# Severe nardil insomnia, please help



## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

I have nearly been on nardil for 4 weeks now (nearly 2 weeks at 60mg) and since going up to 60mg the insomnia has been getting worse by the day. 

Last night I would have only got around two hours sleep, despite taking 10mg of valium + 50mg of doxylamine succinate. 

I am almost thinking of throwing it in, because insomnia is a huge problem for me, as I can't function at work (I've had to take a day off because of it). If this were a crappy SSRI I would have given up ages ago as soon as the insomnia started. 

Tonight i'm thinking of trying a different benzo, 10mg of nitrazepam + doxylamine succinate. Nitrazepam seems to be more potent than valium.

However I can't keep relying on benzos to get me through this. I'm thinking of getting some seroquel or zyprexa (which is the better option?) to take long term to counteract the insomnia. Is this a good idea? Or would remeron be a better option? 

Does anyone have other suggestions? I've heard melatonin can be good for some, but apparently this shouldn't be taken with nardil? 

Does the insomnia from nardil EVER go away? I've heard from many its the only side effect which doesn't  This would be a huge problem for me.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Try Midazolam and say "goodbye" to insomnia. BTW DONT get Zyprexa!


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

Can you ask/tell you're doc you're back to the next lowest dosage. I wouldn't sacrifice sleep ever.


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

Get your doc to prescribe you a more powerful benzo like temazepam. Then if you could get lunesta or ambien or other z drug you could rotate sleep aids to avoid tolerance. 10mg of Valium is not sedating at all. That's like the equivalent of .5 Xanax or 1mg Ativan which won't put anyone on nardil to sleep. So what if you get dependent on a benzo for sleep like klonopin or temazepam but have great quality of life. You can just taper off or switch to another one if it stops working. Temazepam for some people does not cause bad tolerance and you could use probably the smallest dose of 15mg. I have to use 60 to go to sleep. Good sedating benzos are Ativan (lorazepam) and restoril (temazepam)


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

Here's a link on benzos from wiki. Look at the benzo half life and equivalent dose table. Notice that diazepam isn't a hypnotic benzo and 10mg is a low dose.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...diazepine_half_life_and_equivalent_dose_table


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

mr t said:


> Get your doc to prescribe you a more powerful benzo like temazepam. Then if you could get lunesta or ambien or other z drug you could rotate sleep aids to avoid tolerance. 10mg of Valium is not sedating at all. That's like the equivalent of .5 Xanax or 1mg Ativan which won't put anyone on nardil to sleep. So what if you get dependent on a benzo for sleep like klonopin or temazepam but have great quality of life. You can just taper off or switch to another one if it stops working. Temazepam for some people does not cause bad tolerance and you could use probably the smallest dose of 15mg. I have to use 60 to go to sleep. Good sedating benzos are Ativan (lorazepam) and restoril (temazepam)


Temazepam does nothing for me. Last night I tried 10mg of nitrazepam which is a hypnotic and usually knocks me out at that dose. Unfortunately I still didn't sleep well and probably only got 4 hours (which is actually an improvement).

I'm thinking i'm going to have to get something MUCH stronger than any benzo, eg an antipsychotic such as seroquel. This is extremely frustrating when not even 10mg of nitrazepam is enough to counteract it 

Plus I can't keep relying on benzo's for this insomnia, i'm going to need something that is more suitable for long term use (eg antipsychotics).


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

You can try doubling the dose but i know nitrazepam has a quick tolerance. How much temazepam did you take when you tried it? It generally has longer time to get tolerance and there are some studies that show it's still just as effective for people that have been taking it for 10+ years. I would consider trazodone before I went with seroquel. Probably 50mg of trazodone. That's probably the most popular sleep aid for maoi users. I might have to switch to traz bc it's a great sleep aid with low tolerance but it gives me terrible headaches in the morning so Ive avoided it so far.
Seroquel always made me feel like a zombie but maybe it's good for you. Have you tried klonopin? 2mg with melatonin and 50mg doxylamine put me out. Kpin has a longer half life so it takes quite a long time to develop tolerance, plus it helps mildly with anxiety the next day.


