Posted by King Vultan on November 4, 2004, at 13:57:54
In reply to Re: ambien, posted by King Vultan on November 4, 2004, at 11:27:05
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> Doxepin is an extremely powerful sedating TCA that might be worth trying, but you might have some hangover and/or increased appetite from it. The same is also true of Surmontil/trimipramine, but this probably has fewer negative effects than does Doxepin and is supposed to provide very high quality sleep. Some of the atypical antipsychotics are also prescribed for sleep, but they can be expensive and may also have some other side effects.
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I was babbling on about Paxil enzyme interactions in another post and didn't even think about it in this case. Combining Paxil with a tricyclic AD such as Doxepin or Surmontil should only be done with the greatest of caution and starting with very small doses of the tricyclic, as the Paxil is going to essentially "amplify" the effects of the tricyclic. In fact, it is probably not a good idea at all, all things considered.
There are some older sleeping meds still available such as chloral hydrate and meprobamate, but these are fraught with problems and should only be considered as a last resort IMO. My pdoc just prescribed me hydroxyzine as an alternative to the OTC antihistamines I've been using. It is a relatively innocuous antihistamine that is often used as a sedative before surgery. I started out at a low dose last night and cannot recommend it as of yet, as it was almost completely ineffectual. Perhaps it will be more effective as I work up to higher doses.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:411520
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041103/msgs/411737.html