• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Best antidepressant for sleep?

minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
Hey Heaps, my experience with speed is that it's speed on me. A friend sent me some flexeril to try so I should have that Monday. In the meantime I got some liquid melatonin to try. I can at least get a few hours of sleep with 20 mgs of melatonin.

I have an appointment with her mid September but I just found a Naturopath who I'm going to see after I see my P Doc and get some current labs. I need to move the appointment up with the P Doc and maybe get the naturopath to get on the sleep case.

As for my P Doc I doubt if she will do anything out of her views of medicine which are very middle of the road. A few months ago I tried some new meds. I asked her if she would give me 2 or 3 RX's of maybe 5 pills each to try and she refused. There's no way she would give me something without texts to confirm I needed it.

The thing is, I actually don't know if the Trazodone is a problem or not. Since sleep deprivation for me gives me the same symptoms I have no clue and I have to keep taking small doses of the traz so I don't go into withdrawal.

If what is going on with me, feeling like air is pumped into my head and constant fog and drugginess is not the meds then what. I just need to hold out until I can see the Naturopath. She's as close to help as I'm going to get right now.

Oh, the problem is no matter how tired I am my brain just keeps going. I almost never nap and by the end of the day I'm awake again usually. If I don't sleep tonight I will in a day or two.

Thanks for the help. I'll take your suggestions to the new doc.

Minks

Just got my 23andMe kit today because the naturopath wants to check for mutant genes. LOL
 
Messages
15
Isn't ME the same thing as CFS? I am confused. Did I miss something?
Elizabeth, I completely feel for you. When I first got sick all I wanted to do was sleep, but that switched over into pure no sleep insomnia. It was an awful time and I went nuts. I had to go on an antidepressant. I completely understand your plight. None of us are experts and we are so different in what works for us. A sleep study can be very difficult and I have yet to do one because I don't want to! I want to be in my bed.

I went on Tofranil, an old antidepressant in the beginning. It helped me for sleep. Trazadone is one of the more tiring antidepressants, otherwise known at Desyrel. Problem with that for me, it made me sick to my stomach. See why I am saying none of us are experts? It works differently for everyone.

I went on Sinequan at one point and Remeron. Both of them put 20 pounds on me and I was rolly polly. It took me forever to get the weight off and Remeron..I still have the 13 pounds extra it put on me!

5HTP gave me nightmares...bloody, killing nightmares.

SSRI's make me vomit. They give me horrible reflux and gerd.

See? We are all so different.

You need to try them out and find out for yourself. I hate telling you that. I would, if you can find a good psychiatrist, go to a good psychiatrist. I am not a fan of shrinks, but I will say this; they know their meds for the most part if you get to a good one and they can really help you. Some psychiatrists, all they do is prescribe meds. They are experts at it and they don't do therapy or talking. You are in and out.

I completely understand how daunting this is.

After you get a medicine that works and get some sleep, try to really help the CFS. It wasn't until I got sleep that I could think about methylation protocols and treatments for this thing, because I was just too strung out and needed SLEEP.
 
Messages
15
Hi Elizabeth,
Did you have an issue sleeping after receiving b12 injection? My dr have me an injection when my levels were fine first shot I received insomnia since its been 2 1/2 months.thanks Melissa
 
Messages
1
Antidepressants don't help my insomnia one bit. Only two things that work are quetiapine xl (which makes my anxiety worse) and olanzapine (which gives me chronic stiffness). Pregabalin and benzos do nothing to help with sleep (or anxiety for that matter(with exception of xanax which sometimes helps anxiety) ).

Really need to find an alternative to olanzapine. Horrible drug with loads of side effects. But i feel so much worse if i don't sleep.
 

helen1

Senior Member
Messages
1,033
Location
Canada
I'm trying CBD oil (cannabinol, low THC type) and B12 in evening at the moment. Sleeping better than usual.
 

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
Trazodone for me - there was an interesting thing on Cort´s blog about a potential mechanism through which it may have beneficial effects in people with ME.
 

Justin30

Senior Member
Messages
1,065
I like reading this thread, I have used many sleep aids in a short period of time.

I am a Male 30 yrs Old, CCC Criteria ME to the T I have most of whats on the full criteria.

Please note I am not a Dr and you should review all meds with your Dr. Before taking

I'll list them below:

Nyquil-good to get to sleep but did not keep me asleep

Nyquil Sleep Aid-didnt do much

Trazadone- found it great for putting me asleep and keeping me asleep. Stopped working

Trazadone and Mertazapine- another good combo but stopped working.

Trazadone, Mertazapine and Gabapentin- worked then stopped working

Trazadone and Clonezapam- ineffective was not good for deep sleep.

Selinor (Doxepin) and Clonezapam- No Deep sleep achieved.

NOTE: Clonezepam lowers/depletes melotonin so when I used this I always add in melatonin early on in the evening

After trying so many my best has been trazadone and Mertazapine....which after a break is now working again...Good sleep is coming back and hopefully I can make it out of this crash as it was by far the worst but I know exactly the cause....stupid Justin:bang-head:

I have logged sleep patterns on my fitbit and can see the difference between sleep with Traz and Mirtaz and Clonez and Doxepin.

Much less "restless and awake periods with Traz and Mirtaz.

I wish Trazadone would just stay working....I find it really good for the deep sleep. I dream and can tell I got good sleep in he AM even though im not that functional atm. When Traz stopped working is when I got sicker and not just a bit sicker but substantially sicker.

I am starting a new protocol to address underlying symptoms in a week or so just titrating up on other meds.

TRAZADONE as per Corts Thread has on impact on calming down microglia I think was what was mentioned.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Interesting comments above. I was on Trazadone, quit working for me, tried Doxepin, did not work at all. Mirtazapine (Remeron) has been working for me since 2009, I'm at the top dosage most nights now (60mg), I wake up feeling more refreshed and dream since being on Mirtazapine. I don't recall dreaming for years, was on Trazadone then.

Seems like we had a similar experience, but not exactly the same.

Have you investigated the "new" drug, Belsomara for sleep? @Justin30

GG
 

Justin30

Senior Member
Messages
1,065
Interesting comments above. I was on Trazadone, quit working for me, tried Doxepin, did not work at all. Mirtazapine (Remeron) has been working for me since 2009, I'm at the top dosage most nights now (60mg), I wake up feeling more refreshed and dream since being on Mirtazapine. I don't recall dreaming for years, was on Trazadone then.

Seems like we had a similar experience, but not exactly the same.

Have you investigated the "new" drug, Belsomara for sleep? @Justin30

GG

No but I will definately look into it.

I was recommended by ME dr to change to Amtryptaline but am hesitant based in peoples poor experience with it.

Thanks
 

Justin30

Senior Member
Messages
1,065
Wow interesting Drug-balsomora. Works on Orexin Neuron...which I have not heard of....

I would like to hear a true ME persons experience with the drug first before i try it.

Thank you for sharing as this might be a good topic for another thread
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Wow interesting Drug-balsomora. Works on Orexin Neuron...which I have not heard of....

I would like to hear a true ME persons experience with the drug first before i try it.

Thank you for sharing as this might be a good topic for another thread

Oh yeah, the commercial for it makes it sound "scary" with all the potential side effects, but it might be the same/similar for other similar drugs?!

GG