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

Here's a link on benzos from wiki. Look at the benzo half life and equivalent dose table. Notice that diazepam isn't a hypnotic benzo and 10mg is a low dose. Also 10mg of nitrazepam is the lowest recommended dose. Look at this chart on wiki

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ent_dose_table


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

A small dose of seroquel XR would have you sleeping like a baby and wake up not drowsy


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## redtogo72 (Jun 7, 2008)

Sorry, you are having insomnia. I had the same problem. Even when I did take something that allowed me to get to sleep, I would typically wake up 3-4 hours later. Seroquel might be a good idea. There's also sleep aids that have extended release versions. I was never able to try them. 

At work drink some coffee to help stay awake, but don't over do it!  You might also want to get up for walks during the day to combat sleepiness.

I had insomnia for over 3 months, and finally made the decision to get off of the medicine. I've been off of it for about a week, and I'm still having some problems sleeping. Lorazepam is helping me somewhat.

Are you getting any benefit from Nardil? If it's helping you, I'd try to find the right med to help you sleep. It's only been four weeks which is sometimes not enough time to be able to tell if the med is going to work. If you can't take the insomnia anymore, I'd discuss about getting off the medicine with your doctor.


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## Ashwin (Aug 6, 2010)

shy-one said:


> I have nearly been on nardil for 4 weeks now (nearly 2 weeks at 60mg) and since going up to 60mg the insomnia has been getting worse by the day.
> 
> Last night I would have only got around two hours sleep, despite taking 10mg of valium + 50mg of doxylamine succinate.
> 
> ...


Hi Shy-one, Actually I too have had insomnia for the last few weeks. I take klonopin 1 mg once/week and Unisom 2 times a week. I don't know why but rather than calling it insomnia, I feel its like my need for sleep has gone down; its like I wish I could wake up at 3 AM and start my day. And I keep thinking about how cool tomorrow will be; and that sorta keeps me awake. And I just push myself out of the bed at 5AM and go exercise and start for work early; and I have a great day. I don't feel any lack of energy at all. So, I guess even you'll like stop complaining once it starts to work for you.

Meanwhile never take the same Benzo for more than once a week; as it loses its effectiveness in inducing sleep. So, take klonopin one night/week, maybe valium one night, nitrazepam one night, Doxymate 1-2 nights/week. *Keep alternating.* And again 1-2 night a week, maybe the weekends, try sleeping without any aid - - get plenty of naps on holidays. You can try out other meds but check their interactions with NArdil before you introduce them. Melatonin is fine does not react with Nardil. Good luck


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

Just talked to my p doc on phone asking about sleep aids. I've been taking 60 mg temazepam, 50mg doxylamine, and 3mg melatonin with no sleep. He said *do not take seroquel as it has too much norepinephrine activity* and he suggested either trazodone or 50mg lyrica to augment the temazepam. He's like a world class doc with so many best doctor in America awards I can't keep count so I trust his judgment.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

mr t said:


> Just talked to my p doc on phone asking about sleep aids. I've been taking 60 mg temazepam, 50mg doxylamine, and 3mg melatonin with no sleep. He said *do not take seroquel as it has too much norepinephrine activity* and he suggested either trazodone or 50mg lyrica to augment the temazepam. He's like a world class doc with so many best doctor in America awards I can't keep count so I trust his judgment.


I've heard of many people taking seroquel with MAOI's, but normally a low dose. It is extremely sedating, so often only a low dose is needed.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

blakeyz said:


> A small dose of seroquel XR would have you sleeping like a baby and wake up not drowsy


Why XR? Wouldn't that make you groggy and drowsy during the day as well?


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

shy-one said:


> Why XR? Wouldn't that make you groggy and drowsy during the day as well?


shy-one,

I finally got a full nights sleep last night.

