the day, etc. 2)Why, when I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night will I be unable to return to sleep until perhaps 20 or 30 minutes before I have to get up, after laying awake for perhaps two hours or more?  Many people told me they have had the same experience.  When I do fall asleep in that short time before having to rise, it always seem to be a very deep sleep and when the alarm goes off, I usually feel even more exhausted than when I was lying awake trying to falling asleep. 3)Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?  I have never taken anything like Sominex or other over the counter (or prescription drugs) for insomnia?  I was once told these drugs don’t really cause you to sleep, but rather put you in a "drugged state" and rather than asleep you are rather more unconscious, and what you get is not really as restful and healthful as "real sleep." Thanks. Deborah

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Bill try it with hypnosis Guenther – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.) I used to have troubles sleeping (I’d wake at 3am and be wide awake for 2 hours) until a friend asked me how much coffee I drank. I said 3 cups…two in the morning and one at 3pm. He told me to completely stop. Well, I love coffee so I decided to just stop at the 2 cups in the morning. The next night I slept clear through the night. Caffiene does really weird things to sleep patterns… Something else that really helps is a hot mug of Ovaltine before bed. The regular cocoa flavor, not the darker chocolate…too much sugar… Also, you ever notice how hard it is to stay awake when you’re tired and you’re trying to watch something like the news on TV? A radio station here used to play the old Suspense shows at 11pm. I’d get into bed and hit the sleep button on the clock radio so I could listen to it and the radio would shut off in an hour. I never made it through a show. Books on tape do the same thing! I hope these suggestions help. Nothing is worse than insomnia. Good Luck Bill

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Alcohol interferes with stage four sleep.  If you are using it for insomnia, you are just compounding the problem. As always, all opinions are purely those of the author, who accepts full responsibility for their ability to upset people. Michael P.Acord, MD

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I have had good experience with Nikken magnetic relaxation products. I was waking up in the night and having a hard time getting back to sleep. After four days with the mattress I now sleep completely through the night and wake up feeling more refreshed and withless stiffness. I would be happy to share this information. Clive Scullion Bodywork Central http://www.bodyworkcentral.com

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Steven, I have known quite a few people to have been helped by certain herbs and supplements.  I have some information if you would like some.  E-mail me your address and I will mail you off some information if you would like.

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Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply

 My recommendation is that she try massage therapy.  This is a great method for helping a person to relax.  There are techniques that can assist with insomnia.  Check your local yellow pages under massage therapy.  A therapist who is a member of the AMTA should be a good one.  Also, you can check out the NCTMB web page for more info on how to select a massage therapist. Sincerely, Ann

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I had the same problem all my life. Then someone recommended this to me & it really worked! Plus it has other benificial qualities, especially for women. Calcium!!!! It’s a natural calming agent. Try taking a supplement of 500mg’s one with breakfast one with dinner (this equals the RDA too). Get a supplement that also contains magnesium as this is needed for the body to absorbe calcium. [The body can only absorbe 500mg's of calcium at a time (hence the morning & nite dose).] It takes about 2 weeks to have effect. It has been bliss!!! If you do a search for calcium on the web, you can confirm these facts. Best. Love, Elizabeth Fiend         ‘;’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’         ;    slide guitar player in the psycho-thrash band    ;         ; http://philae.sas.upenn.edu/music/rock/morefiends/  ;         ‘                    215-551-1945                     ‘                       ‘;’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’

: Dear readers: : : My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply : suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried : valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried : chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed : Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large : doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)   : : The one remedy which really worked was L-tryptophane which the FDA : took off the market after a contaminated batch from Japan made various : people very sick, and now they refuse to allow it to be reintroduced : to the American market. : : Her symptoms include:  inability to get to sleep until 2-3 a.m.   : Irritability and anxiety if not rested.  Severe sleep : deprivation–which occurs usually without the intervention of one of : the above drugs–causes wild mood swings.  ANy help would be : appreciated. : I had the same problem. All the traditional herbal cures either did : not work or only worked for a short period. L-tryptophan worked on me : but I became a bit worried about taking it after all the adverse : publicity it got a few years ago. All the prescription drugs that I : have tried either stop working after a few weeks or they carry on : working until about half way through the following day. I have tried a : bit of diet "tuning" over the last few months and the best thing I : have found to get a good nights sleep is a generous glass of red wine : just before going to bed. The second best is a double Irish whiskey : with chilled water. So, it’s alcohol for me every night. : Steve : Stephen Wolstenholme: Author of Neural Network Shareware : web:    http://www.tropheus.demon.co.uk

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Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)

I used to have troubles sleeping (I’d wake at 3am and be wide awake for 2 hours) until a friend asked me how much coffee I drank. I said 3 cups…two in the morning and one at 3pm. He told me to completely stop. Well, I love coffee so I decided to just stop at the 2 cups in the morning. The next night I slept clear through the night. Caffiene does really weird things to sleep patterns… Something else that really helps is a hot mug of Ovaltine before bed. The regular cocoa flavor, not the darker chocolate…too much sugar… Also, you ever notice how hard it is to stay awake when you’re tired and you’re trying to watch something like the news on TV? A radio station here used to play the old Suspense shows at 11pm. I’d get into bed and hit the sleep button on the clock radio so I could listen to it and the radio would shut off in an hour. I never made it through a show. Books on tape do the same thing! I hope these suggestions help. Nothing is worse than insomnia. Good Luck Bill

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)   The one remedy which really worked was L-tryptophane which the FDA took off the market after a contaminated batch from Japan made various people very sick, and now they refuse to allow it to be reintroduced to the American market. Her symptoms include:  inability to get to sleep until 2-3 a.m.   Irritability and anxiety if not rested.  Severe sleep deprivation–which occurs usually without the intervention of one of the above drugs–causes wild mood swings.  ANy help would be appreciated.

I had the same problem. All the traditional herbal cures either did not work or only worked for a short period. L-tryptophan worked on me but I became a bit worried about taking it after all the adverse publicity it got a few years ago. All the prescription drugs that I have tried either stop working after a few weeks or they carry on working until about half way through the following day. I have tried a bit of diet "tuning" over the last few months and the best thing I have found to get a good nights sleep is a generous glass of red wine just before going to bed. The second best is a double Irish whiskey with chilled water. So, it’s alcohol for me every night. Steve Stephen Wolstenholme: Author of Neural Network Shareware web:    http://www.tropheus.demon.co.uk

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Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)   The one remedy which really worked was L-tryptophane which the FDA took off the market after a contaminated batch from Japan made various people very sick, and now they refuse to allow it to be reintroduced to the American market. Her symptoms include:  inability to get to sleep until 2-3 a.m.   Irritability and anxiety if not rested.  Severe sleep deprivation–which occurs usually without the intervention of one of the above drugs–causes wild mood swings.  ANy help would be appreciated.

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AMBIEN is the brand name for zolpidem which is a short acting drug used only for short term relief of insomnia. It is the best drug for sleep inducing for lupus patients and sleep is very important in the treatment of the syndrome. j.mills,dph

Hmmmm… Is that the same as Zopiclon. (Imovane)? If not, this stuff isn’t available in Norway… — Best regards,                 Visit my homepage: Med vennlig hilsen,          <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/ _Aase Marit_ ))))))

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Could you please tell me what the active ingredient in Ambien is? (Had to dig through claim forms…)  Sorry; my receipt just calls it "ambien".  My MD said it was new (this was Fall of ‘95) and the "base

How did Ambien get started in the Arthritis newsgroup? Just wondering… I work for the R&D department of the company that makes it… For more info, you may wish to check out www.searlehealthnet.com. I’m not sure what the active ingredient is (I’m a graphic artist) but I’m sure you can find out through the web site.

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How did Ambien get started in the Arthritis newsgroup? Just wondering… I

How did a graphic artist come to join an RA newsgroup? (G) work for the R&D department of the company that makes it… For more info, you may wish to check out www.searlehealthnet.com. I’m not sure what the active ingredient is (I’m a graphic artist) but I’m sure you can find out through the web site.

My DR prescribed Ambien for my sleeping problems resulting from my RA in my neck (and other locations). I’ve found that 5mg about 30 min before bedtime works great most of the time. On a few occasions, I’ve need to take another 5mg an hour or so later. The benefits of a rest-filled night of sleep, vis-a-vis my RA, cannot be overstated. I’m just sorry that I refused to take sleeping pills for so long. Jima Adams

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You have to have great insurance to take Ambien around $2 a pill.

Hmmm… more like $.33 each for me.  My receipt says 30 tabs for $9.99 at Fay’s Drugs.  Maybe I have great insurance. Beth

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        Ambien is zolpidem tartrate, a non benozodiazepine (hence not related to valium, ativan etc) hypnotic of the imiazopyridine class. It is an effective sleep inducing agent for some people; I use it in fibromyalgia a lot.  However, some people have no effect or feel quite drugged. Regards, Susan Hoch, M.D. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Beth! Could you please tell me what the active ingredient in Ambien is? — Best regards,                 Visit my homepage: Med vennlig hilsen,          <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/ _Aase Marit_ )))))) I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.   (snip) I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3? I want to heartily second the Ambien!  I am extremely sensitive to OTC sleep aids (take 1/2 dose and still fuzzy the next day) but I wasn’t getting my deep sleep.  My MD gave me the Ambien and it worked wonders! He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed"). It truly is a "miracle drug" for me.  MD expressed a little concern about addiction to the Ambien though, and so he is rather stingy on prescribing it and I save it for "special occasions".  But as Laura/Sarah suggested, when I get the sleep I require, I don’t need so much in the line of pain meds. Good luck to you – Beth Floro

Susan Hoch                    

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He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed").

You have to have great insurance to take Ambien around $2 a pill.   Kathi

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I take felxeril and it also doesn’t make me sleepy so much as it keeps in the deeper stges of sleep so I do not wake up every hour on the hour. Fortunatley, I have not had to take it much lately, but I had no problems with it when I was.  and at the time I was also on prenisone, relafin, and sulfasalizine.  Take Care. Nan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list –

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – I finally doze from about six am to 9:30 or ten and thats it. My rd gave me 30 mgms of seraz (serax), but it only helped if I took 2 at a time.  Which is definately too many.  She gave up and sent me to my family doctor with this one.  He first gave me trypto something that didn’t help at all, and now he gives me immovane, which is only margianlly better, plus its addictive.  He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I ge hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

I tried some guaifenesin for fibromyalgia and low energy,   and found out that it helped me sleep better,   and dream a lot. I don’t take it AT bedtime,   just 400mg 2 or 3 times during the day. The only problem with this is you can’t take any salicylates,  that means no NSAIDS,  no aspirin,  etc. Guaifenesin is an OTC medicine,   $8.49 for 100 from a company on the ‘net. It is not a prescription drug.   — Shari Soza

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Hi, Beth! Could you please tell me what the active ingredient in Ambien is? — Best regards,                 Visit my homepage: Med vennlig hilsen,          <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/ _Aase Marit_ )))))) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.   (snip) I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3? I want to heartily second the Ambien!  I am extremely sensitive to OTC sleep aids (take 1/2 dose and still fuzzy the next day) but I wasn’t getting my deep sleep.  My MD gave me the Ambien and it worked wonders! He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed"). It truly is a "miracle drug" for me.  MD expressed a little concern about addiction to the Ambien though, and so he is rather stingy on prescribing it and I save it for "special occasions".  But as Laura/Sarah suggested, when I get the sleep I require, I don’t need so much in the line of pain meds. Good luck to you – Beth Floro

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Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – I finally doze from about six am to 9:30 or ten and thats it. My rd gave me 30 mgms of seraz (serax), but it only helped if I took 2 at a time.  Which is definately too many.  She gave up and sent me to my family doctor with this one.  He first gave me trypto something that didn’t help at all, and now he gives me immovane, which is only margianlly better, plus its addictive.  He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I ge hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – I finally doze from about six am to 9:30 or ten and thats it. My rd gave me 30 mgms of seraz (serax), but it only helped if I took 2 at a time.  Which is definately too many.  She gave up and sent me to my family doctor with this one.  He first gave me trypto something that didn’t help at all, and now he gives me immovane, which is only margianlly better, plus its addictive.  He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I ge hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

Aline, You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.  I think I may even be approaching a normal sleep schedule–something I’ve never had before–since I am now finding myself getting sleepy around 10 pm and able to nod off at least half the time without any medication at all. I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3? Good luck getting some shut-eye. Laura

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

Aline- I take or have taken most of the medications you’re on and I can relate to the insomnia problem. I’m wondering if you noticed an increased problem with sleep after starting the Paxil.  I take Zoloft which is chemically related to Paxil and Prozac and even though I take it in the morning it causes sleep problems for me and for a lot of other people. My doctor ordered doxepin to take at bedtime which has helped alot.  My psychiatrist said that taking one of the more sedating tricyclic antidepressants at bedtime can help offset the insomnia of the Zoloft/Paxil/Prozac.(I’ve tried all 3). Unlike sleeping pills, the anti-depressants are not addicting.  Deb

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I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.   (snip) I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3?

