Posted by milt on August 3, 2003, at 11:00:00
I've been taking Paxil (20 mg/day) for several years now. Roughly three years after starting it, my wife noticed that I had started to thrash around in my sleep. After a sleep study, I was given a diagnosis of REM behavior disorder -- i.e., a loss of the normal paralysis during REM and a tendency to act out dreams -- probably traceable to the Paxil.
I've discussed the problem at considerable length with my shrink, and we've tried various medicinal tactics over the years (other SSRIs and classes of ADs, augmentation with propranolol, Neurontin, cyproheptadine, Klonopin and other benzodiazepines, etc.). He has repeatedly polled his psychopharm colleagues, while I've been hunting for clues relentlessly online. Since even The New York Times, in an article a few months ago, has acknowledged that RBD is a fairly common late-emergent side effect of SSRIs, I'm surprised to have found so little info available elsewhere.
Has anyone else been troubled by SSRI-related RBD? Has anyone found a way to treat it and still stay awake during the day?
The recent Gilman study in Neurology suggests that dopaminergics may be the answer. Has anyone out there traveled that road with any success?
Thanks, and hoping for a resolution other than cutting the bed in half ...
poster:milt
thread:247748
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030802/msgs/247748.html