![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by herpills on November 28, 2011, at 8:09:49
FDA Okays First Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia Drug
By Robert Longley, About.com Guide November 28, 2011
Is there anything worse than waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep? Okay, lots of things, but for people who do it and hate it, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has, for the first time ever, approved a drug to treat middle-of-the-night insomnia.
According to the FDA, the newly approved prescription sleep aid drug, called Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate sublingual tablets), should be used only when the person taking it can devote at least four more hours to staying in bed and should never be taken after drinking alcohol or in combination with any other sleep aid.
The sleep-inducing ingredient of Intermezzo -- zolpidem tartrate - was first approved by the FDA in 1992 as the all-night sleep aid drug Ambien. Intermezzo includes a lower dosage of zolpidem than Ambien.
"For people whose insomnia causes them to wake in middle of the night with difficulty returning to sleep, this new medication offers a safer choice than taking a higher dose of zolpidem upon waking," said the FDA's Dr. Robert Temple, M.D., in a press release "With this lower dose there is less risk of a person having too much drug in the body upon waking, which can cause dangerous drowsiness and impair driving."
Side Effects? You bet! FDA advises that Intermezzo "like other sleep medicines," can cause some seriously bizarre side effects like getting out of bed while still partially asleep and doing things you don't remember doing later. According to the FDA, people under the influence of sleep medications have reported waking up to discover they had driven cars, cooked and eaten meals, taken walks outside, talked on the phone and had sex - without being aware of their actions at the time or remembering them later.
The most commonly reported adverse reactions to Intermezzo in its clinical trials were headache, nausea and fatigue. Since it can be abused and lead to dependence, Intermezzo is classified by the FDA as a federally controlled substance, available by prescription only.
Posted by Phillipa on November 28, 2011, at 9:51:16
In reply to FDA Okays First Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia Drug, posted by herpills on November 28, 2011, at 8:09:49
I read that the other day. I just didn't understand why a new med was needed why not just less of lunesta? Half and then half later? Phillipa
Posted by jane d on November 28, 2011, at 10:09:37
In reply to FDA Okays First Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia Drug, posted by herpills on November 28, 2011, at 8:09:49
Posted by herpills on November 28, 2011, at 14:24:18
In reply to FDA Okays First Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia Drug, posted by herpills on November 28, 2011, at 8:09:49
Ambien in a fast absorbing dissolving tablet...gosh I wonder if this one's gonna get abused...
Posted by Christ_empowered on November 28, 2011, at 19:37:04
In reply to FDA Okays First Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia Drug, posted by herpills on November 28, 2011, at 8:09:49
First Ambien CR, now this crap? Would it be so hard for Big Pharma to, I don't know, introduce A NEW DRUG?!?!
Posted by floatingbridge on November 28, 2011, at 22:37:41
In reply to Re: FDA Okays First Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia Drug, posted by Christ_empowered on November 28, 2011, at 19:37:04
Sonata is for when a person can devote four hours to sleep. It was prescribed to me for mid-night time awakenings....
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on November 29, 2011, at 16:43:53
In reply to Umm, what happened to Sonata?, posted by floatingbridge on November 28, 2011, at 22:37:41
I was going to ask that floating - never used it, but I remember reading about it when it was released in Australia.
My insomnia "cocktail" is 1mg of Xanax (I take 1mg twice a day) alonh with 25mg of doxylamine (Unisom Sleeptabs) and 3mg of Melatonin
This usualy works - if it doesnt I have some 50mg Seroquel that I brought through the "grey market", one of those knocks me out for 8 hours on nights when the usual stuff fails me
Posted by Phillipa on November 29, 2011, at 18:26:22
In reply to Re: Umm, what happened to Sonata?, posted by jono_in_adelaide on November 29, 2011, at 16:43:53
I never took Sonata either did it work? Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on November 29, 2011, at 19:44:29
In reply to Re: Umm, what happened to Sonata?, posted by Phillipa on November 29, 2011, at 18:26:22
Yes, it worked great for a long time. No real hangover. I could take it if I woke up between 2-3 a.m. without a problem.
No talking about Legos in my sleep, either.
Posted by Christ_empowered on November 29, 2011, at 21:28:56
In reply to Re: Umm, what happened to Sonata? » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on November 29, 2011, at 19:44:29
Sonata was OK for me. I had a friend who used to snort them (for some reason, all the college students, especially girls, had Sonata prescriptions). I tried it a couple times and it was bizarre--weirdly hallucinogenic.
Posted by floatingbridge on November 29, 2011, at 22:02:14
In reply to Re: Umm, what happened to Sonata?, posted by Christ_empowered on November 29, 2011, at 21:28:56
Wow. Really? That does not sound appealing.
But when Sonata stopped working, i did go through a phase of being awake and feeling exessively pleasant. But that's when I knew it was either write the company and get inquire about a 24 hour extended release AD or call it quits.
Posted by Phillipa on December 4, 2011, at 10:46:13
In reply to Re: Umm, what happened to Sonata? » Christ_empowered, posted by floatingbridge on November 29, 2011, at 22:02:14
Babble back and running post away. Thanks to Dr Bob. Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.