Hello kerrigor-ga!
First off, as a disclaimer, this answer in no way is a substitution
for a professional medical opinion. You should discuss all questions
and concerns that you may have with your personal physician or a
qualified health professional that you trust. You should discuss with
your physician any changes or additions you want to make to your
treatment regimen, especially where antidepressants are concerned.
It sounds as though you?ve found a good solution for your anxiety and
energy problems. As you?ve stated, sleep disturbance is a common, and
most certainly annoying side effect of Wellbutrin. I?ve found a few
suggestions for you to try.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I first asked my physician husband if he had any experience with this
particular problem. He said that antidepressants are usually
categorized as either energizing or sedating. Wellbutrin is an
energizing antidepressant so this is why you are experiencing the
increased energy and difficulty sleeping. One solution is to take the
medication in the morning (or when you wake up) if you are not
already. This way by bedtime it should have worn off enough for you to
get some sleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The following is an excerpt from an article written by a George Mason
University psychiatrist. It discusses some of the medications that are
used in treating psychiatric disorders, and addresses sleep
disturbances.
?Some antidepressants, particularly the serotonin re-uptake inhibitors
may be energizing and worsen a sleep disorder. Low doses of trazadone
in addition to these can improve sleep.?
My husband tells me that this is another common practice among some
physicians. Of course, this adds another medication to the mix and
increases the potential for drug interactions and more side effects.
The article goes on to say that some of the increased anxiety and
agitation that may occur early in treatment often does go away after a
week or two.
http://counseling.gmu.edu/pharcolo.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If you are wary of adding another medication to the mix, you can try
to incorporate some basic good sleep practices, also referred to as
good ?sleep hygiene.? The University of Maryland Medical Center has a
nice page with tips for people who suffer from sleep disturbances. It
offers tips on personal habits, sleep environment, and bedtime
routine.
http://www.umm.edu/sleep/sleep_hyg.html
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Here is a link to a list of herbal sleep aids. A word of caution: St.
John?s Wort should be avoided in people who are already taking
antidepressants.
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/herb/a/herbs_3.htm
Here is a forum where users can post various home remedies. This link
will take you to the insomnia page.
http://www.myhomeremedies.com/topic.cgi?topicid=112
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I hope that you find this answer to be useful. Again, any specific
questions or concerns you may have should be discussed with your
physician. If you have need of any further clarification, please let
me know how I can help. Good luck.
Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga
Search terms:
wellbutrin side effects duration
wellbutrin "sleep disturbance" duration
sleep hygiene
natural sleep aids
home remedies sleep |