I want to heartily second the Ambien!  I am extremely sensitive to OTC sleep aids (take 1/2 dose and still fuzzy the next day) but I wasn’t getting my deep sleep.  My MD gave me the Ambien and it worked wonders! He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed"). It truly is a "miracle drug" for me.  MD expressed a little concern about addiction to the Ambien though, and so he is rather stingy on prescribing it and I save it for "special occasions".  But as Laura/Sarah suggested, when I get the sleep I require, I don’t need so much in the line of pain meds. Good luck to you – Beth Floro

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My 24 year old girlfriend can’t get to sleep and stay asleep.  Often she gets only two hours of sleep a night.  Any suggestions?  Please reply direct to me.  Thanks. Randy

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My 24 year old girlfriend can’t get to sleep and stay asleep.  Often she gets only two hours of sleep a night.  Any suggestions?  Please reply direct to me.  Thanks. Randy

Your girlfriend should try Reishi.  I used to have insomnia but since I started taking Reishi daily over a year ago, I have no more sleeping problem.  Furthermore, I wake up fresh in the morning without relying on an alarm clock and can start working almost immediately. I know over 200 friends who are on Reishi daily.  They report the same experience with Reishi. Dosage is important.  We take 4 capsules of 370 mg each of a 100% pure mycelium extract of Ganoderma Lucidum before going to bed.  The concentration of polysaccharides is over 40%.   500-1,000mg of Vitamin C should also be taken daily (after meals) to help the absorption of Reishi polysaccharides. Good health! Gilbert Ng, Ph.D.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I occasionally have bouts of insomnia and had a couple of questions which may or may not have answers. 1)During a cycle of insomnia which may last several days or longer, why   will I wake up at amost the same time in the wee hours, say 3:45 a.m. every time? This is regardless of what time I went to bed, or got up the previous morning, whether I fell immediately asleep or not, what I did during the day, etc. 2)Why, when I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night will I be unable to return to sleep until perhaps 20 or 30 minutes before I have to get up, after laying awake for perhaps two hours or more?  Many people told me they have had the same experience.  When I do fall asleep in that short time before having to rise, it always seem to be a very deep sleep and when the alarm goes off, I usually feel even more exhausted than when I was lying awake trying to falling asleep. 3)Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?  I have never taken anything like Sominex or other over the counter (or prescription drugs) for insomnia?  I was once told these drugs don’t really cause you to sleep, but rather put you in a "drugged state" and rather than asleep you are rather more unconscious, and what you get is not really as restful and healthful as "real sleep." Thanks. Deborah

I recently started taking a product made by Twin Labs called GABA Plus to see if it would help with insomnia.  Each capsule contains 100 mg. GABA, 600 mg. inositol, and 200 mg. niacinamide.  I take 4-5 capsules at bedtime.  I have been sleeping much better and in deeper stages of sleep.  I have tried many natural products that are supposed to help sleep, but this seems to have helped me the most.   Hope you find benefit also.   Also, I have read that if one wakes up at 3:00 in the morning, it may indicate a lack of calcium and magnesium.  Try taking some before bed. Another thing I think is helping me is to engage in aerobic exercise 3-4 times a week (the kind where you get your heart rate in the correct zone for you and keep it there for 15-20 minutes).  Let me know how it goes. I know how frustrating it can be to have insomnia.  I’m with you–natural remedies are the best.–ms

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What you describe are known in homeopathy as modalities. Modalities are the things that make a particular health problem worse or better. As my doctor, Peter Hinderberger said, "Homeopathy lives in the modalities." They’re the most important clue to the selection of the proper remedy. The particular modalities you describe (wakes up at 3 AM, has trouble falling back asleep, and wakes up feeling wretched) are well known modalities of the homeopathic medicine Nux Vomica. While I can’t conclude on the basis of your post that Nux Vomica is the correct medicine for you, you may want to consult a homeopathic book on self-care such as "Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine" for the proper use of homeopathic medicines against insomnia. — Bernie Simon          Confucius said, "It is after the coldest weather that

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my aunt is tryiong out a ayurvedic formula commercially available as "Trimax" and she sais it is helping her with uneasy sleep… maybe it’ll help with insomnia… an herb known as valerian puts me right out but i heard it shouldnt be used continually… tryptophan is supposed to be very effective but the us government outlawed it for who-knows-why… it is present in milk… used to be able to find a food supplement for horses that contained 20% tryptophan but now i cant even find that… itxs the war on medicine i guess… GABA is upposed to help with sleep also, i believe you can still get that… …x

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     Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?   A music teacher of mine from South India used to drink warm milk with saffron and honey before retiring. While I can’t vouch for it as a remedy for insomnia, I must say it certainly is delicious. JB.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I occasionally have bouts of insomnia and had a couple of questions which may or may not have answers. 1)During a cycle of insomnia which may last several days or longer, why   will I wake up at amost the same time in the wee hours, say 3:45 a.m. every time? This is regardless of what time I went to bed, or got up the previous morning, whether I fell immediately asleep or not, what I did during the day, etc. 2)Why, when I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night will I be unable to return to sleep until perhaps 20 or 30 minutes before I have to get up, after laying awake for perhaps two hours or more?  Many people told me they have had the same experience.  When I do fall asleep in that short time before having to rise, it always seem to be a very deep sleep and when the alarm goes off, I usually feel even more exhausted than when I was lying awake trying to falling asleep. 3)Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?  I have never taken anything like Sominex or other over the counter (or prescription drugs) for insomnia?  I was once told these drugs don’t really cause you to sleep, but rather put you in a "drugged state" and rather than asleep you are rather more unconscious, and what you get is not really as restful and healthful as "real sleep." Thanks. Deborah

There is a homeopathic remedy, Nux Vomica, that fits your symptoms pretty well.  A quote from Boericke’s Materica Medica:         Sleep–*Cannot sleep after 3 a.m. until early towards;         early morning; awakes feeling wretchedly*  Drowsy after         meals, and in early evening.  Dreams full of bustle and         hurry.  *Better after a short sleep,* unless aroused. Your symptoms don’t have to fit this description exactly, and if you fit just the emphasized portions you should definitely try it.  Nux is for people who suffer from mental strain due to overwork and seek relief from stimulants, tobacco, wine, sex, or over-indulging in food. It is the "hangover remedy" and will definitely help when you have a hangover, but you should use it only rarely for this.  I took Nux 200c for sleep problems (prescribed by my doctor), but maybe you should start with 30c and if it helps but the effect isn’t long lasting then try 200c.   BTW you should get a book on homeopathy if you decide to try this and read up on how to use homeopathic remedies safely. Karen Allen

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I occasionally have bouts of insomnia and had a couple of questions which may or may not have answers. 1)During a cycle of insomnia which may last several days or longer, why   will I wake up at amost the same time in the wee hours, say 3:45 a.m. every time? This is regardless of what time I went to bed, or got up the previous morning, whether I fell immediately asleep or not, what I did during the day, etc. 2)Why, when I wake up suddenly in the middle of the night will I be unable to return to sleep until perhaps 20 or 30 minutes before I have to get up, after laying awake for perhaps two hours or more?  Many people told me they have had the same experience.  When I do fall asleep in that short time before having to rise, it always seem to be a very deep sleep and when the alarm goes off, I usually feel even more exhausted than when I was lying awake trying to falling asleep. 3)Finally, are there any known natural remedies for insomnia?  I have never taken anything like Sominex or other over the counter (or prescription drugs) for insomnia?  I was once told these drugs don’t really cause you to sleep, but rather put you in a "drugged state" and rather than asleep you are rather more unconscious, and what you get is not really as restful and healthful as "real sleep." Thanks. Deborah

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Bill try it with hypnosis Guenther – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.) I used to have troubles sleeping (I’d wake at 3am and be wide awake for 2 hours) until a friend asked me how much coffee I drank. I said 3 cups…two in the morning and one at 3pm. He told me to completely stop. Well, I love coffee so I decided to just stop at the 2 cups in the morning. The next night I slept clear through the night. Caffiene does really weird things to sleep patterns… Something else that really helps is a hot mug of Ovaltine before bed. The regular cocoa flavor, not the darker chocolate…too much sugar… Also, you ever notice how hard it is to stay awake when you’re tired and you’re trying to watch something like the news on TV? A radio station here used to play the old Suspense shows at 11pm. I’d get into bed and hit the sleep button on the clock radio so I could listen to it and the radio would shut off in an hour. I never made it through a show. Books on tape do the same thing! I hope these suggestions help. Nothing is worse than insomnia. Good Luck Bill

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Alcohol interferes with stage four sleep.  If you are using it for insomnia, you are just compounding the problem. As always, all opinions are purely those of the author, who accepts full responsibility for their ability to upset people. Michael P.Acord, MD

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I have had good experience with Nikken magnetic relaxation products. I was waking up in the night and having a hard time getting back to sleep. After four days with the mattress I now sleep completely through the night and wake up feeling more refreshed and withless stiffness. I would be happy to share this information. Clive Scullion Bodywork Central http://www.bodyworkcentral.com

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Steven, I have known quite a few people to have been helped by certain herbs and supplements.  I have some information if you would like some.  E-mail me your address and I will mail you off some information if you would like.

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Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply

 My recommendation is that she try massage therapy.  This is a great method for helping a person to relax.  There are techniques that can assist with insomnia.  Check your local yellow pages under massage therapy.  A therapist who is a member of the AMTA should be a good one.  Also, you can check out the NCTMB web page for more info on how to select a massage therapist. Sincerely, Ann

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I had the same problem all my life. Then someone recommended this to me & it really worked! Plus it has other benificial qualities, especially for women. Calcium!!!! It’s a natural calming agent. Try taking a supplement of 500mg’s one with breakfast one with dinner (this equals the RDA too). Get a supplement that also contains magnesium as this is needed for the body to absorbe calcium. [The body can only absorbe 500mg's of calcium at a time (hence the morning & nite dose).] It takes about 2 weeks to have effect. It has been bliss!!! If you do a search for calcium on the web, you can confirm these facts. Best. Love, Elizabeth Fiend         ‘;’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’         ;    slide guitar player in the psycho-thrash band    ;         ; http://philae.sas.upenn.edu/music/rock/morefiends/  ;         ‘                    215-551-1945                     ‘                       ‘;’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’;';’

: Dear readers: : : My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply : suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried : valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried : chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed : Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large : doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)   : : The one remedy which really worked was L-tryptophane which the FDA : took off the market after a contaminated batch from Japan made various : people very sick, and now they refuse to allow it to be reintroduced : to the American market. : : Her symptoms include:  inability to get to sleep until 2-3 a.m.   : Irritability and anxiety if not rested.  Severe sleep : deprivation–which occurs usually without the intervention of one of : the above drugs–causes wild mood swings.  ANy help would be : appreciated. : I had the same problem. All the traditional herbal cures either did : not work or only worked for a short period. L-tryptophan worked on me : but I became a bit worried about taking it after all the adverse : publicity it got a few years ago. All the prescription drugs that I : have tried either stop working after a few weeks or they carry on : working until about half way through the following day. I have tried a : bit of diet "tuning" over the last few months and the best thing I : have found to get a good nights sleep is a generous glass of red wine : just before going to bed. The second best is a double Irish whiskey : with chilled water. So, it’s alcohol for me every night. : Steve : Stephen Wolstenholme: Author of Neural Network Shareware : web:    http://www.tropheus.demon.co.uk

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Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)

I used to have troubles sleeping (I’d wake at 3am and be wide awake for 2 hours) until a friend asked me how much coffee I drank. I said 3 cups…two in the morning and one at 3pm. He told me to completely stop. Well, I love coffee so I decided to just stop at the 2 cups in the morning. The next night I slept clear through the night. Caffiene does really weird things to sleep patterns… Something else that really helps is a hot mug of Ovaltine before bed. The regular cocoa flavor, not the darker chocolate…too much sugar… Also, you ever notice how hard it is to stay awake when you’re tired and you’re trying to watch something like the news on TV? A radio station here used to play the old Suspense shows at 11pm. I’d get into bed and hit the sleep button on the clock radio so I could listen to it and the radio would shut off in an hour. I never made it through a show. Books on tape do the same thing! I hope these suggestions help. Nothing is worse than insomnia. Good Luck Bill

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)   The one remedy which really worked was L-tryptophane which the FDA took off the market after a contaminated batch from Japan made various people very sick, and now they refuse to allow it to be reintroduced to the American market. Her symptoms include:  inability to get to sleep until 2-3 a.m.   Irritability and anxiety if not rested.  Severe sleep deprivation–which occurs usually without the intervention of one of the above drugs–causes wild mood swings.  ANy help would be appreciated.

I had the same problem. All the traditional herbal cures either did not work or only worked for a short period. L-tryptophan worked on me but I became a bit worried about taking it after all the adverse publicity it got a few years ago. All the prescription drugs that I have tried either stop working after a few weeks or they carry on working until about half way through the following day. I have tried a bit of diet "tuning" over the last few months and the best thing I have found to get a good nights sleep is a generous glass of red wine just before going to bed. The second best is a double Irish whiskey with chilled water. So, it’s alcohol for me every night. Steve Stephen Wolstenholme: Author of Neural Network Shareware web:    http://www.tropheus.demon.co.uk

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Dear readers: My wife has serious problems with insomnia (she’s also deeply suspicious about the Internet which is why I’m writing.)  She’s tried valerian which gives her headaches and makes her dizzy; she’s tried chamomile which has no effect whatsoever.  Doctors have prescribed Dalmane (addictive), Xanax (addictive and effective only in large doses), Restoril (bad side effects.)   The one remedy which really worked was L-tryptophane which the FDA took off the market after a contaminated batch from Japan made various people very sick, and now they refuse to allow it to be reintroduced to the American market. Her symptoms include:  inability to get to sleep until 2-3 a.m.   Irritability and anxiety if not rested.  Severe sleep deprivation–which occurs usually without the intervention of one of the above drugs–causes wild mood swings.  ANy help would be appreciated.

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AMBIEN is the brand name for zolpidem which is a short acting drug used only for short term relief of insomnia. It is the best drug for sleep inducing for lupus patients and sleep is very important in the treatment of the syndrome. j.mills,dph

Hmmmm… Is that the same as Zopiclon. (Imovane)? If not, this stuff isn’t available in Norway… — Best regards,                 Visit my homepage: Med vennlig hilsen,          <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/ _Aase Marit_ ))))))

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Could you please tell me what the active ingredient in Ambien is? (Had to dig through claim forms…)  Sorry; my receipt just calls it "ambien".  My MD said it was new (this was Fall of ‘95) and the "base

How did Ambien get started in the Arthritis newsgroup? Just wondering… I work for the R&D department of the company that makes it… For more info, you may wish to check out www.searlehealthnet.com. I’m not sure what the active ingredient is (I’m a graphic artist) but I’m sure you can find out through the web site.

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How did Ambien get started in the Arthritis newsgroup? Just wondering… I

How did a graphic artist come to join an RA newsgroup? (G) work for the R&D department of the company that makes it… For more info, you may wish to check out www.searlehealthnet.com. I’m not sure what the active ingredient is (I’m a graphic artist) but I’m sure you can find out through the web site.

