Any Sleep disorders with PegInterferon?

[Doofus_jones]

Hi Guys

I came to the reaiization the other day that I have been on at least 1 tab Stilnox per night for the past 3 months.

My Dr told me I should come off so I spent Tuesday night without the dose. It did not have a good outcome -  I only managed to sleep from 6:30am till 8:30am leaving me weak, unstable and wired.

The Wed, next morning, was time for my peg-shot number 18, which I took. It slipped me into a mind bending state of continuous, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem and depression.  I called my Dr in the evening and she told me to use the 1 tab Stilnox again for another night. I did this and slept OK. Once I have slept my day goes by passibly well, but at night the goblins of anxiety and depression come out to play. My immediate instinct is to knock them out with something. Has anyone else here had to deal with similar experience? I'm actually getting concerned for my sanity.  I'm geno 2 and have 6 weeks to go. Right now 6 weeks honestly still seems a long time.

best to you all

Pete

[Doofus_jones]

thanks for this inspiring note. I will check out some melatonin today.

best wishes to you

Pete

[ceanothus]

I agree with Pooh! Your body has almost certainly developed some degree of dependence on the zolpidem by now, and you will have rebound effects if you stop it abruptly. My doc says 3-4 nights per week is the most to use over a long run and if needed more often then alternatives have to be found. For me, melatonin worked just great. It can be purchased OTC very cheaply, but beware of the dosage. The smallest I could find was 5 mg, but online research suggested it really works best at smaller doses. I cut the pills into quarters and take 1.25 mg per night. Also be aware that some people experience markedly more vivid dreams from it (and not all good ones), but for me this sx faded after the first three nights, and they were kind of interesting anyway. I probably wouldn't have liked it to continue forever, but I didn't mind a few nights of wild dreams in exchange for sleeping! Late in tx I also experienced Restless Leg Syndrome, also from the interferon. Melatonin did not help it, but I eventually discovered that a 400 mg magnesium supplement settled it down pretty well. Another option you might consider is an anti-depressant. It's late to start one for its primary effect, as they usually take 6 weeks to start helping with depression, but some types of anti-depressants are also sedating, and are often prescribed to help with sleep problems. It would be a good idea to discuss the whole thing with your doctor again. The last 6 weeks are really hard, but keep looking at how far you've already come and they will come to an end eventually. I think I was most proud in the end of having stuck it out through those last 6 weeks, and you will be too!

[pooh55811]

I don't know what dosage you are on but, if you have been taking Stilnox for 3 months, it would probably be advisable to taper off, NOT to go cold turkey. You and your doctor should discuss this situation and decide the best way to decrease and get off the drug.

"Avoid abrupt discontinuance after prolonged (e.g., longer than 1–2 weeks) therapy; consider gradual dosage reduction (e.g., over several nights) when discontinuing short-term therapy."

"Withdrawal Effects"
"Rapid dosage reduction or abrupt discontinuance of sedatives or hypnotics has resulted in signs and symptoms of withdrawal"

http://www.drugs.com/monograph/ambien.html

[barefoot1]

Major sleep issues using Riba/Pega for entire 6 mos of tx, and still now 7 mos post tx have insomnia...if you read on Pegasys's website I think it's one of the side effects if Im not mistaken....dr finally put me on Restoril 15 mg with a 50 mg trazodone chaser....still only achieved 3-4 hrs sleep at a time....

[Doofus_jones]

thanks for your help.

I know that exerise and have used it in the past but the old peg and riba kind of out muscle it.

Best wishes


Pete
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[Doofus_jones]

thanks idyllic

[1swimmer]

This may or may not help, but here goes it anyway. There is a technique where you tighten certain body parts, and then relax. Okay, you start from the head and work your way down the body. I usually sleep on my side, but for this process, I would lie on my back. I scrunch my forehead and then relax. I scrunch my forehead again, and then relax. Next, maybe my nose and mouth together, then I'd relax. Tighten my shoulders and relax. You work it all the way down to your toes.
Sometimes this exercise works because it gets me out of my head as I focus on the body parts. I was sleep deprived during tx. No fun. My only other remedy was Benadryl or if I was achy ibuprofen or Tylenol. This was okayed by my doctor and I took as few pills as possible as a general rule.
Wishing you some Z's,
C

[Idyllic]

Lots of people take as needed sleep aids during treatment. I remember reading something vague that said newly diagnosed sleep disturbance occurs in up to 60% and 30% of untreated CHC patients and patients undergoing interferon-alpha therapy... but nothing more extensive.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19730115
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A restorative night of sleep is crucial for all of us and especially while on treatment. Being sleep deprived can make you feel the way you described in your post. I know most of those sedative hypnotics are for short-term management of Insomnia but there has to be something the doctor can do or suggest in lieu of Stillnox (that's Zolpidem, right?).  

The thing is if depression and anxiety are intertwined or a byproduct of poor sleep then you might want to consider if it is worth meds or treatment to address those things. On the other hand if you are just interested in what other people did to get a decent night of shut eye I would use the Hydroxizine or Melatonin. I should add that I went on Wellbutrin a couple of months prior to treating. In retrospect I think it helped a lot. In my case past experience told me I would be susceptible to the depression that Interferon can induce in some people.