Sleeping far too much

[GBM]

I am on Abilify Maintenna (300mg) which is a monthly injection for treatment of schizophrenia. Overall I prefer this drug over all the other ones I had tried (Risperidone, Seroquel) however the one negative I can find in this drug compared to the others is starting to ruin my life. Sleeping. When I say I'm sleeping too much I don't mean I sleep for 10 hours a night. On average I sleep for 16 hours, some sleeps lasting 24+ hours. My longest recorded sleep happened last week, I slept for 36 straight hours.

My doctor is trying to find a way to make me sleep less. Because I am unable to work at this time, finding a day job was out of the question. He suggested I try to fill my days with activities so I have something to get up for. I have been trying to do this but for the most part, I just sleep through my scheduled activities.

Most recently he prescribed me Modifinil. It is a medication used for people with narcolepsy, to help them avoid falling asleep while driving, working, etc. It didn't work, I would take my dose and fall asleep. After a week I went from 100mg to 100mg 2x daily, then 200mg once daily. It still didn't work.

He is now talking about putting me on Wellbutrin. I have been on anti depressants in the past and they all have been contradictory for me. To be blunt, I am scared to try another anti depressant, but I don't know how much longer I can go on with the amount of sleep I seem to need.

Is there any medications out there that could be used to treat high amounts of sleep? Amphetamines are basically out of the question given the fact this is a Psychosis Clinic and I am being treated for schizophrenia, although I have taken 40mg vyvanse numerous times and I know with all certainty that it keeps me awake and does not cause any harsh symptoms (such ass hallucinations, sense of impending doom, feeling like I am being watched) but I don't really know how to approach my doctor with this information (pls note, not looking for how to do this, I am looking for experiences with Wellbutrin and any other possible non-amphetamine medications to approach my doctor with)

 

[Trying2Iso]

Strange.. aripiprazole is associated with insomnia, rather than somnolence... but i guess anything's possible

As for the Wellbutrin, it is not like conventional antidepressants, it is very atypical. It causes no sexual side effects, and can help you get more motivation and stay awake.
But i hated it because it caused me to feel jittery, anxious, and agitated

I know several schizophrenics who successfully take vyvanse to wake up from their high doses of antipsychotics, but it is something that many psychiatrists are trying to avoid because pdocs in general hate writing amph scripts for liability reasons.
Have you tried caffeine? if you try only using it when you are waking up it can lower your tolerance so it works when you need it to. Caffeine did little to stop the somnolence i experienced from seroquel tho.

My last advice would be to switch from the injection to the daily oral dose. That way, instead of getting a constant sustained release of the med, you can only dose at night so it peaks when you need to sleep and that way you can be awake during the day. thats the good thing about oral meds, you can dose accordingly.

 

[GBM]

Bump for visibility (and hopeful placement into a forum where I can get more answers)

 

[pasha]

It's a side effect of this class of medications that you have to live with. Finding a substance to counter-balance that is difficult because so many drugs are contraindicated with AP's. Even if the stimulant is non-amphetamine what you should consider:

A - would it be potent enough to achieve what you want? AP's are extremely potent.
B - would this mystery medicine not be contraindicated with AP's for the same reason as amphetamines. Assuming what you need is a stimulant, and all stimulants operate similarly in a broad sense, you'd face the same issue as you would on amphetamines.

Homeless -> Other Drugs

 

[sekio]

Caffeine?

It's FDA Generally Recognized As Safe & is indicated for excessive tiredness... you may just need to manipulate the dosage.

 

[Lucy Bookit]

I recently had to do sleep tests because I was experiencing a similar amount of sleep (sleeping 12 to 14 hours a night, with multiple naps during the day). For me, it wasn't clearly related to any meds, and after testing I was diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia (basically I sleep a lot and doctors aren't sure why). I have been on resperidone and seroquel, and I completely understand why you wouldn't want to go back on them now that you've found something that helps you. I would assume a stimulant medication would be what they would place you on. My doctor put me on adderall, because modafinil wasn't covered by my insurance, and it has really turned my life around. I still sometimes take naps during the day, but I never sleep to the extents that I used to.

I would ask about getting sleep testing done, so that you have data showing how sleepy you are. I had to do this first to rule out narcolepsy and sleep apnea.

I would recommend expressing to your doctor the extent to which this is effecting your life, and that you don't want to change your psyche meds but need help. Sometimes doctors don't realize the severity of feeling fatigued and sleeping so long. Maybe even keep a sleep journal so that you can show him how much time you're sleeping?

Good luck, I know how difficult and terrible it can be to sleep for huge chunks of time, but if you keep pressing it hopefully you'll find a doctor who will help you.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I'm not schizophranic but I know some people who are who are either on meds, or who don't take them. One of my friends who is schizophranic but who doesn't take meds at all gets on a regular sleep cycle or sleep schedule, and drinks 2-3 cups of coffee in the morning morning, and goes to bed early.

Talk to your doctor about the medication, and tell him/her how you're sleeping too much. It could be that you just need a lower dose, or that you need to try a different medication? Good luck.