My DR prescribed Ambien for my sleeping problems resulting from my RA in my neck (and other locations). I’ve found that 5mg about 30 min before bedtime works great most of the time. On a few occasions, I’ve need to take another 5mg an hour or so later. The benefits of a rest-filled night of sleep, vis-a-vis my RA, cannot be overstated. I’m just sorry that I refused to take sleeping pills for so long. Jima Adams

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You have to have great insurance to take Ambien around $2 a pill.

Hmmm… more like $.33 each for me.  My receipt says 30 tabs for $9.99 at Fay’s Drugs.  Maybe I have great insurance. Beth

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        Ambien is zolpidem tartrate, a non benozodiazepine (hence not related to valium, ativan etc) hypnotic of the imiazopyridine class. It is an effective sleep inducing agent for some people; I use it in fibromyalgia a lot.  However, some people have no effect or feel quite drugged. Regards, Susan Hoch, M.D. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Beth! Could you please tell me what the active ingredient in Ambien is? — Best regards,                 Visit my homepage: Med vennlig hilsen,          <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/ _Aase Marit_ )))))) I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.   (snip) I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3? I want to heartily second the Ambien!  I am extremely sensitive to OTC sleep aids (take 1/2 dose and still fuzzy the next day) but I wasn’t getting my deep sleep.  My MD gave me the Ambien and it worked wonders! He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed"). It truly is a "miracle drug" for me.  MD expressed a little concern about addiction to the Ambien though, and so he is rather stingy on prescribing it and I save it for "special occasions".  But as Laura/Sarah suggested, when I get the sleep I require, I don’t need so much in the line of pain meds. Good luck to you – Beth Floro

Susan Hoch                    

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He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed").

You have to have great insurance to take Ambien around $2 a pill.   Kathi

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I take felxeril and it also doesn’t make me sleepy so much as it keeps in the deeper stges of sleep so I do not wake up every hour on the hour. Fortunatley, I have not had to take it much lately, but I had no problems with it when I was.  and at the time I was also on prenisone, relafin, and sulfasalizine.  Take Care. Nan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list –

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – I finally doze from about six am to 9:30 or ten and thats it. My rd gave me 30 mgms of seraz (serax), but it only helped if I took 2 at a time.  Which is definately too many.  She gave up and sent me to my family doctor with this one.  He first gave me trypto something that didn’t help at all, and now he gives me immovane, which is only margianlly better, plus its addictive.  He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I ge hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

I tried some guaifenesin for fibromyalgia and low energy,   and found out that it helped me sleep better,   and dream a lot. I don’t take it AT bedtime,   just 400mg 2 or 3 times during the day. The only problem with this is you can’t take any salicylates,  that means no NSAIDS,  no aspirin,  etc. Guaifenesin is an OTC medicine,   $8.49 for 100 from a company on the ‘net. It is not a prescription drug.   — Shari Soza

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Hi, Beth! Could you please tell me what the active ingredient in Ambien is? — Best regards,                 Visit my homepage: Med vennlig hilsen,          <URL:http://home.newmedia.no/flaker/ _Aase Marit_ )))))) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.   (snip) I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3? I want to heartily second the Ambien!  I am extremely sensitive to OTC sleep aids (take 1/2 dose and still fuzzy the next day) but I wasn’t getting my deep sleep.  My MD gave me the Ambien and it worked wonders! He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed"). It truly is a "miracle drug" for me.  MD expressed a little concern about addiction to the Ambien though, and so he is rather stingy on prescribing it and I save it for "special occasions".  But as Laura/Sarah suggested, when I get the sleep I require, I don’t need so much in the line of pain meds. Good luck to you – Beth Floro

Response:

Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – I finally doze from about six am to 9:30 or ten and thats it. My rd gave me 30 mgms of seraz (serax), but it only helped if I took 2 at a time.  Which is definately too many.  She gave up and sent me to my family doctor with this one.  He first gave me trypto something that didn’t help at all, and now he gives me immovane, which is only margianlly better, plus its addictive.  He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I ge hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – I finally doze from about six am to 9:30 or ten and thats it. My rd gave me 30 mgms of seraz (serax), but it only helped if I took 2 at a time.  Which is definately too many.  She gave up and sent me to my family doctor with this one.  He first gave me trypto something that didn’t help at all, and now he gives me immovane, which is only margianlly better, plus its addictive.  He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I ge hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

Aline, You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.  I think I may even be approaching a normal sleep schedule–something I’ve never had before–since I am now finding myself getting sleepy around 10 pm and able to nod off at least half the time without any medication at all. I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3? Good luck getting some shut-eye. Laura

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – -methotrexate -cyclosporine -plaquenil tylenol #3 -paxil -immovane I feel like a toxic waste site. I’ve tried a couple of herbal remedies, but no luck at all there.  HELP PLEASE. Thanks, Aline

Aline- I take or have taken most of the medications you’re on and I can relate to the insomnia problem. I’m wondering if you noticed an increased problem with sleep after starting the Paxil.  I take Zoloft which is chemically related to Paxil and Prozac and even though I take it in the morning it causes sleep problems for me and for a lot of other people. My doctor ordered doxepin to take at bedtime which has helped alot.  My psychiatrist said that taking one of the more sedating tricyclic antidepressants at bedtime can help offset the insomnia of the Zoloft/Paxil/Prozac.(I’ve tried all 3). Unlike sleeping pills, the anti-depressants are not addicting.  Deb

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I hope you can help me.  I’m at my wits end.  I have never been the best sleeper, but now I find I’m up all night – (snip) He says its the lesser of two evils – I suffer more if I don’t sleep, than if I get hooked. Any suggestions?  I hate to add more drugs to the list – You might want to ask your doctor about Ambien.  It is the best sleeping aid I have ever used.   (snip) I don’t know how it would interact with the Tylenol3.  Perhaps if you could sleep you wouldn’t need the Tylenol3?

I want to heartily second the Ambien!  I am extremely sensitive to OTC sleep aids (take 1/2 dose and still fuzzy the next day) but I wasn’t getting my deep sleep.  My MD gave me the Ambien and it worked wonders! He told me there is no problem taking it with anything else I am on – which is Tylenol 3, anti-histamine/decongestant, a muscle relaxant, and Daypro (no, not all at once!  Each "as needed"). It truly is a "miracle drug" for me.  MD expressed a little concern about addiction to the Ambien though, and so he is rather stingy on prescribing it and I save it for "special occasions".  But as Laura/Sarah suggested, when I get the sleep I require, I don’t need so much in the line of pain meds. Good luck to you – Beth Floro

Response:

Question:

Hi:   I use 2 puffs of flovent and 2 puffs of servent daily to control my exercise induced asthma.  However, I am experiencing a major drawback:  my voice is continuously hoarce.  The doctor told me just to lower my medication to the amounts shown above.  I do use one of those extended tubes when taking in the flovent.   Anyone else had this side effect — and were you able to find some way to be able to take the meds and be able to talk.

Gargle with a teaspoon of salt in 8 oz of very warm water after taking your meds.  Also, increase your fluid intake. Chris Owens

Response:

Hi:  I use 2 puffs of flovent and 2 puffs of servent daily to control my exercise induced asthma.  However, I am experiencing a major drawback:  my voice is continuously hoarce.  The doctor told me just to lower my medication to the amounts shown above.  I do use one of those extended tubes when taking in the flovent.  Anyone else had this side effect — and were you able to find some way to be able to take the meds and be able to talk.

I use a Volumatic for my Becotide to keep my voice from getting hoarse. I found that I had to use it for the Serevent too, because that was begining to have the same effect. I also find eating (bio) youghurt sooths my throat when it does get hoarse, perhaps it keeps any sub-clinical oral thrush at bay. Pete

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This may sound like a stupid answer, but….are you rinsing your mouth out after every puff of Flovent?  You should still gargle with water etc., even if you are using a spacer. My apologies if you are already aware. Kelly – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi:  I use 2 puffs of flovent and 2 puffs of servent daily to control my exercise induced asthma.  However, I am experiencing a major drawback:  my voice is continuously hoarce.  The doctor told me just to lower my medication to the amounts shown above.  I do use one of those extended tubes when taking in the flovent.  Anyone else had this side effect — and were you able to find some way to be able to take the meds and be able to talk.

Response:

Hi:   I use 2 puffs of flovent and 2 puffs of servent daily to control my exercise induced asthma.  However, I am experiencing a major drawback:  my voice is continuously hoarce.  The doctor told me just to lower my medication to the amounts shown above.  I do use one of those extended tubes when taking in the flovent.   Anyone else had this side effect — and were you able to find some way to be able to take the meds and be able to talk.

Response:

Do you rinse your mouth out after using the flovent? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi:   I use 2 puffs of flovent and 2 puffs of servent daily to control my exercise induced asthma.  However, I am experiencing a major drawback:  my voice is continuously hoarce.  The doctor told me just to lower my medication to the amounts shown above.  I do use one of those extended tubes when taking in the flovent.   Anyone else had this side effect — and were you able to find some way to be able to take the meds and be able to talk.

Response:

I had this problem when I first started on Flovent. It went away after a couple of weeks. I also use an aerochamber and always rinse my mouth with mouthwash and drink some water after use. I also recently stopped Flovent by using Accolate which works great for excercise induced asthma.

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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit doug, try using a spacer unit, it will help, and also wash your mouth out with water, and gargle with water or a mouth wash if needed.  this will definitely help with the hoarse voice.  The spacer unit is expensive, but it works.  good luck. Allen Hi:   I use 2 puffs of flovent and 2 puffs of servent daily to control my exercise induced asthma.  However, I am experiencing a major drawback:  my voice is continuously hoarce.  The doctor told me just to lower my medication to the amounts shown above.  I do use one of those extended tubes when taking in the flovent.   Anyone else had this side effect — and were you able to find some way to be able to take the meds and be able to talk.

Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <HTML <FONT COLOR="#CC33CC"<FONT SIZE=+1doug,</FONT</FONT <BR<FONT COLOR="#CC33CC"<FONT SIZE=+1try using a spacer unit, it will help, and also wash your mouth out with water, and gargle with water or a mouth wash if needed.&nbsp; this will definitely help with the hoarse voice.&nbsp; The spacer unit is expensive, but it works.&nbsp; good luck.</FONT</FONT <BR<FONT COLOR="#CC33CC"<FONT SIZE=+1Allen</FONT</FONT

<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITEHi: <P&nbsp; I use 2 puffs of flovent and 2 puffs of servent daily to control <BRmy exercise induced asthma.&nbsp; However, I am experiencing a major <BRdrawback:&nbsp; my voice is continuously hoarce.&nbsp; The doctor told me <BRjust to lower my medication to the amounts shown above.&nbsp; I do <BRuse one of those extended tubes when taking in the flovent. <P&nbsp; Anyone else had this side effect — and were you able to find <BRsome way to be able to take the meds and be able to talk. Search, Read, Post to Usenet</BLOCKQUOTE &nbsp;</HTML

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Question:

At 3 puffs of Flovent 110 daily (i.e. daily dose of 330 mcg.), I experience significant dysphonia ( hoarseness) At 2 puffs of Flovent 220 daily (i.e. daily dose of 440 mcg.), I experience no dysphonia I have observed this repeatedly over 2 years of daily use. Has anyone else had this experience? Perhaps others with dysphonia on Flovent 110 might try the 220. —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

Hi, that certainly is a very interesting piece of information, and I am eager to try this "experiment".  Thanks for sharing.

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Question:

My wife has been diagnosed as asthmatic. She thinks that she may have had her attack due to the use of NSAID’s (including asparin). A webpage suggests that the treatment for asparin induced asthma is different to the normal treatment. She is not responding well to normal treatment so if anyone knows what the treatment is for asparin induced asthma we would appreciate the help. Thank you.  Drew.

Response:

I get asthma from all NSAIDS, including aspirin, ibuprophen, ponstan, etc.  My asthma is not controlled differently than anyone elses, I just have to avoid all NSAIDS and products containing them.  I take Flovent 125mcg, Serevent, and Ventolin.  Singulair did nothing for me, but it works wonders for other people especially those with allergies from what I have read.  Good luck! Meghan Before you buy.

Response:

Aspirin induces asthma in about 10% of asthmatics. About 10% of those will also react to other NSAIDS such as Motirn/ Advil/ Aleve/ ibuprofen/ etc. (Lucky me – in the top 1% again !) The treatment is not entirely different. As in all asthmatics exposures should be eliminated, in this case only take Tylenol and narcotics for pain. One difference is that the leukotriene inhibitors such as Singulair and Accolate seem to be particularly effective in aspirin sensitive asthmatics so this may be worth a try. If that doesn’t work it should be back to the drawing board by confirming the diagnosis if in doubt and looking for other triggers such as chemicals, allergy, reflux, and sinus problems. — CBI, M.D. Please note: It is impossible to accurately diagnose medical problems without seeing the patient and reviewing the entire history. These posts are intended to be helpful and informative. Always check with your doctor before following any advice given.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife has been diagnosed as asthmatic. She thinks that she may have had her attack due to the use of NSAID’s (including asparin). A webpage suggests that the treatment for asparin induced asthma is different to the normal treatment. She is not responding well to normal treatment so if anyone knows what the treatment is for asparin induced asthma we would appreciate the help. Thank you.  Drew.

