Bipolar Support Group

I'm sure many if not all of you can relate to this. I'm able to go to sleep within 30 minutes or so, but I do not stay asleep. I wake up pretty much every hour and have a very hard time going back to sleep. This is a vicious cycle that leads me right into mania. I take restoril, benedril, and melatonin to help me sleep, but this isn't working. I've tried lunesta, ambien, seroquil, you name it-it seems like I've tried them all and I still have the same problem. I don't think my doctor knows what to do for me now. I need some feedback on ideas to help me sleep. Everyone has always been so helpful, please give me some advice.

I know how you feel scooby! I cannot sleep though the night. I wake up three to four times a night and have a heck of time falling back to sleep. I don't have any magic answer as to how to solve this problem. I just keep a book by my bed and read until I fall asleep again.

Welcome to MDJ Scooby, I definitely can relate to what your going through. I've used Rozerum, Ambien, Seroquil and am currently using Trazadone. Have you tried that one yet. This is the one that keeps me asleep all night and does not give me a hangover the next morning. I also take Clonodine or Klonopin. These work really well with the Trazadone when I can't sleep at all. If you want look up on webmd, type in your symptoms and it will list meds for those symptoms. Have you tried taking a hot bath before you go to bed and listen to really soft music? Let me know if any of these work.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been on Trazadone at one time, but do not take it presently. I'll suggest this to my doctor and see if that will help.

Try the hot bath and soft music. I used to have really bad panic attacks and insomnia. I slept on my couch and listened to soft music in candle light. That helped to.

My Dr has me on Minipress (an Alpha-blocker) as an anti-nightmare Rx, and it's supposed to help me sleep. I think that Geodon might help with sleep, also. Maybe either of those might benefit you. Trazadone made me wake up all cotton-mouthed, and I hated that feeling. I think I am going to try Massage therapy when I have the $$$, and Yoga ALWAYS helped me sleep like a baby every time I took an evening class. There are relaxation tapes available too, that help put you into a deeper state of sleep. Bella Ruth Naperstack, I think, has a really good one. It even works on my youngest!

Just a heads-up, I meant Geodon might help with sleep as an added benefit, not that it is solely used for it. Seroquel works best for me, personally and I've tried Ambien and a lot of others, too, so it's nothing new to me.

Other meds you may want to try include Remeron, Restoril, Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata.

I take Trazodone myself. When I'm level, I take 100mg and it works in 15 minutes. When I'm manic, I take 300mg PRN and it works in 5.

Post edited by: neondreams, at: 06/01/2009 09:47 PM

Magnesium citrate in powder form worked for me. It's just a mineral. I got it from the health food store, sold as "Tranquil" it helps support a normal healthy response to stress. This with exercise, a bath and some Kava tea might help