Posted by utopizen on March 24, 2004, at 23:10:57
In reply to Re: Sleep disturbances with Strattera... » Sad Panda, posted by zeugma on March 22, 2004, at 22:47:09
You may want to lower your dose of Straterra, and take it in divided doses at that lowered dose. Talk to your doctor about this... often patients find it difficult to tolerate 40mg as a starting dose, and require a lower one until side effects subside. Using a stimulant to take care of your immediate inattentive issues may help, but talk to your doc first-- they both target NE, and it's unknown if this can become an issue (although it is not uncommon to combine an amphetamine these days with Straterra).
A more rational (healthy) approach is to first, lower your dose, since you clearly are with your Adderall for any immediate issues if you need help with concentration while you adjust.
Second, talk to your doctor about combining Provigil with the Straterra. It's novel, but my Boston doc is a sleep doc who's at a big research hospital and has good experiences with patients combining the two when they have sleepiness+ADD.
Third, consider a sleeping pill (Ambien has the fewest interactions, and alternatives have very many)
If all else fails, if you think waiting it out for a couple of weeks with just a nightly dose will help you. A sleeping pill plus a lot of exercise, or exercise alone, should help you the most. If you begin a solid exercise regimen each day, it will actually change your sleep waves and make them more efficient. You will have deeper, more restorative sleep, and feel more refreshed afterwards. If you are not exercising, they may very well account for your sensitivity to this side effect. If you don't notice a difference after an exercise regimen, it is generally an indication you should try a more prolonged (and daily) one.
(e.g., if you walk/run an hour each day and still wake up at night, the chances of you walking/running two hours each day and falling asleep very well is quite good).
Many may rationalize that they don't have "time" for exercise, but if you considered the hours you lose through your sleep distrubances, you'd realize it's actually more productive to spend even up to 2-3 hours/day if you choose to than have poor sleep at night that wastes far more time out of your day.
It's unlikely you'll continue to receive sleep distrubances for a prolonged period, as your body generally is quite resillent with adjusting its sleeping rythms to med changes after awhile.
Again, talk with your doctor, and keep hope up. If you happen to have depression, note that my therapist told me what psychologists tell depressed patients is to "activate" themselves through regular meals each day, regular exercise, and socialization with people they like to be around.
If you have difficulty falling asleep, try going to sleep later at night, as doing otherwise will simply condition yourself to not associating your bed with sleep. Try a self-hypnosis tape as well. And wake up reasonably early in the A.M. every day of the week, at the same time everyday, despite how many hours you may have not slept the night prior. This sort of conditioning will take two weeks, in combination with regular exercise, regular meal times, and if necessary, CBT.
take care!
poster:utopizen
thread:326693
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040319/msgs/328033.html