Response:

Question:

I had asthma as a child as well.  Junior high school was the worst–we had to run around the track in PE every day, and although they let me walk instead, I would get teased all the time about it.  Sometimes I would run until I had an attack just because I was so embarrassed. I can’t suggest much in the near term, but when he gets older you might encourage him to get into anaerobic sports.  I finally learned to weight lift when I was 22, and it’s great for me–it improves my self esteem and very rarelly triggers my asthma. Try not to let his asthma cause him to exercise half-heartedly or not at all–when I was in high school they put me in an "adaptive PE" program where we walked around the track and "lifted weights."  What that really meant was we gossiped and tried to look busy while the teacher sat around.  We didn’t learn anything about weight training or learn to keep track of our walking performance to improve our cardiovascular fitness, both things I had to learn as an adult, after I’d developed lazy exercise habits.  I think it’s important to figure out what your asthma will let you do, and then DO IT, even if it’s just walking really slowly and stretching.  Hopefully your private school will be better about this, but it’s something to pay attention to. I recently started Singulair and it improved my peak flow quite a bit, although I don’t think it has helped my exercise-induced asthma much. Good luck, Karen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a twelve year old son who has had asthma since he was two, probably since he was born.

Response:

Hi Danielle, My heart goes out to you and your son. My son is 7-1/2 and has moderate-severe asthma, including the EIA variety. We started him out with an indoor soccer program a year and a half ago, pre-treating him with albuterol and Intal. At that age all they do is run all over the place at top speed and he came through okay except for one incident — he kept sitting down on the floor every chance he got. Half the team was this way, too, though, so there must have been something in the air. Anyway, based on that we tried outdoor soccer last fall — big mistake. He could barely play an entire quarter and the coach was just not sympathetic to the asthma — I think he didn’t accept the idea that fatigue is indicative of a flare and thought perhaps Ed should be turning blue and gasping in order to be having at attack. He kept Ed sidelined a lot or put him in as goalie — not Ed’s strong point as he’s easily bored <g so it wasn’t a good experience for any of us. Tee-ball was much more successful, I think because they’re not so physically active for extended periods. He’s in a baseball program again this summer and really looking forward to it. Is there a baseball program around and would your son consider that in lieu of football? My son’s (private) school has a very active sports program, football being the foremost event; the star player for the last four years is a severe asthmatic. I’m heartened by this, knowing that for all the negative aspects of his win-at-all-costs attitude, the coach is very willing to work with asthma rather than sideline a kid. Is it worth approaching the coach(es) or director of the football program and explain he might fail the physical if it happens to be a rough trigger day and that perhaps they could take a closer look at his overall abilities? I guess it all depends on the people running the program. We haven’t yet put Ed on Singulair — I keep waffling over the Churg-Strauss syndrome thing. From what I understand, Singular doesn’t work for everyone; it either works very well or not at all. Certainly, the convenience of a once-daily tablet can’t be beat! Best of luck to you and your son, Danielle. Jeanne Ed’s Asthma Track http://asthmatrack.com/

Response:

Hi Danielle, Our daughter is also 12 and she started using Singulair about 5 months ago. It has improved her nighttime symptoms and is giving her better sleep, which has improved her daytime quality of life. For the EIA she still must pre-medicate and we have seen some improvement in her overall ability there too. We haven’t noticed any negative side-effects but are truly enjoying the benefits. Dot

Response:

His Doctor is going to start him on singulair, (I think that spelling is right), it is a preventative medicine. Has anyone tried it, and please say it works, how long does it take to start showing success?

Singulair is a ‘leukotrine receptor antagonist’.  In plain english this medication blocks the receptor sites leukotrines (a key inflammatory moderator) in am manner analogous to toothpicks getting shoved in a lock. Singulair has a very low rate of side effects.  The bad news is that for 1/3 of the people who try it is has great effects, for another 1/3 it has minor effects, and for the final 1/3 it has virtually no effects. "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits." Einstein

Response:

For the exercise induced asthma, two things can possibly help: premedicating (a couple of puffs of his rescue inhaler–likely albuterol–roughly a half hour before practice), and a slow warmup (15 minutes or so) before starting heavier activity.

Response:

Don’t really have any info for you about he singulair, but having been through the over use of antibiotics leading to bowel problems w/ my son I’d like to put my 2 cents in there. Part of what’s going on  is that the antibiotics killed "good" bacteria as well as the "bad".  The intestines use the good bacteria to digest food. Have him eat  yogurt every day–make sure its the kind with active cultures, and try to stay away from the kiddie-fied stuff that’s loaded with coloring, flavoring and gelatin.  Dannon has a great fruit on the bottoom style, or Stonyfield farms makes a really great one that’s organic as well.  YOu could aslo talk to the  DR about his taking acidophilius (sp?) tablets on a daily basis.  This will help to restore his intestine. Also, make sure he eats enough fresh fruits and vegetalbes, and drinks at least 8 glasses of water daily. Lesa – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a twelve year old son who has had asthma since he was two, probably since he was born. He was not diagnosed until two. He has been through so much, it breaks my heart. At two the doctors in an HMO overdosed him with antibiotics, which infected, (or messed up some how), his small intestine, which has left him with bowel problems ever since. Poor kid, as if asthma is not enough. He has either been in private school or home school up until the seventh grade, because he would have asthma attacks, and bowel problems at school and I would have to take him home, therefore, he missed too much school. We did home school for three years to get him caught up, and now he is in public school for the first time, (what an experience!) , He is going back to private school next year, he just needs closer attention. I feel I get more support from a private school, (probably because I am paying them), dealing with his special needs. He tried to sign up for football about two years ago, and he did not pass their physical,  this broke his heart, being a boy he wants to get involved and feels left out when he sees his friends going to practice. His sister is a varsity softball player, I know this also hurts him to witness her accomplishments. I have him signed up for acting classes, (he is a little comedian, I think it started as a cover up), his first movie will show on TNT in June 99, he is in three or four scenes, very small part , but he will be on TV. I thought this would make him feel accomplished, he will probably feel proud when he sees himself on TV, but I don’t hear much about it now. He came to me yesterday and asked to sign up for football again, of course I said we could try, but I am afraid for him, because he has exercise induced asthma, ( this is one of his triggers), and I can’t watch him be turned down again. His Doctor is going to start him on singulair, (I think that spelling is right), it is a preventative medicine. Has anyone tried it, and please say it works, how long does it take to start showing success? Is there any suggestions you have for my son? Thank you for all of your support, I will be looking forward to reading your posts. Sorry this is so long, but it is so hard to put 12 years in one story. Thanks, Danielle (worried Mom)

Response:

I have a twelve year old son who has had asthma since he was two, probably since he was born. He was not diagnosed until two. He has been through so much, it breaks my heart. At two the doctors in an HMO overdosed him with antibiotics, which infected, (or messed up some how), his small intestine, which has left him with bowel problems ever since. Poor kid, as if asthma is not enough. He has either been in private school or home school up until the seventh grade, because he would have asthma attacks, and bowel problems at school and I would have to take him home, therefore, he missed too much school. We did home school for three years to get him caught up, and now he is in public school for the first time, (what an experience!) , He is going back to private school next year, he just needs closer attention. I feel I get more support from a private school, (probably because I am paying them), dealing with his special needs. He tried to sign up for football about two years ago, and he did not pass their physical,  this broke his heart, being a boy he wants to get involved and feels left out when he sees his friends going to practice. His sister is a varsity softball player, I know this also hurts him to witness her accomplishments. I have him signed up for acting classes, (he is a little comedian, I think it started as a cover up), his first movie will show on TNT in June 99, he is in three or four scenes, very small part , but he will be on TV. I thought this would make him feel accomplished, he will probably feel proud when he sees himself on TV, but I don’t hear much about it now. He came to me yesterday and asked to sign up for football again, of course I said we could try, but I am afraid for him, because he has exercise induced asthma, ( this is one of his triggers), and I can’t watch him be turned down again. His Doctor is going to start him on singulair, (I think that spelling is right), it is a preventative medicine. Has anyone tried it, and please say it works, how long does it take to start showing success? Is there any suggestions you have for my son? Thank you for all of your support, I will be looking forward to reading your posts. Sorry this is so long, but it is so hard to put 12 years in one story. Thanks, Danielle (worried Mom)

Response:

Question:

Maybe your son should try inhalers with a spacer if he is old enough.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello everyone, This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

Acknowledged, I may have made an unwise generalization here.  For a child unable to use an MDI/spacer/DPI properly a nebulizer _may_ be necessary. "Generally" people using nebs a lot are using them with bronchodilators; if so this is more appropriately addressed some other way. Cromolyn is a safe alternative and if effective is a good way to go. It also needs multiple daily treatments to be effective; hence your treatment program with the neb. If that program is working for you without serious problems or relapses than on the surface it appears sound. I know people can get kind of touchy on these sites. I don’t contribute often since there is a fair amount of good advice here. My primary point was actually the battery issue and maybe I should have stuck to that. Whenever you give a snippet of advice on an incomplete subject there is the risk of missing some significant information. A full asthma instruction set takes 6+ hours for a patient and myself. Even then I expect most people only get 20-30% of the information, but that’s usually 29% more than they had before and doesn’t include correcting misconceptions. Fritz Merkel – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As a therapeutic aside, if he normally _needs_ 2-3 neb treatments/day he is not being appropriately controlled. This should be looked at first. I suggest you spend some time in this group or look over some of the sites explaining appropriate asthma control. Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/ Well, wait a minute, my son is also on 3 treatments per day.  He takes cromolyn sodium.  He experienced a side effect with Pulmicort (sleep deprivation) within 3 days of beginning the once-a-day treatment.  So his pediatrician took him off of Pulmicort and started him on the cromolyn. The only side effect is the occasional post-nasal drip.  Both of these were nebulized, as he’s only 2 years old.  I actually prefer the cromolyn, be- cause the Pulmicort’s growth-stunting side effect scares me. If there is a non-steriod once-a-day treatment that’s nebulizable, please tell me.  Otherwise, I have to wait until he’s able to use an inhaler, correct? LR This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

I was previously using my albuterol MDI "rescue" inhaler every 4 hours. I now use it about 2 times a week, almost invariably in anticipation of activity. Boyd "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." (Ellen Parr- author)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sigh, that’s what I get for speaking in generalities… My medical team (MD and PharmD/PhD Physiologist) have come up with a plan which calls for me to use a nebulizer 2X daily with atrovent and albuterol. So you are using atrovent AND albuterol so you don’t have to use your albuterol as much?? Run that by me again. This has been very effective, improving my breathing and reducing my albuterol from every 4 hours to a couple of times a week. Are they incompetent, or don’t you know what you’re talking about? I’m pleased that your breathing is better and you don’t have to use your albuterol as much. Probably to you I don’t know what I’m talking about. Boyd Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/

Response:

Fritz, thank you for the comments. LR – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Acknowledged, I may have made an unwise generalization here.  For a child unable to use an MDI/spacer/DPI properly a nebulizer _may_ be necessary. "Generally" people using nebs a lot are using them with bronchodilators; if so this is more appropriately addressed some other way. Cromolyn is a safe alternative and if effective is a good way to go. It also needs multiple daily treatments to be effective; hence your treatment program with the neb. If that program is working for you without serious problems or relapses than on the surface it appears sound. I know people can get kind of touchy on these sites. I don’t contribute often since there is a fair amount of good advice here. My primary point was actually the battery issue and maybe I should have stuck to that. Whenever you give a snippet of advice on an incomplete subject there is the risk of missing some significant information. A full asthma instruction set takes 6+ hours for a patient and myself. Even then I expect most people only get 20-30% of the information, but that’s usually 29% more than they had before and doesn’t include correcting misconceptions. Fritz Merkel As a therapeutic aside, if he normally _needs_ 2-3 neb treatments/day he is not being appropriately controlled. This should be looked at first. I suggest you spend some time in this group or look over some of the sites explaining appropriate asthma control. Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/ Well, wait a minute, my son is also on 3 treatments per day.  He takes cromolyn sodium.  He experienced a side effect with Pulmicort (sleep deprivation) within 3 days of beginning the once-a-day treatment.  So his pediatrician took him off of Pulmicort and started him on the cromolyn. The only side effect is the occasional post-nasal drip.  Both of these were nebulized, as he’s only 2 years old.  I actually prefer the cromolyn, be- cause the Pulmicort’s growth-stunting side effect scares me. If there is a non-steriod once-a-day treatment that’s nebulizable, please tell me.  Otherwise, I have to wait until he’s able to use an inhaler, correct? LR This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

My medical team (MD and PharmD/PhD Physiologist) have come up with a plan which calls for me to use a nebulizer 2X daily with atrovent and albuterol. This has been very effective, improving my breathing and reducing my albuterol from every 4 hours to a couple of times a week. Are they incompetent, or don’t you know what you’re talking about? Boyd — "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." (Ellen Parr- author)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I looked at the site; at $170 it is a pretty low price for a portable USN. A concern would be the rechargeable battery. They tend to be proprietary (not owner replaceable) and very expensive for most of the portables. Compressor driven models usually don’t perform as well as A/C models so they don’t get used while at home and the battery goes bad from neglect. I have no experience with this particular model though. You might take a look at the OMRON, more expensive, some find it fragile (I expect the Medisana is also), but it can use normal AA batteries or rechargeable AA’s for a fraction of the cost. As a therapeutic aside, if he normally _needs_ 2-3 neb treatments/day he is not being appropriately controlled. This should be looked at first. I suggest you spend some time in this group or look over some of the sites explaining appropriate asthma control. Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/ This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

As ever, Boyd, straight for the jugular, more strength to your elbow, sometimes you know, I reckon these medics should talk to the people with the problems and then make practical suggestions, the two consultants whose care I am in for COPD and Ulcerative Colitis always kick off with, well William hows it been for you is A working or B if not lets sort it. Kind Regards Bill

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My medical team (MD and PharmD/PhD Physiologist) have come up with a plan which calls for me to use a nebulizer 2X daily with atrovent and albuterol. This has been very effective, improving my breathing and reducing my albuterol from every 4 hours to a couple of times a week. Are they incompetent, or don’t you know what you’re talking about? Boyd — "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." (Ellen Parr- author) I looked at the site; at $170 it is a pretty low price for a portable USN. A concern would be the rechargeable battery. They tend to be proprietary (not owner replaceable) and very expensive for most of the portables. Compressor driven models usually don’t perform as well as A/C models so they don’t get used while at home and the battery goes bad from neglect. I have no experience with this particular model though. You might take a look at the OMRON, more expensive, some find it fragile (I expect the Medisana is also), but it can use normal AA batteries or rechargeable AA’s for a fraction of the cost. As a therapeutic aside, if he normally _needs_ 2-3 neb treatments/day he is not being appropriately controlled. This should be looked at first. I suggest you spend some time in this group or look over some of the sites explaining appropriate asthma control. Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/ This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

Sigh, that’s what I get for speaking in generalities… My medical team (MD and PharmD/PhD Physiologist) have come up with a plan which calls for me to use a nebulizer 2X daily with atrovent and

albuterol. So you are using atrovent AND albuterol so you don’t have to use your albuterol as much?? Run that by me again. This has been very effective, improving my breathing and reducing my albuterol from every 4 hours to a couple of times a week. Are they incompetent, or don’t you know what you’re talking about?

