I was diagnosed with bipolar back in the 80's and have had a fight to be well. I remember the last time I went into the hospitol I was on neurontin and klonopin. I was manic. They ended up putting me on Seroquel 400mgs.Depakote and neurontin. Also I was taking zanaflex. I am currently now on seroquel 300mgs and not sleeping or at least going to sleep until 3-4am. I also have alot of scalp rash and excessive weightgain that is affecting my joints and my self-esteem.
I gave geodan a thought on a treatment plan but am very afraid of the side effects it lists with the heart. Can someone who is on geodon please tell me your experience with it? What is a good medication for sleep in bipolar. Thanks, got2b
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Q: Wondering if there is a bipolar medication out there that helps with sleep?
Answers (7)
6/16/08 12:10pm
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.
6/16/08 3:05am
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.
7/ 9/08 10:11pm
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.
8/ 9/08 7:15pm
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.
11/28/08 10:22pm
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 =)
8/13/09 5:26pm
seroquel...out in 15 minutes
2/ 2/11 10:50pm
Seroquel 250mg/1mg clomazapam is what I take, does the trick for me, out within 1/2 hour. On a lower does previous to 250mg, pdoc had me on 50 to 100 mg, if I took the 100 mg I was like a drunk person and slept right away. Not sure why the higher dose doesn't affect me the same way, my anti-depressant was changed at the same time my seroquel was increased, not sure if that's doing it or not. I think it's an individual and alot of exprementing to get the right combination, good luck to you.
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By susan— Last Modified: 02/02/11, First Published: 06/16/08
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