I took:
temazepam 60mg
doxylamine 50mg ( i realized this is useless for me)
benadryl (diphenhydramine) 75 mg (works much better for me, no hangover)
3mg melatonin

I plan on lowering my temazepam dosage a whole lot and upping my benadryl dosage. The benadryl was very sedating, I was very impressed.

Whole nights sleep!! WOO HOO


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## Ashwin (Aug 6, 2010)

shy-one said:


> I've heard of many people taking seroquel with MAOI's, but normally a low dose. It is extremely sedating, so often only a low dose is needed.


*Keep Alternating* - Never take the same drug especially benzo more than once a week. I bet you can get a full night's sleep every night. Just remember Nardil is the coolest anti-anxiety med ever invented; don't ever ever quit for any reason whatsoever... all possible side effects can be overcome


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## Ashwin (Aug 6, 2010)

shy-one said:


> I have nearly been on nardil for 4 weeks now (nearly 2 weeks at 60mg) and since going up to 60mg the insomnia has been getting worse by the day.
> 
> Last night I would have only got around two hours sleep, despite taking 10mg of valium + 50mg of doxylamine succinate.
> 
> ...


Yeah!! I noticed you take your dose in the evening. I suggest that you finish your *60mg before noon. *pretty sure thats the reason why your insomnia is bad. Good luck


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

mr t said:


> shy-one,
> 
> I finally got a full nights sleep last night.
> 
> Whole nights sleep!! WOO HOO


So did I!! Isn't it wonderful?

I tried 10mg of nitrazepam + doxylamine and slept through the whole night! Its a killer combo!

I think nitrazepam is only available in the UK and australia though, pretty sure its not in the US. It is a powerful hypnotic benzo.

Obviously I can't rely on benzos every night so i'm trying to get some seroquel hopefully today.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Ashwin said:


> Yeah!! I noticed you take your dose in the evening. I suggest that you finish your *60mg before noon. *pretty sure thats the reason why your insomnia is bad. Good luck


Yep, i'll speak to my Dr about it and see what he suggests. I would have thought that its ideal to break it up 12 hours apart though due to its short half life?


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

shy-one said:


> Yep, i'll speak to my Dr about it and see what he suggests. I would have thought that its ideal to break it up 12 hours apart though due to its short half life?


The short half-life is more or less irrelevent since Nardil is an irreversible MAOI.


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

shy-one said:


> Yep, i'll speak to my Dr about it and see what he suggests. I would have thought that its ideal to break it up 12 hours apart though due to its short half life?


The half life of this drug really isn't important because it is an irreversible maoi. When you take it the monoamine oxidase gets inhibited and stays inhibited unless you stop nardil. Even in that case it takes two weeks for new enzymes(Mao) to be replenished.

So long story short: half life does not matter with this drug. I agree with ashwin as I too take all 60 mg before noon. Taking it at night will only make your 
insomnia worse.

It is a good idea to break it up into 30mg 2xday though. Take 30 with breakfast and 30 with lunch.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

mr t said:


> The half life of this drug really isn't important because it is an irreversible maoi. When you take it the monoamine oxidase gets inhibited and stays inhibited unless you stop nardil. Even in that case it takes two weeks for new enzymes(Mao) to be replenished.
> 
> So long story short: half life does not matter with this drug. I agree with ashwin as I too take all 60 mg before noon. Taking it at night will only make your
> insomnia worse.
> ...


Unlike Parnate where it's best to take every 3 hours ???
That's what I have been doing and its a pain in the bottom


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

blakeyz said:


> Unlike Parnate where it's best to take every 3 hours ???
> That's what I have been doing and its a pain in the bottom


Sorry, I don't have any experience with parnate


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

rustybob said:


> The short half-life is more or less irrelevent since Nardil is an irreversible MAOI.


If I'm remembering correctly I think the GABA-T inhibiting portion of Nardil may be half-life dependent, unlike the MAOI portion.


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> If I'm remembering correctly I think the GABA-T inhibiting portion of Nardil may be half-life dependent, unlike the MAOI portion.


