Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health (Expert Forum)
what's best to help sleep w/WellbutrinXL
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
what's best to help sleep w/WellbutrinXL
by RickK., Mar 14, 2004 12:00AM
I am a 49 yr old male. I have taught for 20 yrs. & lately have found the job unbearable. I was first prescribed Prozac 5 yrs ago which was ineffective and then Celexa 40mgs & thought it saved my life. But this yr it stopped working. My dr. switched to Lexapro which I tried for 2 weeks & no improvement. Nothing helped w/mood & especially SLEEP. I originally tried Lorenzempam to sleep then switched to Clonezpam .5mg & eventually needed neither (while on Celexa). I've asked for medical leave until I can get this under control (hopefully). Now I'm trying Wellbutrinxl 150 mg. While at school (for 1 week) this caused anxiety & crying & difficulty in just speaking to people, but I know I need to give it a chance. What can I take for sleep? I've been on Ambien 10 mg & it works for about 4 hrs but I know it's only short-term. I also have Trazadone 50 mg but the one time I tried it, I slept but could do NOTHING the next day (as a teacher!! how embarrassing) I see my doctor tomorrow but should I continue the Trazadone? Any other recommendations I can use in combination w/the Wellbutrin that will both help sleep & mood? I'm hoping 4 weeks on Wellbutrin will help, but if not, what's the next logical choice? Not being able to concentrate very well made this hard to write and I'm supposed to be an English teacher.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Mar 15, 2004 12:00AM
, Mar 15, 2004 12:00AM
You might try using the Ambien only after you wake up early, that way the short term effect works in your favor and you can avoid the hangover of the longer acting medications like Trazadone. Hopefully the Wellbutrin will resolve the issue so you are only taking one medication. Are you also talking to a therapist, if not, you should. Medications are not cures. They are temporary relief. The underlying source still has to be dealt with.
Has anyone else had severe constipation with the Wellbutrin XR?
So you can pretty much work out how much to take, with a few night's experimentation, in order to sleep 8 hours.
Note that it does *not* enhance all-important Stage Four sleep. Klonopin is one agent that does. But as for length of sleep, lorazepam is not only the mildest of the benzodiazepenes, with it you can get a full night's sleep.
BTW: benzos are commonly found to be non-addictive in patients who need them; that is, one does not need more and more over time.
Best.
Zo