I’m pleased that your breathing is better and you don’t have to use your albuterol as much. Probably to you I don’t know what I’m talking about. Boyd

Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/

Response:

As a therapeutic aside, if he normally _needs_ 2-3 neb treatments/day he is not being appropriately controlled. This should be looked at first. I suggest you spend some time in this group or look over some of the sites explaining appropriate asthma control. Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/

Well, wait a minute, my son is also on 3 treatments per day.  He takes cromolyn sodium.  He experienced a side effect with Pulmicort (sleep deprivation) within 3 days of beginning the once-a-day treatment.  So his pediatrician took him off of Pulmicort and started him on the cromolyn. The only side effect is the occasional post-nasal drip.  Both of these were nebulized, as he’s only 2 years old.  I actually prefer the cromolyn, be- cause the Pulmicort’s growth-stunting side effect scares me. If there is a non-steriod once-a-day treatment that’s nebulizable, please tell me.  Otherwise, I have to wait until he’s able to use an inhaler, correct? LR – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

Hello everyone, This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions."

Response:

We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.  

Not knowing as to what method of traveling you are referring to, when I was at the VA clinic the other day I saw one using a nebulizer plugged into his lighter socket.

Response:

We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling. Not knowing as to what method of traveling you are referring to, when I was at the VA clinic the other day I saw one using a nebulizer plugged into his lighter socket.

When I mentioned "traveling" I meant driving far distances and staying in hotel/motel rooms.   We’d just like to be able to avoid stopping at rest areas, having to lug out the nebulizer, and searching for AC outlets at 10:00 at night when a nebulizer treatment is needed. Things would be so much easier if our son could just sit in the back seat and have his treatment.   I have considered buying one of the DC-to-AC converters that plugs into the power outlet on the vehicle, but a product like I mentioned would seem to be easier. Thanks for the reply! Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions."

Response:

I know exactaly what you mean. I have a pulmo-aid and it is bulky and heavy. My insurance would not help pay for a portable one and they are very expensive. Since I am a very severe asthmatic I do not leave home any length of time with out it. Sometimes I have to nebulize every 4hrs around the clock when I feel bad. I solved the problem by using a inverter to plug into the ciger lighter in the car which  I plug the nebulizer into. ( We did have to change the lighters fuse) This works very well and it will reach into the back seat without a problem. For the hotels I set my nebulizer up on the table with all the meds beside it.  ( I don’t have little kids to worry about getting into the bottles) The beds are usually close enough the nebulizer can reach the bed without a problem.  I know it is a hassle to awalys carry the thing around and it takes up alot of room in the car. But it does give me the freedom to go places I would not be able to without worrying about right electrial outlets and clean condictions to nebulize in.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello everyone, This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

I looked at the site; at $170 it is a pretty low price for a portable USN. A concern would be the rechargeable battery. They tend to be proprietary (not owner replaceable) and very expensive for most of the portables. Compressor driven models usually don’t perform as well as A/C models so they don’t get used while at home and the battery goes bad from neglect. I have no experience with this particular model though. You might take a look at the OMRON, more expensive, some find it fragile (I expect the Medisana is also), but it can use normal AA batteries or rechargeable AA’s for a fraction of the cost. As a therapeutic aside, if he normally _needs_ 2-3 neb treatments/day he is not being appropriately controlled. This should be looked at first. I suggest you spend some time in this group or look over some of the sites explaining appropriate asthma control. Fritz Merkel Respiratory Care Practitioner Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America-Wa Branch http://www.aafawa.org/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first post to this newsgroup — thanks for the warm welcome! My son has asthma and requires 2-3 nebulizer treatments a day.   We’d like to find an easier alternative than lugging around his bulky nebulizer machine and trying to locate AC power when traveling.   Has anyone here tried the Medisana Ultrasonic Nebulizer (http://www.shoplifestyleonline.com/md811.html)?   Are you happy with it? I can’t seem to find any details on the portable nebulizer.  It says that we’ll get about 3 treatments from a single charge — I’m assuming his has an AC cord for recharging? Thanks! – Kendall F. Stratton III Fort Fairfield, Maine USA http://home.maine.rr.com/k3 "The Mind, once stretched by an empowering idea, can never fully shrink back to it’s original dimensions." –

Response:

Question:

Mart, I seem to recall that not long ago that there was some concern that you were  planning on getting rid of yourself.  So are you investigating self-destructive techniques like getting stabbed and smashed on the head with a bottle? Ha! There must be easier ways surely?!?

Yeah, but we’re not telling….. I would grab you be the ankles, turn you upside down and shake you until some common sense fell into your head, but I think Vanessa’s already done that, albeit much more gently and rationally. I prefer Vanessa`s gentle touch, but I can`t argue….you`re absoluetly right!

Well, being gentle isn’t one of the listed adverse side effects of Effexor : Anyway, I’m glad you’re recovering from this adventure of yours. DON’T DO IT AGAIN! Cheers. The fact that my survival instincts kicked in and gave me the strenght to run prove (maybe) that I DO want to live?!?

Yep, good message there.  Your survival instinct does seem to be in pretty good shape.  BTW, I liked your original subject heading that fear can be good for you. P.S.  I tried to post a reply yesterday via xusenet, but that seems to be the only place it showed up.  But maybe one of these days a duplicate message will show up.  Feel free to ignore it. I only post on Google Groups these days and have no problem with it. Best wishes, Martin

I’m using Google now, but the problem I’ve got with it is that it runs behind my read-only newsserver.  It’s frustrating to see a message in my newsreader and not be able to respond because it hasn’t hit Google yet.  Once I get past some personal problems I’ll have to find a better way of doing this. Take care, Fig

Response:

Mart, I seem to recall that not long ago that there was some concern that you were  planning on getting rid of yourself.  So are you investigating self-destructive techniques like getting stabbed and smashed on the head with a bottle?

Ha! There must be easier ways surely?!? I would grab you be the ankles, turn you upside down and shake you until some common sense fell into your head, but I think Vanessa’s already done that, albeit much more gently and rationally.

I prefer Vanessa`s gentle touch, but I can`t argue….you`re absoluetly right! Anyway, I’m glad you’re recovering from this adventure of yours. DON’T DO IT AGAIN!

Cheers. The fact that my survival instincts kicked in and gave me the strenght to run prove (maybe) that I DO want to live?!? Take care, Figaro P.S.  I tried to post a reply yesterday via xusenet, but that seems to be the only place it showed up.  But maybe one of these days a duplicate message will show up.  Feel free to ignore it.

I only post on Google Groups these days and have no problem with it. Best wishes, Martin

Response:

You sure don’t do things by halves! Welcome back and please allow yourself time to heal. love Meryl

Thanks to you too, Meryl. I`m healing nicely…just a matter of time to see how much the scars fade. Love Mart

Response:

Yes, I`m back again. You thought you could get rid of me but here I am!!

Mart, I seem to recall that not long ago that there was some concern that you were  planning on getting rid of yourself.  So are you investigating self-destructive techniques like getting stabbed and smashed on the head with a bottle? I would grab you be the ankles, turn you upside down and shake you until some common sense fell into your head, but I think Vanessa’s already done that, albeit much more gently and rationally. Anyway, I’m glad you’re recovering from this adventure of yours. DON’T DO IT AGAIN! Take care, Figaro P.S.  I tried to post a reply yesterday via xusenet, but that seems to be the only place it showed up.  But maybe one of these days a duplicate message will show up.  Feel free to ignore it.

Response:

WOW… what an adventure you have been on!! No more playing "The Hulk" for you!! Make sure your stitch sites dont get infected…. I personally freak out over little things like that. Take care and stay the HELL out of the park at night Stacy

My stitches are out and the main wound (the arm one) is healing nicely. I learnt my lesson that I`m no superhero! It`s just you don`t expect 13-15 year old kids to carry bottles and knives (well not when I was that age). It`s amazing I had the strength to run, really. It could`ve been a lot worse if I had gone down. We live and learn! Mart

Response:

Wow, Mart, you have been through it!  Glad to see you back.  Leave those young punks alone next time!! Glad you are ok! Vicki

Many thanks Vicki. I think I`ll leave the heroics to the movies from now on! Love, Mart

Response:

Hope the stitches heal soon. Hope the pain is not too bad and that you are fit and healthy real soon. How is your anxiety these days? Vanessa

I know all the other stuff you said was right. I must have been told it a thousand times now but I know it`s only coz you (and my family/friends etc.) care! I`m not in pain now and the scar on my head is barely visible. My arm doesn`t ache anymore but the scar is still quite red. It definately has shortened though – maybe this is part of the healing process – and all the bruising has gone. It looks a hell of a lot better than it did! My anxiety is pretty much the same, though I`m trying out some meditation tapes….so we`ll see how that goes. Thanks for you concern. Love, Martin

Response:

You sure don’t do things by halves! Welcome back and please allow yourself time to heal. love Meryl – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Yes, I`m back again. You thought you could get rid of me but here I am!! So what`s been happening while I`ve been away? I`ve had a few minor problems since I was last here. Namely being bottled on the head and stabbed! It was partly my own fault…some youths offered me into a park for a fight…I`d had a few beers and thought I could take them on. Initially they ran away when I charged at them (it, as it turns out, is a gang well known to the local police). They were only 13-15 year-olds, but one of them hit me on the head with a bottle (from behind). I shouted, "come on, at least attack me from the front" then looked down to see my body streaming with blood (it was a hot night and I had my T-shirt tied round my waist). I had bent double from the force of the blow but had not hit the ground….but the sight of blood made me sober-up very quickly and I ran! Not long after (I was gonna walk home) a police van pulled up and I told them what had happened. One said, "By the way, you`ve also been stabbed!" I didn`t even know! I suppose the mixture of booze, adrenalin and the smash on my head had masked the pain. The back of my right arm had been slashed. An ambulance arrived and I was taken to hospital where I had a special glue for the head wound and 10 stitches in my arm. I`ve had them out now, but I`ll be scarred for life in both places. I blame Xanax in a way, because I`d had a few pills as well as the drink and it made me TOO confident. There were about 10 of them but I had no fear, and I`ve now realised how fear can actually help you. I thought they`d just stitch me up and I`d be able to carry on as normal. Not true. My arm has been aching so much…I went back to work with the stitches in, for 2 weeks. Then I woke up one morning and couldn`t move my arm. The doctor said I`d gone back to work too soon and signed me off for a week. I`m OK now though, which is why I`ve had the strength (typing-wise) to come on here and post such a long message to you guys. It`s not like me to ramble on but I thought I should tell you lot why I`ve been off here for ages. I`ll post this message on ASAPM so forgive me if you see it twice. I know I`ve been foolish but all posts of comfort will be gratefully received!!!! Love, Martin

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes, I`m back again. You thought you could get rid of me but here I am!! So what`s been happening while I`ve been away? I`ve had a few minor problems since I was last here. Namely being bottled on the head and stabbed! It was partly my own fault…some youths offered me into a park for a fight…I`d had a few beers and thought I could take them on. Initially they ran away when I charged at them (it, as it turns out, is a gang well known to the local police). They were only 13-15 year-olds, but one of them hit me on the head with a bottle (from behind). I shouted, "come on, at least attack me from the front" then looked down to see my body streaming with blood (it was a hot night and I had my T-shirt tied round my waist). I had bent double from the force of the blow but had not hit the ground….but the sight of blood made me sober-up very quickly and I ran! Not long after (I was gonna walk home) a police van pulled up and I told them what had happened. One said, "By the way, you`ve also been stabbed!" I didn`t even know! I suppose the mixture of booze, adrenalin and the smash on my head had masked the pain. The back of my right arm had been slashed. An ambulance arrived and I was taken to hospital where I had a special glue for the head wound and 10 stitches in my arm. I`ve had them out now, but I`ll be scarred for life in both places. I blame Xanax in a way, because I`d had a few pills as well as the drink and it made me TOO confident. There were about 10 of them but I had no fear, and I`ve now realised how fear can actually help you. I thought they`d just stitch me up and I`d be able to carry on as normal. Not true. My arm has been aching so much…I went back to work with the stitches in, for 2 weeks. Then I woke up one morning and couldn`t move my arm. The doctor said I`d gone back to work too soon and signed me off for a week. I`m OK now though, which is why I`ve had the strength (typing-wise) to come on here and post such a long message to you guys. It`s not like me to ramble on but I thought I should tell you lot why I`ve been off here for ages. I`ll post this message on ASAPM so forgive me if you see it twice. I know I`ve been foolish but all posts of comfort will be gratefully received!!!!