Not sure if it's different with Nardil, but on vigabatrin, another GABA-T inhibitor, it takes 6 days to return to maximum enzyme activity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1379673/?tool=pmcentrez


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Saw my p-doc today and he gave me some thorazine (typical antipsychotic) instead of seroquel for insomnia. What the? Doesn't thorazine cause hypotension as well? Don't some people actually use thorazine in a hypertensive crisis? I'm not sure whether I should be taking this with nardil... perhaps I should see another p-doc. He also thinks my depression isn't "biological" (i've suffered for 11 years), so I think he's a bit of an idiot. 

However he did say it may be better to take 3 nardil doses in the morning and one in the afternoon instead. Or should I take the whole 60mg at once in the morning? Does anyone else do this?

Tonight I have only taken 15mg instead of 30mg to see if this helps with the insomnia.


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

shy-one said:


> Saw my p-doc today and he gave me some thorazine (typical antipsychotic) instead of seroquel for insomnia. What the? Doesn't thorazine cause hypotension as well? Don't some people actually use thorazine in a hypertensive crisis? I'm not sure whether I should be taking this with nardil... perhaps I should see another p-doc. He also thinks my depression isn't "biological" (i've suffered for 11 years), so I think he's a bit of an idiot.
> 
> However he did say it may be better to take 3 nardil doses in the morning and one in the afternoon instead. Or should I take the whole 60mg at once in the morning? Does anyone else do this?
> 
> Tonight I have only taken 15mg instead of 30mg to see if this helps with the insomnia.


Yea your doc sounds pretty stupid. I took 60mg all at once in the morning with food for like 3 weeks and it was fine. I started having urinary retention but later realized it was due to taking way too much magnesium at night. Give 60mg in the morning a try, that's what my p doc suggested for me to do and he's one of the best in the country.

Switching subjects: Thorazine is retarded. It's only still used as a sedative in Germany for presurgery sedation. Can cause tardive dyskynesia which will ruin your life. Its got anticholinergic activity which will worsen constipation and antidopamingeric activity which would hurt some of nardils positive effects.

Here's a wiki excerpt:



> Chlorpromazine works on a variety of receptors in the central nervous system, producing anticholinergic, antidopaminergic, antihistaminic, and weak antiadrenergic effects. Both the clinical indications and side effect profile of CPZ are determined by this broad action: its anticholinergic properties cause constipation, sedation, and hypotension, and help relieve nausea. It also has anxiolytic (anxiety-relieving) properties. Its antidopaminergic properties can cause extrapyramidal symptoms such as akathisia (restlessness, aka the 'largactil shuffle' where the patient walks almost constantly, despite having nowhere to go due to mandatory confinement, and takes small, shuffling steps) and dystonia. It is known to cause tardive dyskinesia, which can be irreversible.[2] In recent years, chlorpromazine has been largely superseded by the newer atypical antipsychotics, which are usually better tolerated, and its use is now restricted to fewer indications. In acute settings, it is often administered as a syrup, which has a faster onset of action than tablets, and can also be given by intramuscular injection. IV administration is very irritating and is not advised; its use is limited to severe hiccups, surgery, and tetanus.


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

Have you tried Ambien or Ambien CR for sleep?

*Ambien* is generic now and very cheap, very strong sleep medicine. It is great if your problem is sleep onset.

*Ambien CR* is pretty exprensive, less powerful for sleep onset, but lasts longer if you have problems with maintaining sleep.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

mr t said:


> Yea your doc sounds pretty stupid. I took 60mg all at once in the morning with food for like 3 weeks and it was fine. I started having urinary retention but later realized it was due to taking way too much magnesium at night. Give 60mg in the morning a try, that's what my p doc suggested for me to do and he's one of the best in the country.
> 
> Switching subjects: Thorazine is retarded. It's only still used as a sedative in Germany for presurgery sedation. Can cause tardive dyskynesia which will ruin your life. Its got anticholinergic activity which will worsen constipation and antidopamingeric activity which would hurt some of nardils positive effects.
> 
> Here's a wiki excerpt:


Last night I only took 15mg at the usual time as an experiment to see if it would reduce my insomnia. This time I only took 5mg of nitrazepam (as opposed to 10mg) + 25mg of doxylamine. Sure enough my insomnia wasn't too bad (though I did wake up briefly a few times). So I think you may be right about the earlier dosing.

