Psychotropic medication discussion thread
in Psychology & Therapy ·
restlesstrucker15 said:Indeed, those who can sleep on 5 mg of Valium are the truly fortunate ones. I struggle with insomnia myself, though I grew accustomed to these hypnotics quite some time ago. Earlier this year, my psychiatrist switched my Valium 10 mg over to Dormicum; while thank God I can actually fall asleep, I find myself waking up several times throughout the night and feeling completely exhausted by morning. It feels as though my mind simply won't shut off. I have heard it suggested that sleep patterns eventually stabilize, implying we will only achieve normal rest once we approach true "recovery." When I expressed these concerns to my doctor, she emphasized twice that the most critical factor is being able to stay asleep through the night. During particularly difficult periods, I have been tempted to take two Dormicum tablets at once, but I hesitate—not out of fear of a physical reaction, but because of the risk of dependency. I even consulted a friend of mine who is a psychiatrist to get her perspective, and I will quote her here: As a hypnotic, one could consider a small evening dose of Zyprexa (2.5 mg) or perhaps 25 mg of Prazosin (which helps lower blood pressure). This is merely a suggestion, however, as any actual treatment must be determined during an in-person consultation.
Yeah, they definitely knocked me sideways... now I find half a dose of Prazosin—so 12.5 mg—is more than enough to do the trick! My doctor made a good point, too; using low doses of antipsychotics for sleep can actually be quite effective...🙂