What's the best sleep med.

in all 35 yrs. of having bp2, sleep was never an issue: this past yr. it has been difficult to go to sleep or stay asleep w/o using meds. or stop the racing, non-stop repetitive thoughts. for me, ambien does almost nothing, low doses of seroquel work but i'm afraid of weight gain or high blood sugar; klonopin gives me a hangover feeling; dr. prescribed old fashioned valium and each time i use it, i get a headache while sleeping and wake up feeling like i had rough sleep. a friend gave me 2mg. of xanax which i cut into 1/4 and i found it to work but i've only tried 2 of the 1/4 xanax. what is your experience on xanax or any other med. that really works for you. melatonin makes me a little sleepy but really didn't put me to sleep or get rid of the racing thoughts.

How much melitonin did you take? My pdoc wants me to take up to 10 mg. At night.

i've been taking 5 mg. have you tried 10 mg. of melatonin and do you add any other sleeping meds. to go along w/10mg. of the melatonin. how do you feel on 10mg??

I have been taking trazodone 200 mg. This is the best medication for sleep I have ever used.

You'll get 200 answers. Speak w/ ur pdoc.

There's so many out there. It's probably not a good idea to rely on just the benzo type ones either as they build up pretty quickly and become ineffective.

The low dose of Seroquel you'll need for sleep won't cause weight gain. I have been able to lose on it. Hubby too. Trazodone is good for sleep too; my doctor says Seroquel is better for bipolar. Cocosurviving is right though; you'll get 200 answers. I would avoid benzo's. You will indeed build up a tolerance, and they will be ineffective. You can get rebound insomnia. Talk to your pdoc about the input you're getting. Good luck to you.

Milk works for me ... Actually any dairy product ... Doesn't even have to be heated up either ... Don't know why, but it really does work for me ... It's so sleep inducing for me that I won't eat or drink any dairy while driving.

I'm on clanazapam , it knocks me out for the whole night, except to use the bathroom.

MIlk works for some because it acts on the opiate centers of the brain. You need
extra tryptophan to get to sleep well through the night. Strangely enough, a handful of pecans (if you aren't allergic to them) are loaded with vitamin B3 and
that work to build tryptophan. It usually works for me in about 30-40 mnutes.

as in my post #1, w/the exception of xanax, all the meds. prescribed for sleep did come from my pdoc. this insomnia issue is new and before being diagnosed more than 35 yrs. ago and being put on lithium, i slept well. wonder if it's part of the aging process (female, 66 yrs.) who exercises in a.m. to burn off the mania and has a quiet stable life most of the time.