Posted by Solstice on December 7, 2011, at 20:43:00
My daughter has bipolar. It's been pretty well controlled. The big problem we're having now is an escalation of chronic insomnia.
Here's what she takes:
MORNING
Geodon 60mg
Vyvanse 80mg
Intuniv 3mgBOOSTER
Adderall 15mgEVENING
Geodon 60 mg
Trazadone 150mg
The Trazadone was prescribed specifically to help with the insomnia. She was very sensitive to it initially, and in the beginning, for the longest, she only took 25mg and slept like a log. She has gone up and down on it since then - and her biggest complaint is she believes it makes her feel sleepy during the day. What I'm worried about, is that her sleepiness is not because of the Trazadone, but rather is because of how little sleep she gets. She frequently doesn't fall asleep until 5am - and is up an hour or two later to go to school. Sometimes she gets a few more hours, but not often. On weekends, though, she might sleep till 1pm.She just finished being in a lead role in a play at school.. where there were weeks of very late rehearsals, and she'd come home quite stimulated. Anyway, her insomnia is driving her, and me, nuts.
We saw her psychiatrist the other day, and the psychiatrist said there wasn't much she could prescribe for her at her age.
My daughter has heard about melatonin. Does anybody here think it's worth a try? Can anyone tell me whether Trazadone is likely to cause daytime sleepiness? Is there anything else about her med schedule that might be exacerbating her insomnia? Any ideas?
As a side-note - and I don't know whether it plays a role, but she was diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction several years ago. All her autonomic systems are affected.. including heart rate, digestion, sweating, internal thermostat, etc.It is controlled by taking salt tablets. A lot. About six a day. If she takes it, most of her symptoms are held at bay. If she misses the salt tabs for a day, her heart rate & blood pressure get erratic, she starts having frequent PVC's, sweats on one side and not the other, feels cold when it's hot and vice versa. So.. I can't help but wonder if whatever brain malfunction that's responsible for her autonomic dysfunction also plays a role in her insomnia. Any of you brilliant folks got any ideas?
Solstice
poster:Solstice
thread:1004423
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111120/msgs/1004423.html