Options for other sleeping medication option's besides Ambien. Z drugs, Benzos, or others?

[plonk-ozoid]

Mirtazapine in small doses is fairly common.

It's an anti-depressant in higher doses (30-50mg), but maybe 1/10-1/5 of this it has a strong antihistamine effect. I'm prescribed 7,5mg (on top of quetiapine) and it does work. Not addictive, no withdrawal at these doses.

For me there's a weird side-effect: ridiculously vivid dreams. Not nightmares (usually), but not pleasant either. Maybe some people enjoy this, but I know some who've discontinued it because of this. I'm sometimes considering the latter, but at the moment it beats insomnia.

For reference: melatonin doesn't work well for me, but it does give me more pronounced dreams. So personally it's useless as a sleeping aid. Z-drugs work for a brief period, then my tolerance skyrockets and it stops working. Temazepam works for a bit longer but it does the same thing.

So mirtazapine/quetiapine-combo it is for me.

 

[Conky]

I don't think this is accurate. DORAs are being studied for use with sleep disorders in dementia patients. But since they have been on the market less than 10 years I doubt there is much evidence of them causing dementia yet.

I have had a good experience with them. You don't develop a tolerance, nor any dependence as far as I can tell. I can't discern any recreational value whatsoever and-depending on the time of year (and hence my affect) lemborexant* is either a sufficient add-on or more-than-adequate for my needs.

*Lemborexant appears to be the most potent of the three DORAs commercially available at this time, with a devastating half-life that takes some getting acquainted with

I don't think so

Compared to the first approved DORA, Suvorexant, Lemborexant dissociates from the receptors faster. So, the actual duration of clinical effects may be shorter than Suvorexant despite the elimination half life. That's not a good thing for me as I have sleep maintenance insomnia. I'm going to see if I can switch to Suvorexant 20mg-30mg.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Hey everyone,
Hope everyone's week is going well.

So I'll try to keep this short I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar 1 after being diagnosed ADHD and given Adderall for over a decade. The Adderall has definitely caused some permanent damage to my sleep as even taking just one at times would put me into mania for days.
I don't take it anymore but am prescribed Seroquel , lithium, Klonopin ( for panic attacks), and auvelity, and ambien (for sleep)

My biggest issue is my sleep as if I don't sleep it will start to trigger a manic episode. The ambien definitely helps but hardly... it doesn't make me feel tired but it will lot of the time just knock me out of I take enough which is too much. I just wanted to ask if anyone had any experiences like tha with ambien but had better results with a different z drugs that offers more sedating effects to help get my mind mentally ready to sleep as opposed to randomly passing out.

I have tried everything for sleep benzos make me hyperactive sometimes, I have taken antihistamines for years like benadryl but I wayyyy overdid it and is why I'm trying to find other options as taking as much as I was nightly was not healthy.
I've also taken other antidepressants for sleep too like trazadone and remeron with no help also antipsychotics like seroquel only help for a few days before they lose that effect on me.

Does anyone have any ideas for other options for more sedating z drugs?

During my 2 1/2 years stress induced insomnia, lets assume 6 months:
[added up] of 8 hour sleep and a few with 4 hours during that period.
The rest or roof observing, enduring or giving up.

Trying any sleep architecture technique, supplements
even my dr. who once prescribed Midazolam and
Quetiapine/ Seroquel [dis advised by medici for sleeping].
Neither worked, on Midazolam i had a good midnite walk.

My RC benzo s, when overdone. They work and next day too.
No option for me.Hate hazey days afters
A normal dose ment not lying awake stressed but, relaxed.
Better then ... , but no sleep.

So even had 'experts' have look, but besides very tiring.
A waste of time and effort. No result.

What did restore my sleep architecture, DETOX.
Mega dose Diazepam 80-40-30-20-10, for a Alcohol detox.
After that my sleep structure seems 80% restored.
[so about a year ago, and it still ok, sometimes i oversleep WOW]

Avoid stress keep up activity during day, all facet s work/ art/ relaxation
and physical and mental. Wind down at night if possible.
No sleep within a reasonable amount a time +/- 30 minutes.

Get out restart after a cup of sleepy time.
Mulungu/ PassiFlora Incarnata
and Lemon Balm extracts, worth trying.


Melatonin is not Melatonin btw.
One i can take 20 mg nada, the one i am taking now.
2 x 0.299 mcg works ?

 

[emkee_reinvented]

On d-Amphetamine, ADD diagnosed.
At normal presribed dosages taken at normal times.
It has no influence on my sleep, i could if i would sleep on 10 mg.

Maybe adderal is by the little part l-amphetamine different.
But a ADHD med should not interfere with sleep afaik,
if you only have ADHD.

So you should at least consider you also have insomnia.
Had it and its hell, and ADHD med s don t cause it ime.
So might a question pop up fire away,
who knows what comes up.

 

[4DQSAR]

I don't think anyone has mentioned the oxerin receptor antagonists.

Daridorexant (Quviviq)
Suvorexant ( Belsomra)
Lemborexant (Dayvigo)

The reception appears mixed. I'm almost certain that researchers were tasked with finding a hypnotic that had little or no abuse potential but I remain to be convinced that they are particularly active.

Every generation of hypnotic is launched stating it to be safer and with less abuse potential. Perversely the Z-drugs may actually be more problematic than the benzodiazepines they replaced and this new clas appears for follow that path.

In essence, doctors have recognized that hypnotics will tend to cause addiction (note that dependence is a different thing) because people get used to popping a pill to sleep. It may be a behavioral addiction rather than a chemical addiction, but that doesn't make them any easier to treat.

Only if one is struggling with severe insomnia are hypnotics appropriate and even then, only a very short course.

I'm old enough to recall when every single aduct patient in NHS hospitals throughout the UK were given nitrazepam (Mogadon) every night of their stay. It turned out the makers had essentially |just GIVEN the NHS a huge number of pills safe in the knowledge that patients were more than likely to ask their GP for the same drug at some future date. It was quite a scandal.