Valium

I am having trouble sleeping while on interferon/ribavirin.  Is it safe to eat a valium while on these meds?

[desrt]

Safe but not terribly effective. I'd suggest Ambien if you gotta have a benzo'.

[Kaykay14]

I would call your doctor before taking a valium.  It could have a reaction to the ribavirin which is trying to protect the good cells.  Try taking some motrin to relieve the stress you are going through which might be keeping you up.  The meds do play on your brain, but they need to do their job.  Good luck.  

[mkp13]

I agree about talking to the doc.  You might consider melatonin, though.  It's OTC, safe, and works well for some people.  I've been using that off-and-on throughout treatment.  Go with the lowest OTC dose, though.  It's a natural compound and if the body gets too much it just ignores the signal.

Also, talk to your doc about Ambien (lasts roughly 8 hours) vs. Sonata (lasts about 2 hours).  Which is best depends on whether you're having trouble falling asleep or going back to sleep if you wake up during the night.  My doc prescribed Sonata.  Amusingly, it works great as a placebo: I haven't taken a single pill yet; just knowing it's there if I need it has been enough so far.

Good luck!

[fretboard]

Valium is not a good drug to take to go to sleep with, it may help you drift off, but you could benefit from a milder benzo as mentioned already.  Talk to your doctor, I think even Tylenol PM would be better than valium.  Valium taken regularly will make you forget stuff and you may have brain fog already.  good luck

[Kaykay14]

I was told by my doctor not to take Tylenol anymore because it damages the liver over time, but I agree, I think taking a strong drug like a valium would do more damage.  Only the doctor would know.

[Mary4now]

Are you on anti depressants? sometimes that can help I'm on Lexapro