Helloooooo Mart How scary. Glad you are ok and hugs for a speedy recovery. What I’m about to say is going to sound like a bit of a lecture but it’s because I care that I am writing it. I hope you will take it in the spirit it is intended Yes you were foolish and glad that you realised this my friend. IMO it wasn’t the Xanax at fault it was the mixing of the alcohol with it. And as you found out it numbed your reflexes and your thinking to the point where you did not sense the fear or the danger you put yourself in.  Please take care with self-medicating with alcohol Mart – it is not only about impairing your judgement but it can make your meds less effective not to mention what it can do to your long term health. Hope the stitches heal soon. Hope the pain is not too bad and that you are fit and healthy real soon. How is your anxiety these days? Vanessa

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes, I`m back again. You thought you could get rid of me but here I am!! So what`s been happening while I`ve been away? I`ve had a few minor problems since I was last here. Namely being bottled on the head and stabbed! It was partly my own fault…some youths offered me into a park for a fight…I`d had a few beers and thought I could take them on. Initially they ran away when I charged at them (it, as it turns out, is a gang well known to the local police). They were only 13-15 year-olds, but one of them hit me on the head with a bottle (from behind). I shouted, "come on, at least attack me from the front" then looked down to see my body streaming with blood (it was a hot night and I had my T-shirt tied round my waist). I had bent double from the force of the blow but had not hit the ground….but the sight of blood made me sober-up very quickly and I ran! Not long after (I was gonna walk home) a police van pulled up and I told them what had happened. One said, "By the way, you`ve also been stabbed!" I didn`t even know! I suppose the mixture of booze, adrenalin and the smash on my head had masked the pain. The back of my right arm had been slashed. An ambulance arrived and I was taken to hospital where I had a special glue for the head wound and 10 stitches in my arm. I`ve had them out now, but I`ll be scarred for life in both places. I blame Xanax in a way, because I`d had a few pills as well as the drink and it made me TOO confident. There were about 10 of them but I had no fear, and I`ve now realised how fear can actually help you. I thought they`d just stitch me up and I`d be able to carry on as normal. Not true. My arm has been aching so much…I went back to work with the stitches in, for 2 weeks. Then I woke up one morning and couldn`t move my arm. The doctor said I`d gone back to work too soon and signed me off for a week. I`m OK now though, which is why I`ve had the strength (typing-wise) to come on here and post such a long message to you guys. It`s not like me to ramble on but I thought I should tell you lot why I`ve been off here for ages. I`ll post this message on ASAPM so forgive me if you see it twice. I know I`ve been foolish but all posts of comfort will be gratefully received!!!! Love, Martin

Wow, Mart, you have been through it!  Glad to see you back.  Leave those young punks alone next time!! Glad you are ok! Vicki

Response:

| Yes, I`m back again. You thought you could get rid of me but here I | am!! | | So what`s been happening while I`ve been away? | | I`ve had a few minor problems since I was last here. Namely being | bottled on the head and stabbed! It was partly my own fault…some | youths offered me into a park for a fight…I`d had a few beers and | thought I could take them on. Initially they ran away when I charged | at them (it, as it turns out, is a gang well known to the local | police). They were only 13-15 year-olds, but one of them hit me on the | head with a bottle (from behind). I shouted, "come on, at least attack | me from the front" then looked down to see my body streaming with | blood (it was a hot night and I had my T-shirt tied round my waist). I | had bent double from the force of the blow but had not hit the | ground….but the sight of blood made me sober-up very quickly and I | ran! | | Not long after (I was gonna walk home) a police van pulled up and I | told them what had happened. One said, "By the way, you`ve also been | stabbed!" I didn`t even know! I suppose the mixture of booze, | adrenalin and the smash on my head had masked the pain. The back of my | right arm had been slashed. | | An ambulance arrived and I was taken to hospital where I had a special | glue for the head wound and 10 stitches in my arm. I`ve had them out | now, but I`ll be scarred for life in both places. I blame Xanax in a | way, because I`d had a few pills as well as the drink and it made me | TOO confident. There were about 10 of them but I had no fear, and I`ve | now realised how fear can actually help you. | | I thought they`d just stitch me up and I`d be able to carry on as | normal. Not true. My arm has been aching so much…I went back to work | with the stitches in, for 2 weeks. Then I woke up one morning and | couldn`t move my arm. The doctor said I`d gone back to work too soon | and signed me off for a week. | | I`m OK now though, which is why I`ve had the strength (typing-wise) to | come on here and post such a long message to you guys. It`s not like | me to ramble on but I thought I should tell you lot why I`ve been off | here for ages. | | I`ll post this message on ASAPM so forgive me if you see it twice. I | know I`ve been foolish but all posts of comfort will be gratefully | received!!!! | | Love, | Martin WOW… what an adventure you have been on!! No more playing "The Hulk" for you!! Make sure your stitch sites dont get infected…. I personally freak out over little things like that. Take care and stay the HELL out of the park at night Stacy

Response:

Yes, I`m back again. You thought you could get rid of me but here I am!! So what`s been happening while I`ve been away? I`ve had a few minor problems since I was last here. Namely being bottled on the head and stabbed! It was partly my own fault…some youths offered me into a park for a fight…I`d had a few beers and thought I could take them on. Initially they ran away when I charged at them (it, as it turns out, is a gang well known to the local police). They were only 13-15 year-olds, but one of them hit me on the head with a bottle (from behind). I shouted, "come on, at least attack me from the front" then looked down to see my body streaming with blood (it was a hot night and I had my T-shirt tied round my waist). I had bent double from the force of the blow but had not hit the ground….but the sight of blood made me sober-up very quickly and I ran! Not long after (I was gonna walk home) a police van pulled up and I told them what had happened. One said, "By the way, you`ve also been stabbed!" I didn`t even know! I suppose the mixture of booze, adrenalin and the smash on my head had masked the pain. The back of my right arm had been slashed. An ambulance arrived and I was taken to hospital where I had a special glue for the head wound and 10 stitches in my arm. I`ve had them out now, but I`ll be scarred for life in both places. I blame Xanax in a way, because I`d had a few pills as well as the drink and it made me TOO confident. There were about 10 of them but I had no fear, and I`ve now realised how fear can actually help you. I thought they`d just stitch me up and I`d be able to carry on as normal. Not true. My arm has been aching so much…I went back to work with the stitches in, for 2 weeks. Then I woke up one morning and couldn`t move my arm. The doctor said I`d gone back to work too soon and signed me off for a week. I`m OK now though, which is why I`ve had the strength (typing-wise) to come on here and post such a long message to you guys. It`s not like me to ramble on but I thought I should tell you lot why I`ve been off here for ages. I`ll post this message on ASAPM so forgive me if you see it twice. I know I`ve been foolish but all posts of comfort will be gratefully received!!!! Love, Martin

Response:

Question:

Hi, The best meds against BPD/Depression are supposedly the MAOi’s. However, they tend to cause weight gain (Parnate less than Nardil). There are *some* foods you can’t eat while on them, but they are not your typical binge foods (you can’t eat aged cheese and drink red wine, for example, but chocolate is out, too).  But if you have weight issues, you might want to avoid meds that might lead to weight gain. As to your bulimia: Prozac at higher doses is approved as a treatment against bulimia (I am a recovering bulimic and on 60mg Prozac).  There has been one study done decades back on the TCA’s isipramine/desipramine and their effect on preventing binges: for me that is completely true!  For most people they lead to weight gain. Total opposite for me.  I am on only 100mg of desipramine as Prozac raises the plasma level of all TCA’s.  And one of the best drugs against bingeing is Topamax, an anti-convulsant, which is right now undergoing clinical trials to be approved as mood stabilizer (it kicks ass as a mood stabilizer) and there are some trials going on at some universities (I forgot where), where they are testing it’s effectiveness as an anti-bingeing drug.  I haven’t even had the thought/urge/desire to binge while on it.  I don’t think I physically could binge while on Topamax, it’s hard to describe.  I am on 200mg. Maybe you could talk to your doctor about replacing the mini dose ofRisperdal with Topamax (start out slowly – 25mg once a day, then after a few days 25mg twice a day etc., or it will knock you out).  It should calm you down and relieve anxiety and freaky thinking as well as Risperdal.  You might not even need the Trazodone anymore. For me, the tricyclic/Prozac combo has been the only thing to lift me out of my depression.  It’s worth asking about it.  Do you have prescription drug insurance?  If not, e-mail me if you go on Prozac or Topamax, ok?  I might have some info for you… All the best, Elgin — "Come what come may time and hour runs through the roughest day." Shakespeare, Macbeth. — "Come what come may time and hour runs through the roughest day." Shakespeare, Macbeth. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Response:

If you are still in your active phase of bulimia, Wellbutrin is highly unindicated, as it will increase your risk for seizures by quite a bit (bulimia, of course, increases your risk for seizures, too, as I hope you know).  If you try Wellbutrin, are in recovery from bulimia and are on an anti-convulsant/mood-stabilizer there should be no problem… Elgin In article <39B9DE4A.C75B6…@home.com

,

  Heather <h…@home.com

wrote:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

Effexor should work at least a little.  I know what you mean about feeling like a pharmacy.  I’m on Effexor XR (150 mg twice a day), clozapine (1.5 mg three times a day), Olanzapine (7.5 mg twice a day) and up until a week ago, I was also on Ritalin slow release 20 mg a day.  After I had a seizure last week ( first time I had one & in Superstore of all places…how embarassing!!!)  Anyway, they took me

off

the Ritalin since then & now I can’t concentrate worth shit!  I can relate to what you’re feeling with nothing working, I feel the same

way,

& I’ve been on almost every drug possible over the last 10 years.

Have

you tried Wellbutrin?  If it’s weight you’re worried about, it does

help

to suppress your appetite & is somewhat of a stimulant to your system, talk to your doc first to see if it’s right for you.  It’s worth a

shot.

Good Luck to you. Heather marcel…@my-deja.com wrote: I’m on 225 mg of effexor for depression, 1.5 mg Risperdal for

anxiety

and mood swings, 150 mg. Trazadone for insomnia. I feel like a

pharmacy.

unfortunately none of it seems to be workig at an optimal level. I

am

still hideously depressed and moody as all hell. My anxiety is down, but I still have occassional panic attacks. The only thing tha is working as well as it could is the Trazadone–that stuff puts me

OUT.

 I’ve heard that tricyclic, or maybe it was MAIO type anti-

depressants

are actually more effective on people with BPD than the newer generations like Prozac or Effexor. Does anyone know anything about this. Unfortunately, I know I can’t take an MAIO because i’m bulimic nad prone to impulsive eating binges, and there are many things you can’t eat on them.  All I know, though, is that my anti-depressant

is

NOT working, and i’ve given it a fair trail–nearly 2 months.  IT seems like I will be in emotional pain forever, with no relief. Also, my bulimic symptoms are not improving. Does anyone know of amedication that will target that? –marcella Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

— "Come what come may time and hour runs through the roughest day." Shakespeare, Macbeth. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Response:

Effexor should work at least a little.  I know what you mean about feeling like a pharmacy.  I’m on Effexor XR (150 mg twice a day), clozapine (1.5 mg three times a day), Olanzapine (7.5 mg twice a day) and up until a week ago, I was also on Ritalin slow release 20 mg a day.  After I had a seizure last week ( first time I had one & in Superstore of all places…how embarassing!!!)  Anyway, they took me off the Ritalin since then & now I can’t concentrate worth shit!  I can relate to what you’re feeling with nothing working, I feel the same way, & I’ve been on almost every drug possible over the last 10 years.  Have you tried Wellbutrin?  If it’s weight you’re worried about, it does help to suppress your appetite & is somewhat of a stimulant to your system, talk to your doc first to see if it’s right for you.  It’s worth a shot. Good Luck to you. Heather – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -marcel…@my-deja.com wrote:

I’m on 225 mg of effexor for depression, 1.5 mg Risperdal for anxiety and mood swings, 150 mg. Trazadone for insomnia. I feel like a pharmacy. unfortunately none of it seems to be workig at an optimal level. I am still hideously depressed and moody as all hell. My anxiety is down, but I still have occassional panic attacks. The only thing tha is working as well as it could is the Trazadone–that stuff puts me OUT.  I’ve heard that tricyclic, or maybe it was MAIO type anti-depressants are actually more effective on people with BPD than the newer generations like Prozac or Effexor. Does anyone know anything about this. Unfortunately, I know I can’t take an MAIO because i’m bulimic nad prone to impulsive eating binges, and there are many things you can’t eat on them.  All I know, though, is that my anti-depressant is NOT working, and i’ve given it a fair trail–nearly 2 months.  IT seems like I will be in emotional pain forever, with no relief. Also, my bulimic symptoms are not improving. Does anyone know of amedication that will target that? –marcella Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Response:

I’m on 225 mg of effexor for depression, 1.5 mg Risperdal for anxiety and mood swings, 150 mg. Trazadone for insomnia. I feel like a pharmacy. unfortunately none of it seems to be workig at an optimal level. I am still hideously depressed and moody as all hell. My anxiety is down, but I still have occassional panic attacks. The only thing tha is working as well as it could is the Trazadone–that stuff puts me OUT.  I’ve heard that tricyclic, or maybe it was MAIO type anti-depressants are actually more effective on people with BPD than the newer generations like Prozac or Effexor. Does anyone know anything about this. Unfortunately, I know I can’t take an MAIO because i’m bulimic nad prone to impulsive eating binges, and there are many things you can’t eat on them.  All I know, though, is that my anti-depressant is NOT working, and i’ve given it a fair trail–nearly 2 months.  IT seems like I will be in emotional pain forever, with no relief. Also, my bulimic symptoms are not improving. Does anyone know of amedication that will target that? –marcella Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Response:

Question:

Hello: I am an ultradian rapid cycler who happens to be hypomanic now. In the next five minutes???? Feel free to reply or email so that we can share experiences. Darren. — — — "Nullum illgetium prandium!" ICQ# 31191600

Response:

Hello: I am an ultradian rapid cycler who happens to be hypomanic now. In the next five minutes???? Feel free to reply or email so that we can share experiences. Darren. — — — "Nullum illgetium prandium!" ICQ# 31191600

Is this possible? My therapist said I was scientifically unable to swing that fast. I am no longer seeing that therapist (or anybody else right now) and would like some information. Lady V

Response:

I am a rapid cycler, and after a year of trying different meds, I am on a cocktail that works: 1000mgs of Tegretol daily, 6mgs of Risperadal, 1mg of Klonopin, and 10mgs of Prozac, prozac every other day.  I am an extreme rapid cycler (can cycle in the same hour!) and have been through enough this past year.  I am also seasonal.  Fall depression, spring mania.  I have finally found some peace.  Good luck to you.  Veronica

Response:

I am a rapid cycler, and after a year of trying different meds, I am on a cocktail that works: 1000mgs of Tegretol daily, 6mgs of Risperadal, 1mg of Klonopin, and 10mgs of Prozac, prozac every other day.  I am an extreme rapid cycler (can cycle in the same hour!) and have been through enough this past year.  I am also seasonal.  Fall depression, spring mania.  I have finally found some peace.  Good luck to you.  Veronica

Great news on success stories is always encouraging.  We have lots of rapids here (gee, advanced level water rapids just came to mind as similar),  I get the feeling that most who are, would prefer not to be…..my feeling is that rapid is better for me than anything horrible that would last months.  Also, since so rapid and breakthru hypomanic every few days (at least) I can’t complain about the SSRI’s bad affect on sex life.  The hypomania push is stronger than the drug side effect of long long long long (why even bother) plateau to orgasm. best regards from julie

Response:

yep i sure am ….. is it any wonder that my favorite toy is Bouncing Tigger …boing boing boing….

