[Hashi/bipolar mom]

Hey guys! It's been awhile since I visited! I have a quick question. I'm still have continuing problems with insomnia. I get to sleep within an hour but then I wake up about 3-4am and can't get back to sleep. My psychiatrist prescribed a small amount of Seroquel. I'm talking between 25mg-100mg. Nothing too much. However, I feel like it's revving me up. I thought it would knock me out. Anyone else have a similar result?

[Wild Coyote]

I have not had an opposite reaction with Seroquel.

Why are pdocs using Seroquel for sleep? It's not a sleep med.
It's an anti-psychotic. This ticks off my sleep neurologist, by the way.

In your case, you have no anti-psychotics on your med list until Seroquel is added for sleep. Why not something other than an AP?
Have you tried other options like temazepam, clonazepam, etc?

Why risk Tardive Dyskinesia if you don't have to do so?

Just my 2 cents.

I hope you find a helpful answer for sleep.


WC

[Hashi/bipolar mom]

I've tried other AP's for my BP, which I would still be on if I didn't have adverse reactions to them. I pretty much got stabilized on the above combo of meds but sleep was the last thing that I'm trying to fix. I guess she didn't think it would be a problem since it was such a low dose? Hmmm, I didn't know about Tardive Dyskinesia.

[Wild Coyote]

I'm sorry it's true that TD is a potential side-effect of all AP meds.
Some psychiatrists state the longer/more the exposure to AP meds, the greater the TD risk.

We all take that risk when we need to. I am on an AP for now.

Yet, if you don't need an AP, then why increase the exposure which increases the TD potential?

This came to mind when I saw your med list.
My sleep neurologist gave me this talk when she saw my pdoc had started prescribing low-dose Seroquel for sleep. I switched to temazepam for sleep.
Just thought I'd throw it out there.

I do hope you find a good solution.

WC

[Hashi/bipolar mom]

Unfortunately I've tried Temazepam and exactly the same thing!!! It's just ridiculous!

[~Christina]

Lack of sleep will eventually knock you sideways Bipolar wise,

I also don't understand why many Pdoc's use AP's for sleep so often.

Have you tried Doxipin ? It helps with sleep. Or Inderal?

[cowboy87]

I feel for you about your sleep getting interrupted. Insomnia has always been my worst demon to face. My mania can keep me up for an entire week, also to add fuel to the fire, less sleep more problems. Usually after 48 hours without sleep here come the hooded strangers standing out in the forest behind my house watching me. Then the voices that are always inside of the walls. So how do I solve this problem. My medicine box has a variety of medications for insomnia. I find 10 mg melatonin and Ativan/ambien combo will knock me out cold. I suggest trying combos with something to knock you out first and something else to keep you asleep. Aniexty drugs seem to work well with keeping me asleep.

[Wonderfalls]

Any medicine can cause a paradoxical effect, rarely. Sometimes Seroquel is the only thing that works to counteract insomnia. Regular and sufficient sleep is very important to maintaining balance in bipolar disorder. Seroquel at doses under about 200mg functions as an antihistamine and not an antipsychotic.

[still_crazy]

hi. i dunno what's going on. with additional drugs on board, there's any number of potential drug-drug interactions, plus psychosocial stuff, blah blah blah.

if you really need a sleeping pill, i guess ask about something else. vistaril, one of the 'z' drugs, halcion, dalmane, a night time dose of xanax...there are lots of options out there. do try to keep in mind that sedatives are great when used now and then, but there's some new research that seems to suggest that regular use of sleeping pills contributes to an increase in death due to cancer and a number of other causes.

i hope things work out for you.

[Wonderfalls]

Any medicine can cause a paradoxical effect, rarely. Sometimes Seroquel is the only thing that works to counteract insomnia. Regular and sufficient sleep is very important to maintaining balance in bipolar disorder. Seroquel at doses under about 200mg functions as an antihistamine and not an antipsychotic. Sleep doctors are not psychopharmacologists.

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by Wonderfalls

Any medicine can cause a paradoxical effect, rarely. Sometimes Seroquel is the only thing that works to counteract insomnia. Regular and sufficient sleep is very important to maintaining balance in bipolar disorder. Seroquel at doses under about 200mg functions as an antihistamine and not an antipsychotic. Sleep doctors are not psychopharmacologists.

With all due respect, most pdocs are not psychopharmacologists. It's not a requirement of pdocs. Only pdocs wanting to additionally specialize in psychpharmacology train for this specialty. The majority are not psychopharmacologists, not even in a teaching hospital community.

Neurologists have reason to be familiar with the potential neurological complications of AP meds. All of my neurologists are of the same opinion. The sleep neurologist likely knows more about sleep than does a pdoc.

People with ongoing TD are referred to neurologists.
The concerns they voice are valid.


WC