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How's your sleep?

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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby Oliveira » Thu Jul 09, 2015 8:04 am

Seroquel is a complicated one. It puts you to sleep on dosages from 0-200 mg and from 600-800 mg, but not on 200-600 (XR variety exempted). When I had a total meltdown following my diagnosis, I was put on 25 mg and to say it was a tranquilizer is an understatement -- it had the effect of being hit in the head with a shovel really hard, minus pain. I was tranquilized alright to the point where I sat and dribbled a bit from my mouth for a week. The only thing I remember from that period is when we were biking, my boyfriend crossed the road and my reactions were so slow I almost got myself under a car.
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby Christopher2045 » Thu Jul 09, 2015 4:26 pm

quietgirl2538 wrote:I'm still having sleep problems. The sleeping pills, ambien or lunesta don't work for me. I was given a prescription of Seroquel 50mg. That, so far, is the only thing that helps me sleep and even then, a few times, very few, I still wake throughout the night. My friend was being dead serious when she said I should take weed. I just laughed and said no, my doctor won't prescribe that. LOL.

I wanted to add that I read in one of my books on bipolar that Seroquel is a sort of tranquilizer. If this is incorrect I apologize.


I tried Seroquel once and it basically did the opposite. Made me extremely irritable and gave me uncontrollable tremors.

As for weed, it could lead to other problems.. As for sleep, it can definitely help and I know some people who use it for sleep. And it's usually a very comfortable sleep with pleasent dreams. At least, in my experience. Maybe one day they'll give me a prescription for a certain strain. That day is far a way.
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby quietgirl2538 » Mon Jul 13, 2015 7:24 am

Oliveira, I am appreciative at the fact that it helps me sleep, but then I want to sleep all the time, even while driving. I get extremely sleepy while driving, especially long distances. It does tranquilize me shortly after taking it that I cannot seem to be able to keep my eyes open and then I sink into a deep sleep. I had become so tired and I got afraid I'd go another day without sleep. So that's why I've taken it every day. The sleeping pills don't work on me. I took the Lunesta and for 2 hours I was wide awake. I didn't sleep until I took the Seroquel.

Christopher2045:
Yes I like sharing here because sometimes the same exact medicines we take can affect everyone in different ways.

As for weed becoming a med to be prescribed, not happening anytime soon here either.
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby theonlyredsmurf » Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:16 am

Well firstly what sleep? It's Monday night here and I've been awake since Saturday morning, don't even have to be cycling to have a period like this. Meds only help some of the time. 150 Dotherp 800 cabramazipine 400 amisulpride and 200 seroquel. God knows why I'm awake. No drugs no stims I'm just wide awake, most likely stress in this instance but it happens frequently enough that I really should mention it more. Longest time awake is 5 days, not so much as a cup of tea, that ended badly, though I wasn't medicated at that point. Why do I have trouble sleeping regardless of up, down or sideways. No one has an answer for me. There are also times I'll sleep 20/24 but those are very rare and always in the pit. An average night is 11 till 6 and I'm comfortable with that. The dex is prn when I'm trying to study so it's not a factor. Semester restarts today
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Dx: Bipolar II w/ psychosis (Depressive, Mixed, psychotic, hypo-manic)
Other issues: ADD, Tic / Movement disorder, Chronic Sleep Apeona

Meds: Dotherp, Seroquel, Amisulpride, Cabramazipine, Dexamphetamine, Tetrabenzine, Melatonin.

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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby turnaround » Tue Jul 14, 2015 3:10 pm

At the moment, pretty fab. But that's because I'm on sleeping tablets :-) I'm supposed to stop them tomorrow though...
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby voracious_lemon » Tue Jul 14, 2015 3:39 pm

I'm on clozapine and if I don't set my alarm to wake me up I will sleep ~12 hrs a night, which is down from the 14 hours when I was taking my prescribed higher dose. When I weened myself off of it knowing the directions given to someone else I know on it, but being more cautious and then after all withdrawals were gone and everything I slept 3 hours a night. Wasn't even manic.
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby Oliveira » Tue Jul 14, 2015 5:59 pm

Guys this is major -- my sleep is coming back to normal after absolute ages. I've been on zopiclone until I went over the maximum allowed dose, then moved to diazepam 25mg and slowly reducing. When I got to 10mg, though, I hit a wall. I would sleep two nights on 5mg, then suddenly need 17mg to fall asleep, then 12, then 5, then 17... But I seem to have finally broken through. I slept four nights on 5mg and yesterday on 4. My dreams returned (seems that diazepam was suppressing them). I also get up at night to use the loo now (instead of being close to explosion every morning) (sorry about this visual). I know for most people in the world this isn't really anything to write home about but I'm very, very happy. Going to try to fall asleep without any diazepam tonight. Keep fingers crossed for me.
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby BrainStorm » Tue Jul 14, 2015 6:03 pm

Good luck Oliveira! I'm weaning off Ambien after developing a tolerance to the highest dose and having a scary incident on it...I have been using melatonin instead. My hope is to come off that in a few weeks and get natural sleep for the first time in 10 years.

Wishing you lots of luck as I go through a similar thing!
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby Oliveira » Wed Jul 15, 2015 8:35 am

Big hug Brainy. Ambien was the absolute worst for me. I wrote about it a few times so won't repeat myself but I am never taking it again unless I'm restrained and forced to. How's it going with melatonin?

Didn't manage without diazepam at the end, but 5mg was enough. That's fine. I feel much more awake and there's no benzo hangover and I actually have dreams again. I can work with that. Tonight 4mg again. I'll get off it. :)
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Re: How's your sleep?

Postby BrainStorm » Wed Jul 15, 2015 11:18 pm

Hugs Oliveira. I'm glad you're having dreams again. I don't have them again yet but that's probably for the best given my stress level- who knows what my unconscious mind would dream up right now.

The melatonin is getting me to sleep, but I wake up an hour or two before I want to...then I'm tired later in the day. I'm determined to get off the Ambien though and I spoke with my pdoc today and she thinks I'm waking up early due to a combination of pregnancy hormones and mid level depression. So I'm hoping once my hormones return to normal and I go through some more therapy regarding the pregnancy situation that I will sleep through the night...with good dreams, hopefully.
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