I'm not sure if i'm game enough to try the whole 60mg in the morning yet due to potential side effects. Ideally shouldn't it be spread out if possible? I'm thinking either:

1. 45mg in the morning + 15mg 4:30pm, or;
2. 30mg in the morning + 30mg at 4:30pm, or;
3. 30mg morning + 30mg after lunch (approx 5 hours apart)

However option 3 poses a problem as I need to keep it refrigerated and don't always have access to a fridge during the day.

I agree, this psychiatrist is stupid and I won't be seeing him again. It really does pay to do your own research before putting drugs into your own body. I never fully trust doctors and prefer to do my own research.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

mr t said:


> Have you tried Ambien or Ambien CR for sleep?
> 
> *Ambien* is generic now and very cheap, very strong sleep medicine. It is great if your problem is sleep onset.
> 
> *Ambien CR* is pretty exprensive, less powerful for sleep onset, but lasts longer if you have problems with maintaining sleep.


I would never touch ambien, that **** scares me. There have been numerous reports of people waking up in the night and doing stupid things without realising it. I've actually seen this happen to my ex gf and it was quite scary.


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

shy-one said:


> I would never touch ambien, that **** scares me. There have been numerous reports of people waking up in the night and doing stupid things without realising it. I've actually seen this happen to my ex gf and it was quite scary.


Hmm. That usually doesn't happen unless people double dose. If worse comes to worst I would give ambien 10mg a try or ambien cr 12.5mg


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Ok so I took 30mg in the morning and 30mg after lunch. I was hoping this would significantly reduce my insomnia, but it probably only reduced it by around 25% (I didn't take any sedatives so I could test it). The main difference being that I would still wake up every 1-2 hours, but this time I could get back to sleep a lot quicker most of the time. Previously I would wake up at around 2-3am and unable to get back to sleep at all or until about 5am. 

Still I suppose it is a bit of an improvement, but I was hoping for more. Maybe it will take a few days of dosing at midday for the insomnia to improve? 

I am still undecided about trying to get some seroquel, do you guys reckon its a good idea, or would it be better to keep alternating with benzos and other sedatives such as benadryl and doxylamine? BTW are you sure benadryl is safe with nardil? If so how does it compare to doxylamine for sedation? 

Also what about melatonin? Does this really do much?


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Also something I find really interesting - on 45mg nardil actually gave me a better sleep, I didn't have to use any benzos for the whole two weeks I was on 45mg. As soon as I hit 60mg WHAM, that's when the severe insomnia started. Any thoughts as to why this might be? Very strange that 15mg more can make such a difference by reversing a good sleep to severe insomnia.

There is no way in hell i'm ever going up to 75mg, i'd probably never sleep AT ALL. If 60mg doesn't work after one more month then i'm going off it. 

The things I do to put up with this drug, it sure as hell better be worth it or i'll be pissed off I went through all this insomnia and food restrictions for nothing.

For the people who have been on nardil a while, does the insomnia EVER get better, or does it pretty much stay around forever?


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Ok I'm getting desperate here. Only getting like 3 or 4 hrs a sleep a night and can't function properly. Benzos starting to not work as well anymore.

I have two options. Take a low dose of the Thorazine I've been given, or go off nardil. Seroquel isn't an option as no dr will give it to me as it isn't avail in my country unless you have bipolar or schizophrenia.

So what should I do? Is a low dose of thorazine going to be ok with nardil? If so what dose? I have 10 and 25mg tabs. Is it likely to give nasty side effects like TD at this dose or make nardil less effective by blocking dopamine?

