has anyone tried risperdal for sleep? i suffer horrible insomnia EVERY single night. i have had no luck with xyrem, melatonin, benzos, ambien, zopiclone, chloral hydrate, trazodone, etc etc.
my doctor gave me samples of risperdal but i cannot bring myself to take one. nevermind the potential for tardive dyskenisia (which my doctor says is highly unlikely at low dose).... i cannot bring myself to take something called an "antipsychotic". yet i am beyond desperate with my chronic insomnia.
help!
~catwoman
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
Not that I know all that much about anything, but I would be
HIGHLY reluctant to
take a drug in that family. There's been research
suggesting that they're neurotoxic, even at low doses. Google
"antipsychotics," "macaque monkeys," and terms related to brain
shrinkage and see if you can find the studies that support
this...very scary stuff.
Posted by CatWoman (Member # 10900) on :
yes i am scared of these drugs too! do you have any ideas of anything else i could try?
~catwoman
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
Well, I've haven't really had any insomnia, so I'm afraid I can't be of
all that much help. I HAVE been on a tricyclic antidepressant since I
got sick, (maybe not that great an idea either-some evidence
they're immunosuppresive ) which I'm pretty sure
extends stage four of sleep and thus makes it more restful, and
I've found that that it reduces the severity of the brain fog
Sorry, Hopefully others will be able to provide more aid.
Posted by EWT1638 (Member # 11315) on :
I wouldn't worry too much about it being an "anti-psychotic". I was prescribed some for sleep and anxiety attacks. I don't remember which pills are the 'anti-psy' (brain still foggy). Talk to a good psychiatrist or your LLMD, low dosages should not be a problem.
Good Luck!
Posted by Sparrow (Member # 11734) on :
My daughter takes resperdal and it does not make her sleep. I have a friend who's mother has Alzheimer and was given resperdal to sleep. It made her agitated and she was taken off of it. It won't hurt to try it.
It takes a boatload of stuff to help my daughter sleep. This is what we use: Melatonin 9mg Neurontin 600mg Flexeril 10mg Benadryl 3caps Sound Sleep by Gaia Herbs 2caps Taurine 500mg: 2@dinner & 2@bedtime
The flexeril was just added by a new doctor. She was taking 3 soma, but our new specialist likes flexeril and neurontin combo. I just read a tip about the taurine on Thewayup.com and it seems to help. If I forget to give her a dose at dinner, it doesn't seem to work with just the bedtime dose. Hope you can find the right combo for yourself.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
Resperdol made my daughter violent and suicidal. She was either going to kill herself or someone else. It was a horrific experience.
I think it may work for someone who has schizophrenia or serious bi-polar, but it didn't mix well with my daughter's chemistry.
She settled on Geodon (that helped). Tried Seroquel, but we think that may have contributed to weight gaine. After a year, it started to lose it's effectiveness, and it was HARD to wean off.
This is the sleep salad: Geodon 140mg Melatonin 3mg Simply Sleep or Generic OTC Klonipin 10mg
Lately, she's been taking Requip for restless legs. That makes her nauseated and tired.
Insomnia is a horrible thing. My daughter had night terrors added to the mix.
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
I took risperdal for severe post partum Depression. I know I had a lot of side effects. I had to take another med to help stop tremors it caused. I think it worked for my problem at the time b/c it was bad. I had to take trazadone to go to sleep with it...
It is a pretty heavy duty drug. I prob wouldn't mess with it unless you are desperate. Maybe it is a lot smaller of a dose than what I took.
Good luck! Melissa
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
Just had a thought-What about Promethazine (phenergan)? I use it for nausea and itching but it does make you sleepy??
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
You know, I worked in a place, a residential program for pepole with severe mental problems- and this was a common drug- and not just as an anti-psychotic but for sleep-
I remember when my LLMD wanted me to take low dose elavil as a sleep disorder drug I was VERY resistant because at high dose it is an anti-depressant and I didn't want to be on something with that label because I felt it didn't apply. But it worked wonderfully for my sleep disorder from Lyme and I was not taking it as an anti-depressant- I resisted taking it for months because of that label and wish I had given in sooner*)*)!!
So I would give it a shot- and if it doesn't work, go off*)!!
Been thinking of you, Wishing you well,
Posted by CatWoman (Member # 10900) on :
Sorry I forgot to mention I can't take antidepressants they make me manic. I have trazodone in my list of failed meds. I was really reluctant to try it for the longest time but my psychiatrist said it is a very mild antidepressant. It didn't make me manic but it gave me palpitations and I couldn't sleep.
Antidepressants are a big no for me.
Well I am definitely desperate. But I am not liking the things I am hearing/reading about risperdal.
I can't take Flexeril because it irritates my bladder like crazy.
~catwoman
Posted by bbinme? (Member # 4665) on :
Hi Catwoman, i have had severe insomnia with my lyme disease, and i have tried everything. I used to take elevil with klonopin and that did work, but i gained a lot of weight from elevil, i now take seroquel at a very low dose 50 to 100mg at bedtime, it is a antipshycotic also, and it works great. i occasionally will have some insomnia but rarely. hope this helps, there's nothing worse then insomnia!
Posted by Greatcod (Member # 7002) on :
If you nap--
I have had sleep problems too. I used to take mid-day naps, but I avoid that if can, even though I get sleepy in the afternoon. If I do nap now, I keep it very short. Its not the answer, but it has helped. Also have used a drug called baclofin, used primarily for spasms, as well as those mentioned above.
Posted by Tracy9 (Member # 7521) on :
I also started taking Seroquel a few weeks ago; 50-75 mg; which is the same class as Risperdal. It works great for me too for sleep; no grogginess in the morning or anything. I tried Trazedone (palpitations), Ambien (sleep eating and walking), Ristoril (only slightly effective), ATivan (not effective at all), Simply Sleep (a little help), Melatonin (nightmares)...this is definitely the best yet.
Posted by CatWoman (Member # 10900) on :
I can't bring myself to take an antipsychotic for sleep and I am beyond desperate. I just can't do it.
I guess I will just stick with things the way they are.
Yeah I don't nap either.....never been a napper.
~catwoman
Posted by Tracy9 (Member # 7521) on :
Just remember that many drugs are prescribed for other things; sometimes you just need to do some self talk to change your thinking pattern. If it is just because it is an "antipsychotic", then it is really what you are telling yourself...and maybe depriving yourself from something where the benefit far outweighs the risk!!! I dont' know if this would be the case for you, I just know that the Seroquel has really worked for me; and I know that antipsychotics are probably used just as much if not more for sleep than they are as mood stabilizers. They are often used in BiPolar Disorder, where people aren't psychotic, but have mood swings. In fact the psychosis is probably the least of things they are used for! These meds are even given routinely to children for sleep.
I am currently taking Mepron for Lyme Disease. I looked it up on the Internet, and guess what it is used for? AIDS patients. Imagine what they must have thought at the pharmacy in my small town! But myself and many others here are taking Mepron for Babesia, and we are not HIV positive.
Diflucan was prescribed to my husband for his neurological Lyme issues. That is an antifungal. Our LLMD says it was purely by accident that it was found to be helpful with Lyme, there isn't much of an explanation.
Now please know I am not advocating for overuse of meds here; I just hate to see anyone miss out on much needed help because our thoughts are stuck in a particular pattern. Good luck!
Posted by METALLlC BLUE (Member # 6628) on :
I may give Seraquel a shot. My psychiatrist has been trying for 3 years to get me on it, but I've been content to stay on the Ativan. The Ativan no longer works. It gets me to sleep but I wake up a few hours later and from that point on I wake up constantly for the entire night.
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