Response:

Oh, Ralph!  LOVE you! Some BP vanity plates….                                 I M NUTZ                                 HI LO                                 UP DOWN                                 KING worm                                 FUN E FARM

—Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

Not a good idea, keep letting them play with the meds. I work hard at ‘tuning into" my rapid cycling when it happens. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t. I have also had great success by eliminating stress where I can. Cheers! Alan P.S. I absolutely HATE it when I am in mixed states and up for 15 minutes, then down for 15. Your meds must be at least limiting the range you have to deal with. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They work for a while 3-4months and than they fail – a very vicious cycle. Been really depressed past few weeks – kind of dead just watching life pass me by.  If i wasn’t the single Mom of a 14yr old I throw in the bag.  Sometimes I feel like saying the hell with all the meds – since I cycle anyway when I am on them maybe I should just strap in and take the ride drugless.  I don’t know sorry for venting.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello: I am an ultradian rapid cycler who happens to be hypomanic now. In the next five minutes???? Feel free to reply or email so that we can share experiences. Darren. — — — "Nullum illgetium prandium!" ICQ# 31191600 Is this possible? My therapist said I was scientifically unable to swing that fast. I am no longer seeing that therapist (or anybody else right now) and would like some information. Lady V

My mood can swing from normal to deeply depressed or significantly hypo (or the other way) in less than an hour. But it more often takes about 12 hours.  I am fascinated by this. How rapid is rapid? jackie Web page at http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/close/xhq10/mem.htm I’ve been Jay H, Canarybird, Empty Cage, Serin, Phoenix, even Crow. Let’s see if I can stick with this one for a while.

Response:

I’ve been through a variety of meds, too effexor, wellbutrin, depakote. prozac, all with only temporary success. the only mood stabilizer the doc is interested in trying is depakote, and that only helps with the super highs Rapid cycling is a pain because i’m never quite sure how long any given mood is going to last.  It could be weeks or months.  Just to let you know you’re not alone. —

Response:

I was rapid cycling. Lithium stopped it. i take lithium and prozac, but i dont think the prozac is working yet.. it’s supposed to take 2-3 weeks or something. Anyway, i dont think that i’ll always be rapid cycling, it was the onset of my illness, and i read somewhere that females (more than males) are more prone to rapid cycling, and that it can occur at the beginning of an illness. ok,im done molly – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was diaganosed with  rapid cycling bipolar in Oct. of 98. And since then have been thru a list of different drugs that would shock any pharmasist. first synthroid because they thought it was a thyroid problem. then pamelor, tofranil,paxil, wellbutrin, zoloft, effexor, remeron, buspar, mellarill, zyprexa, depakota, klonopin, tegretol, lithium, serzone, xanax all mixed  into diffirnent cocktails but none that has brought me any peace. i see a physiciatrist, a therapist, and a case manager at a community phsyciatric center. my family, bless their souls , have rode the roller coaster of my exsistance with unwaving strength. but now i am  search for others who understand in a way that they can’t, because only we know the battle that rages in our minds, the battle for our prescious(sp?) sanity. if you know of my battles please share with me. we all should  be allies against the demons that tear at our minds , and rip our lives away from us.

Response:

Hi: I’m a rapid cycler myself.  I’m also an aerobics instructor (well that’s what they say I am:).  I agree exercise does help, but I’m still having problems.  Of course I haven’t exactly been good about taking my meds so I’m probably not a good example.  I too have even worse symptoms during PMS (which I now have).  My prob is that the meds I’m taking (Depakote and Paxil) make extremely (yawn) lethargic.  I just now started taking my Depakote again (after taking myself off of it) so we’ll see how it goes.  I seem to be even worse with no meds whatsover after a while so I’m trying to hang in there and let it work. If you ever need to vent, please feel free to write, I could use some friends, especially during times like these. Cat (who has no idea what to use for coreagraphy for her next aerobics class:) Has exercise helped? I’m attempting to quit smoking (notice the attempting), and I can tell you that as a rapid cycler myself, exercise has been my salvation. My pdoc and I disagree on what the result of the meds should be. He wants no mood swings, I want to actually be awake. Anyway, and then there is pms week, which I think serves as a reminder to me of why I’m on meds. So, when too much stress, I still freak out, but in spurts. Anyway, exercising helps that, to relieve my stress. Alex

—Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

Some BP vanity plates….                                 I M NUTZ                                 HI LO                                 UP DOWN                                 KING worm                                 FUN E FARM

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Katnip! Me three!!! My car license is up for renewal on my birthday – July 1st, Canada Day. I grew up thinking that the fireworks and celebration were for me! What a letdown when I found out the truth. Anyway, I’m thinking of getting vanity plates that read "URC BP2". It would be kind of like the secret handshake among Masons, don’t you think? Anybody have any other suggestions for Bipolar plates? My SO wants me to get BPBEAR cause she calls me her big Bipolar Bear. Awwwwww! This is a really tough time of the year for us RC’s. Hang in there. Peace, GaryO Hi: I’m a rapid cycler myself.  I’m also an aerobics instructor (well that’s what they say I am:).  I agree exercise does help, but I’m still having problems.  Of course I haven’t exactly been good about taking my meds so I’m probably not a good example.  I too have even worse symptoms during PMS (which I now have).  My prob is that the meds I’m taking (Depakote and Paxil) make extremely (yawn) lethargic.  I just now started taking my Depakote again (after taking myself off of it) so we’ll see how it goes.  I seem to be even worse with no meds whatsover after a while so I’m trying to hang in there and let it work. If you ever need to vent, please feel free to write, I could use some friends, especially during times like these. Cat (who has no idea what to use for coreagraphy for her next aerobics class:) Has exercise helped? I’m attempting to quit smoking (notice the attempting), and I can tell you that as a rapid cycler myself, exercise has been my salvation. My pdoc and I disagree on what the result of the meds should be. He wants no mood swings, I want to actually be awake. Anyway, and then there is pms week, which I think serves as a reminder to me of why I’m on meds. So, when too much stress, I still freak out, but in spurts. Anyway, exercising helps that, to relieve my stress. Alex —Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

You bet. I’m thinking of changing my nick to Bouncing Ball. jackie Web page at http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/close/xhq10/mem.htm I’ve been Jay H, Canarybird, Empty Cage, Serin, Phoenix, even Crow. Let’s see if I can stick with this one for a while.

Response:

Just my opinion… from Oct of 98 to to May of 99 hardly seems like enough time to have given all of those meds enough chance to work their magic..??? peace – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was diaganosed with  rapid cycling bipolar in Oct. of 98. And since then have been thru a list of different drugs that would shock any pharmasist. first synthroid because they thought it was a thyroid problem. then pamelor, tofranil,paxil, wellbutrin, zoloft, effexor, remeron, buspar, mellarill, zyprexa, depakota, klonopin, tegretol, lithium, serzone, xanax all mixed  into diffirnent cocktails but none that has brought me any peace. i see a physiciatrist, a therapist, and a case manager at a community phsyciatric center. my family, bless their souls , have rode the roller coaster of my exsistance with unwaving strength. but now i am  search for others who understand in a way that they can’t, because only we know the battle that rages in our minds, the battle for our prescious(sp?) sanity. if you know of my battles please share with me. we all should  be allies against the demons that tear at our minds , and rip our lives away from us.

—Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

yes and i am sick of it, nothing helps lny

Response:

Hey there !! I am a rapid cycler..ultra rapid that is… anyway, I am on lamictal and it is a total life saver, you may want to try it.  I feel good mentally and physically now… I been on the whole gamut too, those meds did me no good either.  Also, lamictal is supposed to work very well for rapid cyclers.  I know that in the past there were a few people that posted to me when I first started on it and they said they were on it and that they were doing wonderfully, I didnt get any negative responses. I dont cycle anymore but I sure do have my moments, you know those moments you could cause more damage in a house than a tornado could?  :)  But I am able to control myself a lot better than I used to, it is as though I have some semblance of reason when I get those feelings. Anna

Response:

I too have been working with this "moody personality" as it was origionally called for four years.  I have been thru almost as many treatments as you. Sept 98′ I was finally diagnosed with Bipolar II.  And as recently as Tuesday as dysphoric mania to boot.  My husband and children are struggling to understand it, but I can’t seem to describe it accurately.  I feel for you because if anyone has to go thru what I do on a DAILY basis, I wish them luck.

Response:

Have you read "An unquiet mind?" Good book, if you get past how "great" she is (maybe I was just in a bad mood). My parents read it, and were like, you felt that way (or feel). Hang in there! Alex

Response:

As a relative "newbie" here, what is "rapid cycling"?  What makes that different from "normal" cycling if there is such a thing?  … I take it that "rapid cycling" doesn’t involve the tour de france vs. a slow bicycle ride around the block Thanks, — Kevin White, Software Engineer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was diaganosed with  rapid cycling bipolar in Oct. of 98. And since then have been thru a list of different drugs that would shock any pharmasist. first synthroid because they thought it was a thyroid problem. then pamelor, tofranil,paxil, wellbutrin, zoloft, effexor, remeron, buspar, mellarill, zyprexa, depakota, klonopin, tegretol, lithium, serzone, xanax all mixed into diffirnent cocktails but none that has brought me any peace. i see a physiciatrist, a therapist, and a case manager at a community phsyciatric center. my family, bless their souls , have rode the roller coaster of my exsistance with unwaving strength. but now i am  search for others who understand in a way that they can’t, because only we know the battle that rages in our minds, the battle for our prescious(sp?) sanity. if you know of my battles please share with me. we all should  be allies against the demons that tear at our minds , and rip our lives away from us.

Response:

Hi LADYREB, I was diaganosed with  rapid cycling bipolar in Oct. of 98. And since then have been thru a list of different drugs that would shock any pharmasist. first synthroid because they thought it was a thyroid problem. then pamelor, tofranil,paxil, wellbutrin, zoloft, effexor, remeron, buspar, mellarill, zyprexa, depakota, klonopin, tegretol, lithium, serzone, xanax all mixed  into diffirnent cocktails but none that has brought me any peace.

Unfortunately that is common for some of us <sigh. i see a physiciatrist, a therapist, and a case manager at a community phsyciatric center. my family, bless their souls , have rode the roller coaster of my exsistance with unwaving strength. but now i am  search for others who understand in a way that they can’t, because only we know the battle that rages in our minds, the battle for our prescious(sp?) sanity. if you know of my battles please share with me. we all should  be allies against the demons that tear at our minds , and rip our lives away from us.

Having been there…persistence and patience, which is sometimes difficult for me (understatement), I have to force myself to put one foot in front of the other (literally that can be a challenge since I have Multiple Sclerosis Yours,

Response:

His goal is not realistic. To have no mood swings at all, you must be drugged into oblivion. A better goal is to have <manageable mood swings. I guess that is harder for the doctor to manage. Stand firm on this one! And good luck quitting the smokes. I just started Wellbutrin, I hope that will help me. Keith – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My pdoc and I disagree on what the result of the meds should be. He wants no mood swings, I want to actually be awake.

Response:

I was diaganosed with  rapid cycling bipolar in Oct. of 98. And since then have been thru a list of different drugs that would shock any pharmasist. first synthroid because they thought it was a thyroid problem. then pamelor, tofranil,paxil, wellbutrin, zoloft, effexor, remeron, buspar, mellarill, zyprexa, depakota, klonopin, tegretol, lithium, serzone, xanax all mixed  into diffirnent cocktails but none that has brought me any peace. i see a physiciatrist, a therapist, and a case manager at a community phsyciatric center. my family, bless their souls , have rode the roller coaster of my exsistance with unwaving strength. but now i am  search for others who understand in a way that they can’t, because only we know the battle that rages in our minds, the battle for our prescious(sp?) sanity. if you know of my battles please share with me. we all should  be allies against the demons that tear at our minds , and rip our lives away from us.

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They work for a while 3-4months and than they fail – a very vicious cycle. Been really depressed past few weeks – kind of dead just watching life pass me by.  If i wasn’t the single Mom of a 14yr old I throw in the bag.  Sometimes I feel like saying the hell with all the meds – since I cycle anyway when I am on them maybe I should just strap in and take the ride drugless.  I don’t know sorry for venting.

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Has exercise helped? I’m attempting to quit smoking (notice the attempting), and I can tell you that as a rapid cycler myself, exercise has been my salvation. My pdoc and I disagree on what the result of the meds should be. He wants no mood swings, I want to actually be awake. Anyway, and then there is pms week, which I think serves as a reminder to me of why I’m on meds. So, when too much stress, I still freak out, but in spurts. Anyway, exercising helps that, to relieve my stress. Alex

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You haven’t tried Neurontin or Lamictal, both of which have a good reputation with rapid cycling. There are some more that you haven’t tried, but I recommend you ask about N&L first. Keith – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I was diaganosed with  rapid cycling bipolar in Oct. of 98. And since then have been thru a list of different drugs that would shock any pharmasist. first synthroid because they thought it was a thyroid problem. then pamelor, tofranil,paxil, wellbutrin, zoloft, effexor, remeron, buspar, mellarill, zyprexa, depakota, klonopin, tegretol, lithium, serzone, xanax all mixed  into diffirnent cocktails but none that has brought me any peace. i see a physiciatrist, a therapist, and a case manager at a community phsyciatric center. my family, bless their souls , have rode the roller coaster of my exsistance with unwaving strength. but now i am  search for others who understand in a way that they can’t, because only we know the battle that rages in our minds, the battle for our prescious(sp?) sanity. if you know of my battles please share with me. we all should  be allies against the demons that tear at our minds , and rip our lives away from us.