Its either Thorazine or stopping nardil as I'm going to go insane soon with only a few hrs sleep and possibly lose my job. What should I do?


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Ok after further research of Thorazine im too scared to take it. Apparently this **** can cause irreversible brain damage. Unless there are any other solutions i think I may have to stop nardil


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## mjhea0 (Oct 1, 2009)

shy-one said:


> Ok after further research of Thorazine im too scared to take it. Apparently this **** can cause irreversible brain damage. Unless there are any other solutions i think I may have to stop nardil


Where did you read about the brain damage? I just looked at this site and it's only a moderate interaction- http://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=1839-1190,639-314

Which benzos have you tried? A friend of mine who gets severe insomnia from Nardil swears by Triazolam. You may need to experiment around. What about taking 45 mg of the Nardil in the morning and 15 mg at lunch?


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

That was ment to be a PM hehehe


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

Somebody else will have to confirm the safety of such (I can't think of a potential interaction off the top of my head), but if you're desperate for a good sleep and don't want to stop Nardil, perhaps you may have to try something like GHB. You might have to take it narcolepsy-style, with a dose before bed and a dose 4 hours later.

Also, have you tried Remeron? I would think I'd prefer to try that first over an anti-psychotic.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

shy-one said:


> I have two options. Take a low dose of the Thorazine I've been given, or go off nardil. Seroquel isn't an option as no dr will give it to me as it isn't avail in my country unless you have bipolar or schizophrenia.


So the doc will give you Thorazine off-label but not Seroquel? That's kind of ironic in the grand scheme of things, considering that thorazine seems to be a stronger antipsychotic than seroquel.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

jim_morrison said:


> So the doc will give you Thorazine off-label but not Seroquel? That's kind of ironic in the grand scheme of things, considering that thorazine seems to be a stronger antipsychotic than seroquel.


Yeah, the reason being that seroquel isn't available in my country unless you're diagnosed with bipolar or schziophrenia.

For some reason the older antipsychotics are, probably because they're cheaper.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

shy-one said:


> Yeah, the reason being that seroquel isn't available in my country unless you're diagnosed with bipolar or schziophrenia.
> 
> For some reason the older antipsychotics are, probably because they're cheaper.


My GP has free samples that he used to give out to me
GP's love it here for some reason
Seroquel XR is the best thing for sleep man the older AP just leave you groggy the next day IMO


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

blakeyz said:


> My GP has free samples that he used to give out to me
> GP's love it here for some reason
> Seroquel XR is the best thing for sleep man the older AP just leave you groggy the next day IMO


Did you get it prescribed for bipolar? Otherwise it's usually pretty expensive.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

jim_morrison said:


> Did you get it prescribed for bipolar? Otherwise it's usually pretty expensive.


Na i have treatment resistant A typical depression and Social Phobia
Bi-Polar is the new word for everything these days 
Of course if asked I just say I have bi-polar :wink


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

shy-one said:


> Yeah, the reason being that seroquel isn't available in my country unless you're diagnosed with bipolar or schziophrenia.
> 
> For some reason the older antipsychotics are, probably because they're cheaper.


Try flurazepam 30-45mg with 1.5-3mg of melatonin.

Nardil insomnia is not even an issue for me now. I sleep 8-9 hours per night and wake up refreshed. Also can nap during the day for 3 hrs if I want to and still get a full nights sleep.

Flurazepam is a strong benzo hypnotic with a very long half life so it has many advantages such as: very little tolerance develops over time, metabolites from previous dose enhance sleep, no risk of rebound anxiety or insomnia. This **** is legit.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

mr t said:


> Try flurazepam 30-45mg with 1.5-3mg of melatonin.
> 
> Nardil insomnia is not even an issue for me now. I sleep 8-9 hours per night and wake up refreshed. Also can nap during the day for 3 hrs if I want to and still get a full nights sleep.
> 
> Flurazepam is a strong benzo hypnotic with a very long half life so it has many advantages such as: very little tolerance develops over time, metabolites from previous dose enhance sleep, no risk of rebound anxiety or insomnia. This **** is legit.


