Wondering if there is a bipolar medication out there that helps with sleep?

I have at one time or another been on three of the meds you had mentioned.  I have also suffered from life long( since 7 yrs old) insomnia.  Alot of the med combinations they tried to help with not sleeping actually never helped sleep or actually made the problem worse.  I think it should be between you and your doctor but adding a sleep med may help. Seroquel actually made me more anxious thus making it harder to sleep.

Hi, Susan. I'm not an MD and I don't want to second-guess your pdoc. A few generalities that may or may not apply to you:

As strictly a sleep aid, the normal Seroquel dose is 25-100 mgs. You are on a dose for treating mania, psychosis, and depression.

There is a vast range of sleep aids out there, and you and your pdoc will probably have to experiment. Melatonin is a natural alternative that is finding favor with a lot of pdocs. Ask your pdoc first before buying it over the counter.

Re Geodon, the heart issue - the QT interval - was a concern when the drug first came out, but when I last researched the issue there had been no reported heart deaths from Geodon. But the labeling does advice not taking the med if you have a history of heart problems or feel that something is amiss.

Don't know if this will help you or not - it did me.  "Simply Sleep" by Tylenol is non-habit forming and worked for me.  Wal-Mart has their own brand that is the same thing and is only $1.99 ... I don't have to take it anymore - but did right after coming out of episode. 

I have had incredible insomnia for about 7 years.  I tried Geodon for about 4 days!! I had incredible dizziness & broke my toe when I was trying to run to get back into bed before I fell down while the room was spinning so badly.  I also fell asleep while driving on Geodon when a wave of fatigue swept over me.  The only thing that woke me up was when my car veered off the road & the tire hit a patch of gravel & the sound of that gravel woke me up.

Right now I take Klonopin at night, Topamax in the a.m. & p.m. (just got the dosage increased from 100 mg to 200 mg to promote sleep as I was sleeping only about 2-3 hours a night--sometimes only 1); the last 2 nights I have slept 5 1/2 hours so it seems to be working.  I also take Trazodone (an old-time anti-depressant that has the side effect of causing drowsiness so it is another sedative), Abilify & Lamictal.

Have been in a mixed episode for a long time since an overdose 2 years ago.  So my meds have been adjusted a lot & I have been in intensive individual therapy & dialectical behavioral therapy (which has been VERY helpful) so I'm optimistic about the future.

Getting the right meds takes a long time & you don't just stay on the same combo forever, at least I haven't nor have the people in my support group.  Good luck.

Hello there! I have never met anyone who has said that Seroquel made them anxious so I am so excited to have read that I am not alone. My doctors didnt believe me when I said that seroquel made my anxiety worse and in fact, it has ruined my life. I am bipolar and on klonopin lithium and several others but once i stopped the seroquel i was able to sleep. I think it gave me insomnia...it did the very opposite thing than what it is made for. So i am sorry that i do not have an answer to your question but I am pleased to see another like me (no offense!). I wish you all the best and hope that you can one day find the right combination of meds for you =)

seroquel...out in 15 minutes