Quote:
Originally Posted by Herculepoirot
Hi all. I have tried multiple sleep aid prescriptions. Ambien has been found to be the best but, for me it lasts about 2 hours and a 1/4 mg of Xanax is necessary to maintain some sedation with continued broken sleep. All in all I get about 4 fours of broken sleep a night. A prescription sleep med called Silenor has been on the market since 2010 and is dosed at 3 and 6 mg. It's active chemical is doxepin which is an H1 histamine antagonist. Doxepin is also used in an antidepressant called Sinequan but at a 25 - 150 mg daily dosage. Sinequan is generally prescribed with graduated dosages and when stopped must be decreased slowly. Silenor's patent is for 3-6 mg and prescribed ONLY for sleep. Sinequan is not prescribed at low dosages.
As my treatment is provided by the VA I am unable to get Silenor due to the cost of appx. $200 a month. Doxepin can be prescribed at 10 mg and comes in a gel capsule.
Has anyone used doxepin at this low dosage and experienced an improvement their sleep?
In addition I have moderate apnea. I do not use the CPAP as I cannot get somnolence so the mask will keep me awake even with the Ambien. My goal is to get somnolence with the doxepin and start using the CPAP.
Thanks
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The lower dosages I think are just so the manufacturer can sell them under patent (as opposed to generic) hence the higher costs...if you look for a compounding pharmacy near you (usually small ones, not the big chains like Walgreen's) you could ask them if they would create and supply you with something in the dose you want (so like taking a 25mg and pulverizing it and reforming into 5 5mg ones).