I have read numerous things saying that melatonin shouldn't be taken with nardil as MAO breaks it down.

Nitrazepam is also a pretty strong benzo hypnotic, and most of the time this will work in combination with doxylamine. However, I already have a pretty high benzo tolerance so not many benzo's will work for me very good compared to other people.

Yeah I've been trying to have 2 hour naps in the afternoon which helps me catch up sleep a bit. Sometimes i'll get home from work and just crash with a nap, this helps me catch up from lack of sleep the night before.

In the past few nights the insomnia may have been getting slightly better, or perhaps I'm just getting used to lack of sleep more, I don't know. Most nights i'll take doxylamine alone which helps a little (probably gives me about 5-6 hours vs 3-4), and other nights i'll combine this with nitrazepam.


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## mr t (Jan 28, 2010)

shy-one said:


> I have read numerous things saying that melatonin shouldn't be taken with nardil as MAO breaks it down.
> 
> Nitrazepam is also a pretty strong benzo hypnotic, and most of the time this will work in combination with doxylamine. However, I already have a pretty high benzo tolerance so not many benzo's will work for me very good compared to other people.
> 
> ...


You will probably acquire a quick tolerance to nitrazepam bc it has a much shorter half life. The longer the half the more effective it is.

Melatonin is fine to take with nardil, and actually a good idea. Nardil almost completely wipes out REM sleep and taking melatonin will help better regulate your sleep cycle and promote REM sleep which is essential for restful sleep.

I also had a very high tolerance to benzos, 4mg Ativan, 3mg Xanax, 60mg temazepam, and 3mg clonazepam would not knock me out. Talk about misery.

I would encourage you to take melatonin. Many people take 5-10mg of it while on nardil with no ill effects. I recommend not using a time release melatonin though, it did nothing for me. Instant release gives my brain a boost of melatonin it needs to promote sleep. I take my 30mg flurazepam with melatonin and do not have to try to go to sleep. I usually read a book or watch tv, and about an hour later I'm out.


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## Jade13 (Jul 11, 2011)

shy-one said:


> However I can't keep relying on benzos to get me through this. I'm thinking of getting some seroquel or zyprexa (which is the better option?) to take long term to counteract the insomnia. Is this a good idea? Or would remeron be a better option?
> 
> Does anyone have other suggestions? I've heard melatonin can be good for some, but apparently this shouldn't be taken with nardil?


There are a lot of sleep aids out there. None of them that are specifically for that worked wonders for me, although Sonata worked the best. Nothing really beats a steady routine, but it's especially helpful for me because I already take sedating meds at night.

Zyprexa will cause extreme weight gain in a short amount of time. Everyone I know who has ever taken it has had this problem. I take Seroquel but mostly for its fast acting anti-depressive effects. I think it can be helpful, but you really need a full night's sleep or you'll be really groggy in the morning (although that does improve over time). 
Something else I used to take when I didn't have 8 hours to sleep was a muscle relaxer called Soma. It worked like a charm and never made me drowsy in the morning. 
It's been a while since I had a real problem with insomnia. Sleep is sooo important for other aspects of your mood.
Good Luck!


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Just thought I'd mention that in the past few days the insomnia has slightly got better. I'm sleeping about 5-6 hrs on average instead of 3-4. I still take doxylamine most nights but have a break every now and then as it causes constipation in combination with nardil. Has anyone else found this?

This combination is actually excellent for my IBS-D but actually too good at times haha


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## mjhea0 (Oct 1, 2009)

shy-one said:


> Just thought I'd mention that in the past few days the insomnia has slightly got better. I'm sleeping about 5-6 hrs on average instead of 3-4. I still take doxylamine most nights but have a break every now and then as it causes constipation in combination with nardil. Has anyone else found this?
> 
> This combination is actually excellent for my IBS-D but actually too good at times haha


LOL Good to know, I guess.

I'm glad you're sleeping more.


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