Agitation, Irritability, Insomnia

wild thing...I am hoping that the lamictal will help you. It helps fight depression on the down swing of a mixed episode or mania. Once you are at the therapeutic dose of 200mg a day. just to let you know that there is more play of doses. I am at the highest dose 200mg twice a day.
I take other meds to sleep as you can see in my signature.
I hope you improve things with this new med, glad that you are going slowly up.
love to you
bizi

Thank you, bizi! I appreciate the information and the Love!!!
Your support means a lot to me!!!


WC

Thinking of you, WC. What dose are you on for lamictal now?

Has anything you’ve tried helped you with sleep yet? I don’t know if Lamictal will help you with sleep, not to be a downer, but don’t pin your hopes on it. I take 200 mg Lamictal in the morning, 200 mg at night. Unless I am very depressed, I don’t tend to sleep in the daytime without Klonopin and Tizandine (muscle relaxer for fibromyalgia). Really, I think the Tizandine helps me sleep, but it can be iffy whereas on my night meds it is not iffy. I will always fall asleep, just a matter of how long I sleep.

Hey tecomsin,

Thanks for your note.
I am on only 25 mg of lamictal for now; we are slowly increasing, every 2 weeks.


WC

Thanks for the hug!


WC

Hi, Thanks for your note.

I don't expect Lamictal, alone, to help with sleep. It may assist my night-time combination a bit, I don't know.

I also have fibromyalgia and several conditions with severe chronic pain. I am on morphine, 24/7. I also have tizanidine prescribed, but I switch to Soma when I am on a psych drug with the potential for QT interval prolongation.

For your own info., tizanidine is a med which has the QT prolongation potential; we should not have two of these meds on board at once. We should also have EKGs when just one is used, in order to see how much the med is affecting the heart's QTc interval. We should definitely not add another med in this QT prolongation category without the appropriate EKG(s). Neither my pharmacist, nor my pdoc will allow 2 of these meds on board; the risk can be sudden death.

Ambien helped my sleep, but pushed me over the edge with agitation. It was a nightmare.

So far, out of the meds I can use, mmj has helped me the most with sleep. Really, mmj and 1200 mg gabapentin , temazepam and morphine together. Yet, it's still not enough. I am up and vaping mmj 3 x per night. I take a bunch of meds at bedtime. nobody can believe I do not sleep for the night!

My pdoc feels my sleep issues are beyond her training in sleep, so has referred me to a sleep specialist.


WC

I can't remember if we have discussed adding 3mg melatonin extended release formula, that a a little 5mg of zyprexa did the trick.
bizi

Hi Bizi!

I have tried both low dose and high dose melatonin. It does not help me. If anything, it gives me diarrhea. I cannot take Zyprexa or any other AP at this time. (I cannot take another drug which affects QTc interval prolongation.)

Thanks for your suggestion!
I know you care!


WC

My insomnia had started when I was a young child. So much disturbing stuff had happened at night, when I had been sleeping and was awakened by the violence, etc. I have permanent and very intense sleep anxiety. My c-PTSD is severe at night.

Being in a mixed episode does not help.

In a sleep study, we will see what else we find.


WC

I miss my Service Dog!!!
She had passed on a few years ago. We were so close, I have not had the heart to replace her. I have needed to grieve her loss.

She used to help me with sleep, by guarding while I'd slept. I was the most relaxed in her Presence. (She was a huge German Shepherd.)

I took her everywhere with me, too.

I cannot have another right now; yet, I am getting ready to have another when we move to our next house. Cannot be soon enough.


WC

I am sorry about the violence as a young child. ((((((HUGS))))))
bizi

Thank you, bizi!



WC