 

[SixBuckets]

Is there a reason you're on monthly shots instead of nightly oral doses? Does your doctor have reason to think you won't be compliant on self-administered medication?

If it's simply a case of still being on the meds you were initially put on when you were in crisis, you might want to talk to your doctor about changing antipsychotics. Some of them cause less drowsiness than others.

 

[GBM]

Caffeine?

It's FDA Generally Recognized As Safe & is indicated for excessive tiredness... you may just need to manipulate the dosage.

Caffeine doesn't seem to effect me. I can drink a coffee/have a monster and go right to sleep afterwards.

I recently had to do sleep tests because I was experiencing a similar amount of sleep (sleeping 12 to 14 hours a night, with multiple naps during the day). For me, it wasn't clearly related to any meds, and after testing I was diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia (basically I sleep a lot and doctors aren't sure why). I have been on resperidone and seroquel, and I completely understand why you wouldn't want to go back on them now that you've found something that helps you. I would assume a stimulant medication would be what they would place you on. My doctor put me on adderall, because modafinil wasn't covered by my insurance, and it has really turned my life around. I still sometimes take naps during the day, but I never sleep to the extents that I used to.

I would ask about getting sleep testing done, so that you have data showing how sleepy you are. I had to do this first to rule out narcolepsy and sleep apnea.

I would recommend expressing to your doctor the extent to which this is effecting your life, and that you don't want to change your psyche meds but need help. Sometimes doctors don't realize the severity of feeling fatigued and sleeping so long. Maybe even keep a sleep journal so that you can show him how much time you're sleeping?

Good luck, I know how difficult and terrible it can be to sleep for huge chunks of time, but if you keep pressing it hopefully you'll find a doctor who will help you.

Sleep tests have been done, Mild Sleep Apnea but not severe enough to be covered for treatment.

I'm not schizophranic but I know some people who are who are either on meds, or who don't take them. One of my friends who is schizophranic but who doesn't take meds at all gets on a regular sleep cycle or sleep schedule, and drinks 2-3 cups of coffee in the morning morning, and goes to bed early.

Talk to your doctor about the medication, and tell him/her how you're sleeping too much. It could be that you just need a lower dose, or that you need to try a different medication? Good luck.

Not taking my meds is out of the question because
A) I am on a monthly injection administered at the hospital
B) Symptoms are very severe when I have been off medication, and it is not something I want to have to live with ever again

Is there a reason you're on monthly shots instead of nightly oral doses? Does your doctor have reason to think you won't be compliant on self-administered medication?

If it's simply a case of still being on the meds you were initially put on when you were in crisis, you might want to talk to your doctor about changing antipsychotics. Some of them cause less drowsiness than others.

I'm on the monthly shot because, like some other schizophrenics, I'm not compliant with taking a pill everyday. After symptoms go away I convince myself I'm cured and I stop taking the pills, my Psychiatrist eventually finds out after being off them for a few months and I have to start all over again working my way back up to the required dose. I can't go back to the seroquel as there is too many negative side effects (depression, suicidal thoughts) and I can't go back to the risperidone because the dose I had to take to block symptoms was so high I was a walking zombie, the lights were on but no ones home type thing, with severe tardive diskenysia. Abilify was the most sound drug I found but I'm not compliant with taking a daily pill, so the abilify injection (although from what i've told rare to get on in Canada) is really what works best for me.



Because of my general dislike towards anti-depressants, my doctor is not one to force anything on me and is very understanding. After much discussion he took the last resort approach and provided me with a prescription for 1x20mg Lisdexamphetamine (Vyvanse) daily. Although when trying in the past it has only been a few days a week when I really needed to get something done, as for trying to take it every day its almost scary to think of symptoms coming back. As he said, this is the last resort, if this doesn't work for me then he doesn't know where else to go to about my sleeping issues.

I hope this works, but am still open to suggestions as for any alternatives (that might be safer/less likely to cause psychotic symptoms to return)

 

[Wonka]

It can be a major issue and I hope someone who can relate to your exact conditions can give you a solid answer. My proplem is I cant get any sleep....

 

[SixBuckets]

I'm on the monthly shot because, like some other schizophrenics, I'm not compliant with taking a pill everyday. After symptoms go away I convince myself I'm cured and I stop taking the pills, my Psychiatrist eventually finds out after being off them for a few months and I have to start all over again working my way back up to the required dose. I can't go back to the seroquel as there is too many negative side effects (depression, suicidal thoughts) and I can't go back to the risperidone because the dose I had to take to block symptoms was so high I was a walking zombie, the lights were on but no ones home type thing, with severe tardive diskenysia. Abilify was the most sound drug I found but I'm not compliant with taking a daily pill, so the abilify injection (although from what i've told rare to get on in Canada) is really what works best for me.

That's entirely fair. Good on you for recognising that, at least when you're well!

It's a shame Modafinil isn't working for you. It's the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning.

I'm out of suggestions. Good luck!