Posted by Larry Hoover on August 22, 2003, at 8:53:50
In reply to Larry Hoover- Sleep aids?, posted by Budgie on August 19, 2003, at 22:11:55
> Hi Larry,
Hi Budgie. Sorry for the delay in replying. I've been quite busy with my boys. We just got back from a whole day at an amusement park.
> Somebody recommended that I ask you about natural sleep aids to counteract Parnate insomnia. I don't know if you've ever been on an MAOI (I just started myself), but obviously there are a lot of contraindications, as I'm sure you know.I haven't used an irreversible MAOI like Parnate, but I'm quite aware of the safety concerns.
I'll give you some ideas of things you might try, but drug-induced insomnia tends to be a difficult thing to manage, even with prescription sleep aids.
One of the first things that comes to mind is magnesium. For a number of people, taking magnesium before bed makes them very sleepy. The only problem with magnesium is that taking too much, especially if your body isn't used to it, can bring on diarrhea. Everybody has their own sensitivity level, so a little experimentation is required. You should be able to try 200-300 mg of magnesium, as a start. Magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate are probably not very well absorbed, so use any other kind of magnesium supplement you can find. Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate), used in a bath, will also give you some magnesium transdermally, but you can't measure the dose that way.
Another idea is niacinamide. It's a form of vitamin B3 that has tranquilizing activity. Again, taken just before bed, it may help you sleep. 500-1,000 mg. (Normally, the upper dose would be 500, but taken as a bolus like that for insomnia, I think there should be no risk.)
Melatonin should be perfectly safe. Commonly available tablets (3 mg) are too high a dose, for most people. Try breaking a tablet into quarters, and work up from that.
Someone else mentioned sedative herbs (valerian, chamomile, kava, etc.). For some people, they work great. You'll just have to try them and see. I get a paradoxical reaction to valerian, more like drinking coffee than taking a sedative. We're all different.
Other people have suggested the over-the-counter medication diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Walmart sells it as the generic, dirt cheap. 25 or 50 mg of that knocks me out, but you can quickly build a tolerance to it, and it usually wears off before you get the full eight hours of sleep.
I don't know if your pdoc is the sort who might use these drugs, but there are a few benzodiazepines which are targetted for use in insomnia. I've been using temazepam (Restoril) for extended periods, without developing tolerance.
> Also, I was stung by a bee recently and seem to be having a bad histamine reaction. Could this be more severe than it normally would be if I were not on an MAOI?
I don't think so. Bee sting allergy is quite common, and each sting will be worse than the last. What you may be having is histamine plus allergy (not, strictly speaking, the same thing).
>Any natural remedies for itches?
My first action would be Benadryl (diphenhydramine). That limits the total amount of histamine released locally (and thereby reduces the time for the body to heal from the sting). Then, a little meat tenderizer, moistened to a paste, applied over the sting, is said to help (I haven't tried this yet, because I haven't been stung in years). Meat tenderizer contains a proteolytic enzyme called papain, and it's supposed to destroy the bee venom. After a few hours, the only thing for itch that I use is calamine lotion.
> Thanks for your help. I'll post back here if I can find any answers elsewhere on the net.
You're welcome.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:252359
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/253042.html