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Question:

if you are taking effexor and are thinkin of going off for whatever reason, or have thought of trying it out, please be advised that the side effects of going off can be horrendous. have watched friends go off other anti-depress. meds to try newer meds and tho they have reactions (either depression before new med kicks in, or side effects of new drug) they have not had the physical reactions we are having. spoilered for talk of physical reactions, just in case it’s too graphic…no splatteroos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 been positive we had bone cancer, or lupus, or mono, or hepatitis and trying to move home at same time has been nearly impossible. didn’t know what was wrong. sleep all the time but not the kind that comes with depression, just horrible bone tired exhaustion. joints aching so much it is hard to move body. at all. stomach all messed up, bloated, shooting pains, no appetite. lots of mental confusion (you can snicker, is ok) but not just normal diss kind. hard to put thoughts together and if we can, can’t retain for more than 2 seconds. zip…gone into the murk. sleep is passing out and then jerking awake from aching body. head aches 24/7. thought we had tumor or stroke coming. seriously. started thinking about wanting to die just to make constant physical hurting go away. this is not us. have always been able to diss. away physical discomfort. no painkiller at dentist (don’t need it), had viral menigitis once and didn’t pay attention to hurting till it was real bad. doc freaked and put on lots of meds and sent to bed (no getting up, no moving fast or lifting, be a loaf of bread he said). this is just to say, physical is never big problem. till this effexor. literature says should go off over period of at least 2 weeks. we have been tapering for 6 weeks and effects are getting worse and worse. wasn’t until last night went to pharminfonet and read threads from ppl who went off, are going off…and found every damn symptom (except sore throat that plagues us still) mentioned by ppl. and they all are saying takes way more than 2 weeks to get off. so angry could absolutely…can’t say what we want to do cause it makes us ashamed but still want to do it. hate this drug and company that lies about horrible effects of quitting. docs are not aware of this and so don’t take it into account when prescribing. also, didn’t want to go to doctor because we knew that we would be ignored as crazy person with psychosomatic symptoms. really, honestly thought we were dying. hatehatehate. don’t need more problems. need less. has been good drug as anti-depress. but couldn’t afford it anymore and wanted to try st.johns wort (hypericum). been in the literature for 2400 years. think that is much better track record for us. hypericum has web page for anyone who is curious. anyway. rant rant. hate wyeth drug co. will avoid buying anything they produce. will prolly write a letter when brain clears. not that they give a shit. but will make us feel little better to scream at them. maybe also copy to fda, just for the heck of it. expect no response but maybe someone will notice… so, don’t know what to say. not telling anyone not to take drug. like we say, been good at what it does. but never want to feel this much physical pain again. badhorriblestupid. cause even if didn’t have to go off drug now, someday hope to not have to take meds and so it would happen sooner or later. and no one says how horrible it can be. just vague corporate lies…scum. all done. sorry about anger. is much huger than what is showing. b., geep, KAT, Susie, Rachel — For more information about this service, send e-mail to:

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Thanks for posting about this!  I’ve been taking Effexor for about a year now, and always want to hear what other people’s experiences with it are.  I’ve not been in the position yet to try withdrawal, as so far it’s worked well for me as an anti-d. I hope the nasty withdrawal stuff goes away soon for you… Take good care, Kanga – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – if you are taking effexor and are thinkin of going off for whatever reason, or have thought of trying it out, please be advised that the side effects of going off can be horrendous. have watched friends go off other anti-depress. meds to try newer meds and tho they have reactions (either depression before new med kicks in, or side effects of new drug) they have not had the physical reactions we are having. spoilered for talk of physical reactions, just in case it’s too graphic…no splatteroos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 been positive we had bone cancer, or lupus, or mono, or hepatitis and trying to move home at same time has been nearly impossible. didn’t know what was wrong. sleep all the time but not the kind that comes with depression, just horrible bone tired exhaustion. joints aching so much it is hard to move body. at all. stomach all messed up, bloated, shooting pains, no appetite. lots of mental confusion (you can snicker, is ok) but not just normal diss kind. hard to put thoughts together and if we can, can’t retain for more than 2 seconds. zip…gone into the murk. sleep is passing out and then jerking awake from aching body. head aches 24/7. thought we had tumor or stroke coming. seriously. started thinking about wanting to die just to make constant physical hurting go away. this is not us. have always been able to diss. away physical discomfort. no painkiller at dentist (don’t need it), had viral menigitis once and didn’t pay attention to hurting till it was real bad. doc freaked and put on lots of meds and sent to bed (no getting up, no moving fast or lifting, be a loaf of bread he said). this is just to say, physical is never big problem. till this effexor. literature says should go off over period of at least 2 weeks. we have been tapering for 6 weeks and effects are getting worse and worse. wasn’t until last night went to pharminfonet and read threads from ppl who went off, are going off…and found every damn symptom (except sore throat that plagues us still) mentioned by ppl. and they all are saying takes way more than 2 weeks to get off. so angry could absolutely…can’t say what we want to do cause it makes us ashamed but still want to do it. hate this drug and company that lies about horrible effects of quitting. docs are not aware of this and so don’t take it into account when prescribing. also, didn’t want to go to doctor because we knew that we would be ignored as crazy person with psychosomatic symptoms. really, honestly thought we were dying. hatehatehate. don’t need more problems. need less. has been good drug as anti-depress. but couldn’t afford it anymore and wanted to try st.johns wort (hypericum). been in the literature for 2400 years. think that is much better track record for us. hypericum has web page for anyone who is curious. anyway. rant rant. hate wyeth drug co. will avoid buying anything they produce. will prolly write a letter when brain clears. not that they give a shit. but will make us feel little better to scream at them. maybe also copy to fda, just for the heck of it. expect no response but maybe someone will notice… so, don’t know what to say. not telling anyone not to take drug. like we say, been good at what it does. but never want to feel this much physical pain again. badhorriblestupid. cause even if didn’t have to go off drug now, someday hope to not have to take meds and so it would happen sooner or later. and no one says how horrible it can be. just vague corporate lies…scum. all done. sorry about anger. is much huger than what is showing. b., geep, KAT, Susie, Rachel — For more information about this service, send e-mail to:

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thank you veryvery much Pope C. just like figuring out the effexor was causing all this horriblehorrible was huge relief, having the symptoms verified and explained is most empowering. not jus using that word accidentally. it gives me power in the head to know why this is happening and how to compare it with something. better to compare it to real brother, coke drug withdrawal, than to search for as yet unpublished effexor withdrawal symptoms or see it all as similar to dread diseases. we can work better with truth. funny how that works…. we were on drug for almost (i think) two years at 300mg a day which is up at top of dose level. this may be why the crash was so awful. also, 44 years old and ectomorph (is that the skinny body type? if so, thas us) tend to run at higher speeds and crash into feeling things without protection. oh fuzzy brain. does that last make sense. it has always felt like body was not protected by nice cushion and so all physical stuff was sort of heightened, accelerated…something…and then when we finally would notice physical discomfort it was huge and our body totally unprepared.  i think i am babbling. no, no doc to tell us how to go off. just followed what we know of drug withdrawal protocol. 300mg to250 for a week, to 200 for a week, to 150 for a week, and so on, down to taking only fraction (one third down to one quarter) of tablet 3x a day down to twice a day. tried to do it long and slow and careful. think this only prolonged the hurting. once we figured out was the effexor, we just quit. get it out of body now!!! one thing we discovered in last few days is that taking ambien sleeping pill (one at night) has helped make most excruciating symptoms abate for better part of the day. maybe just prolonging the withdrawal this way, but at least we can move around and get simple day to day tasks done without thinking we are dying. maybe this is like your suggestion about painkillers. as well as letters to fda and wyeth, i am going to send letter to dr.sid wolfe at nader founded group called health research group. used to work for organization that housed hrg and think sid will be interested. can i send him copy of your post (minus all identifiers) as it is good foil to my venting about symptoms. gives to hurting (amorphous) a basis in fact. docs like facts. will only do if you say is ok. thank you again for this information. you will never realize how validating and helpful it was. we still feel crappy but at least we know why and how. knowledge really is power. thank you all of Pope C. b. and all of coney s. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : if you are taking effexor and are thinkin of going off for whatever : reason, or have thought of trying it out, please be advised that the : side effects of going off can be horrendous. have watched friends go off : other anti-depress. meds to try newer meds and tho they have reactions : (either depression before new med kicks in, or side effects of new drug) : they have not had the physical reactions we are having. : spoilered for talk of physical reactions, just in case it’s too : graphic…no splatteroos : 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8 : 9 : 0 : 1 : 2 : 3 : been positive we had bone cancer, or lupus, or mono, or hepatitis and : trying to move home at same time has been nearly impossible. didn’t know : what was wrong. sleep all the time but not the kind that comes with : depression, just horrible bone tired exhaustion. joints aching so much : it is hard to move body. at all. stomach all messed up, bloated, : shooting pains, no appetite. lots of mental confusion (you can snicker, : is ok) but not just normal diss kind. hard to put thoughts together and : if we can, can’t retain for more than 2 seconds. zip…gone into the : murk. sleep is passing out and then jerking awake from aching body. head : aches 24/7. thought we had tumor or stroke coming. seriously. started : thinking about wanting to die just to make constant physical hurting go : away. Woof.  That sounds much worse than the "average" withdrawal from effexor, but they’re usually pretty bad from what I hear.  Basically you are going through the equivalent of "speed" or cocaine withdrawal, cold-turkey.  I researched Effexor for a friend last year. Here’s what’s going on, if it would help to know (I wrote something similar for asar last year):    The SSRIs are called that because they are *Selective* serotonin    reuptake inhibitors.  They don’t affect too much else, at least on    purpose.    Effexor is *not* an SSRI; it’s an SRI, but it’s also a dopamine    reuptake inhibitor.  This means it increases the dopamine levels in    your system, which can boost your mood and is why it’s such an    effective anti-depressant, but it means it’s also capable of    becoming physically addictive in the same way that speed or cocaine    are.  (Those are both dopamine-mimics, in the sense that they    stimulate the dopamine receptors in the brain.) Effectively you’re going through the equivalent of a really bad and prolonged amphetamine or cocaine withdrawal.  Yours seems to be worse than usual.  Maybe it will help to know this, I don’t know. Oh yeah, the SSRIs and SRIs all raise the pain threshold – SSRIs are now being prescribed for cancer victims along with conventional painkillers – so going off the SRI component presumably lowers it. That’s probably making the physical pain worse too. [...] : literature says should go off over period of at least 2 weeks. we have : been tapering for 6 weeks and effects are getting worse and worse. Ugh.  They will wear off eventually but it’s awful that it’s going on so long. : wasn’t until last night went to pharminfonet and read threads from ppl : who went off, are going off…and found every damn symptom (except sore : throat that plagues us still) mentioned by ppl. and they all are saying : takes way more than 2 weeks to get off. Yeah, that’s what I warned my friend last year. : so angry could : absolutely…can’t say what we want to do cause it makes us ashamed but : still want to do it. hate this drug and company that lies about horrible : effects of quitting. docs are not aware of this and so don’t take it : into account when prescribing. The drug industry is all excited about Effexor, because it’s the first in potentially a whole new class of phenethylamine-based SRIs.  We can hope that all of them don’t have this kind of effect.  (Phenethylamines are one of the two major families of chemicals from which most psychedelic drugs are derived: mescaline, MDA, X or "Ecstasy", etc. Most SSRIs are distantly related to the other such family, tryptamines.) Unfortunately too many doctors don’t read anything but the PDR for drug info, even though it’s based entirely on info provided by the drug manufacturers.  (And it tends to be updated more slowly than other sources.) I still use it as a source, but I try to look at other sources if I can, and I always do my own research on any drug I’m taking. Did your doctor taper you down very gradually, like they’re supposed to (if they keep up on the literature) or did they cut down the dosage for you more rapidly from full dosage to almost nothing?  (Either because they didn’t know or because of side-effects that were too dangerous to taper down slowly.) Talk to doctor about withdrawal effects, but if they won’t take you seriously, you might try:   1) asking for conventional painkillers to help you get through it;   2) ask if you can start phasing in another SSRI during the      withdrawal (this might not be safe due to untested interactions);   3) drink lots of coffee during the withdrawal period (seriously –      coffee stimulates dopamine release and might somewhat reduce the      effects.) This is purely my own weird advice, not endorsed by any      doctror. : also, didn’t want to go to doctor because we knew that we would be : ignored as crazy person with psychosomatic symptoms. really, honestly : thought we were dying. hatehatehate. don’t need more problems. need : less. I know what you mean… : anyway. rant rant. hate wyeth drug co. will avoid buying anything they : produce. will prolly write a letter when brain clears. not that they : give a shit. but will make us feel little better to scream at them. : maybe also copy to fda, just for the heck of it. expect no response but : maybe someone will notice… It’s a good idea.  Eventually, with enough letters like that, the FDA may force them to at least add more warnings to the PDR and package inserts, which is pretty much all that a lot of doctors read. : so, don’t know what to say. not telling anyone not to take drug. like we : say, been good at what it does. but never want to feel this much : physical pain again. badhorriblestupid. cause even if didn’t have to go : off drug now, someday hope to not have to take meds and so it would : happen sooner or later. and no one says how horrible it can be. just : vague corporate lies…scum. Yep.  That’s corporate America – or at this point, the world.  Most corporations are severely dysfunctional and in denial. <1/2 g : all done. sorry about anger. is much huger than what is showing. Anger is a feeling.  It’s fine to be angry.  You did not use it as an excuse to behave badly towards anyone, at least that I can see, so there is no need to apologize.  Thank you for

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