Elavil or Hydroxyzine....?

[badjessejames]

Let me start by saying I have severe insomnia.
Due to a couple stints in rehab and Benzo-Nazi doctors I can't proceed in that direction.
So far they have tried trazadone and I took 150mgs and stayed awake but wished I was dead.
Now I have a prescription for Hydroxyzine...all the research I do says it's an antihistamine similar to Zyrtec...WTF...
I also found some 25mg Elavil tablets...
Just curious if anyone has any experience with either of these drugs and which you would recommend etc....?
~~Thanks~~

 

[fairnymph]

Elavil does nothing to knock me out. It's not well suited for the treatment of insomnia, in my opinion/experience.

 

[kristofire]

hmmmmm you dont want a benzo right? trazadone is lame. i have tried it and it sucks. how bout ghb? its now being prescribed in the u.s. for insomnia patients. i saw this on the news last week.

 

[badjessejames]

Originally posted by kristofire:
how bout ghb? its now being prescribed in the u.s. for insomnia patients. i saw this on the news last week.
That's part of the problem...I usually use GHB daily and it's not an option right now...with the rebound this is a no sleep hell.
Maybe I'll go walk around for a few days and find Dave Attel(sp?)

 

[NoriegA]

Have you tried halcion?...

 

[badjessejames]

Originally posted by NoriegA:
Have you tried halcion?...
I would like to but I think it's a benzo....I've been to 4 Drs and they wouldn't even give me ambien because of addiction potential.
I might ask for Remeron....either that or It's time to start sending cash to India again for some Benzos.
The messed up part is I tell the doctor that I can get them that way but I would rather work with him (also I have health insurance) but he still won't give.....it's not like I'm asking for Oxys. Most people could get those easier than I could get benzos.....
He keeps trying to throw me on drugs where the SIDE EFFECTS are drowsiness...not the main effect. Like certain ADs (trazodone-Emavil)....the reason I'm so damn depressed is because I can't fucking sleep....END RANT

 

[negrogesic]

Remeron is very effective in inducing sleep. Unfortunately it can make you groggy throughout the day, until you become used to its effects. It also has no addiction potential, but can produce withdrawl symptoms if discontinued abruptly.

 

[fairnymph]

^^^
This is true...however in my personal experience Remeron produced no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. I was taking 60 mg/day for 7 weeks and stopped abruptly with no ill effects. It does not seem to cause withdrawal effects nearly as much as most other antidepressants.

 

[PhreeX]

I thik you would find that hydroxyzine will do a good job of knocking you out - but damnit, keep trying and eventually you might cop something decent.. as for side effects from that hydroxyzine - say it's better then the elavil but even at the lowest dose it leaves you really tired the next day and "hung over" ... on the flip-side - hang onto that script for when you score some pain killers and want to increase their effects and cut down on itching at the same time!

 

[negrogesic]

The remeron withdrawal I experienced was after taking 60mg/day for 7 months and switched down to 30mg/day. I was unable to sleep, sweating, appetite loss......not unbearable, not pleasant....
Remeron is also an anti-histamine like atarax, so they acheive sedation by similar means....

 

[negrogesic]

The remeron withdrawal I experienced was after taking 60mg/day for 7 months and switched down to 30mg/day. I was unable to sleep, sweating, appetite loss......not unbearable, not pleasant....
Remeron is also an anti-histamine like atarax, so they acheive sedation by similar means....\
If GHB was in the equation, you may need a sedative for your dopamine needs! For this anti-histamines are pretty useless.

 

[badjessejames]

Well.....I tried the Hydroxyxine and it worked (ok)....got about 6 hours of tossin and turnin..
Thats a godsend for me right now....
Thanks everyone~

 

[travis2600]

How many people think trazadone actually helps sleep? It's not even indicated for that. In fact, trouble sleeping is a listed side effect. It doesn't seem to help me sleep. Does this really help people, or is it just the placebo effect?
Oh, and you say that you can't get benzos because you were in rehab. How do your doctors know this, unless you tell them about it?

 

[day_for_night]

even though you have seen 4 docs, i'd keep trying till you find one sympathetic enough to give you something *good* (ie. a benzo - shoot for ativan or halcion)